I was picturing my favorite Verdi classical opera, the tragic love story of an Ethiopian princess and an Egyptian army officer, on the largely barren crest of the 2,000-year-old Jewish fortress of Masada.
Alas, it seems it will be “at the footsteps” of Masada in June, apparently on the west side, “with the majestic mountain as a backdrop” not far from the Dead Sea. Well, a few miles from it, actually, though in the stark landscape out there it doesn’t seem that far away.
Now that I think of it, it would be a bear trying to get all those sets and stuff, not to mention the musicians, the dancers, the extras, and the cast, up on the top with only two cable cars. Asking them to use the long, winding “snake path” would be out of the question. Then, there’s the audience, going and coming. Couldn’t work, obviously. Pity.
It’s still impressive, the Israeli Opera doing such a thing out there. Wonder what the ghosts will make of it all?
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 