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Arts & Entertainment

A Night at the Metropolitan Opera: Fact vs. Fiction

What it's really like to attend the opera, and what you'll want to know before going.

Spending an evening at the opera has been a favorite pastime for centuries. Royal families attended, townspeople partook in the entertainment, and today, going to the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center is considered a rite-of-passage for those visiting the Big Apple.

For out-of-towners, though, there are a lot of questions surrounding this age-old experience: Are you supposed to don tuxedos and ballgowns? Do you have to know how to speak Italian to follow the narrative? Can you bring a shopping bag inside?

While there are plenty of cultural events to enjoy in Fairfield County, sometimes suburbanites have to take advantage of the fact that we live so close to Manhattan and head down for a weekend excursion.

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Act I: Dress the part

There’s something about Hollywood's depiction of a night at the opera that makes people think they have to dress in floor-length gowns and 4-inch heels just to see a show. However, there is no formal dress code enforced by the company, but they suggest "comfortable clothing appropriate for a professional setting."

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When heading out, a woman can get away with wearing a cocktail dress or skirt, while a sports shirt (tie is optional) with slacks work for men. Donning jeans or a hooded sweatshirt? Be prepared to receive dirty looks from your neighbors.

Act II: Can I bring an umbrella to my seat if it’s raining?

There is a coat check; handbags and umbrellas are allowed but visitors are strongly discouraged from bringing extraneous items like shopping bags and luggage.

Act III: Intermission = Ample leg-stretching time

One of the biggest fallacies about sitting through a masterpiece like Giacomo Puccini’s La Boheme is that you’ll be chained to your seat for three or four hours without a break.

On the contrary, there is sometimes more than just one intermission for a given performance, each lasting about 20 minutes. This will allow you to stretch your legs, hit the bathroom, or grab a drink of water. Plus, there is usually a five-minute break in between every act, when audiences can chat during costume changes.

Act IV: (Not) Lost in translation

You don’t actually have to know how to speak Italian in order to follow what’s happening as the scenes progress, despite what the movies may have led you to believe.

Found in front of every seat are tiny screens on which the English conversion is projected, just in case you (like most!) don’t speak the language fluently. The words are configured to appear invisible if a patron does not wish to use it and doesn't look directly at the screen.

Editor's note: This article previously appeared in a slightly different version in Port Chester Patch.

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