Need quick input on seats for Met Opera (Otello)
 

I'll be traveling to NYC on business next month. I've been many times and always try to get in a few shows when I can. I would really like to try the opera, and it looks like Verdi's 'Otello' is the performance that is playing the evening I can go.

Can anyone give me input on how this show will be for an opera "newbie." I've read that ideally operas like Carmen, Madame Butterfly, LaBoheme (?sp is wrong I know) are better for someone new to opera -- So what about Otello?

Also, seat selection is limited, here are my choices for what is left for reasonable priced tickets: Grand Tier Rear (towards the back in the corner), Balcony (back row, near the corner), Dress Circle (back row, near the corner).

?Recommendations

All of your choices are in a back corner . . . The Balcony is a bit more pitched than the lower levels, and it may also be more challenging for you if you have a fear of heights. If you can afford the difference in price, I'd go for Dress Circle or Grand Tier.

Otello may be slightly more challenging for a newbie, but it's still Verdi, the composer of Aida and La Traviata. Plus, having subtitles available makes it easier for the uninitiated to follow than in the past.

If you don't mind standing, you can go on the Saturday morning of (get there at 9ish before they run out) and get the SRO tickets $15-$20. There is a "bar", where the translation text viewers are and you can lean on to ease the strain. Warning - limited viewing on the orchestra level, but I've never had a problem with it.

If I were to suggest operas for a newbie, they would be Le Nozze di Figaro, the Magic Flute and La Traviata. The arias in these operas will grab you by the throat and give you icy chills or make you cry.
Carmen is a bit longish - 3 acts, but chock full of great arias.

And the Met is not the only show in town - not sure if the season starts for the NYC Opera yet, but there's that too.

Hi, Cher!

You are very fortunate!

Otello is a great opera and Renee Fleming is one of the best sopranos of our day.

Of the three Shakespearan plays that Verdi developed for opera (Macbeth, Otello and Falstaff), Otello is - IMHO - the best of the three.

Verdi's music is wonderful!

Enjoy!

I hope this will turn you into an opera fan! :)

Thank you all for your input. My only free evening is on a Monday, and Otello is the performance, so I'm looking forward to it.