AT&T Park Opera at the Ballpark 2008

Yesterday was the Opera at the Ballpark at AT&T Park, the home of the baseball team San Francisco Giants. San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Giants teamed up to bring a free live simulcast of Donizetti’s bel canto masterpiece Lucia di Lammermoor to thousands upon thousands of fans at the ballpark. The performance at the War Memorial Opera House was transmitted in high-definition technology to AT&T Park 3200-square-feet Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Vision scoreboard. The simulcast started promptly at 8 pm.

We arrived around 6.30 pm to gain an entry to the ballpark. The sea of people waiting in line with picnic bags in tow is astounding. I didn’t realize there were these many people interested in the opera. I have other theories regarding the attendance. First, the event is free. Second, when else will any of us ever get a chance to sit on the field grass at the famous AT&T Park for a nice picnic? Third, the weather was incredibly beautiful throughout the day and it carried over towards the evening. I don’t remember the last time I can get-by with a t-shirt (jeans too of course) in San Francisco during the evening. The temperature stayed in the high 70’s throughout the evening.

We gained entry to the ballpark around 7.15 pm. We had a good 45-minute to find a comfortable place to watch the opera and enjoyed our picnic before the show started. We found a nice spot on the field directly in front of the jumbo screen. Some people chose to sit in the regular seating areas for the baseball game. A friend who attended the same event last year told me it was freezing cold last year. No way I am passing a chance to lay down on the grass on a nice evening at the AT&T Park. Too good of an opportunity to pass up.

At 8 pm, the show started with an introduction from .. well, I don’t know who they are. The audio and the video synchronization was a bit off. But it didn’t stop me from enjoying the show. This would be my first-ever opera show. I know it’s not your conventional opera show in an opera house but it was still a VERY enjoyable show.

The story was about a feud between a Scottish families of Ravenswood and Lammermoor. Enrico Ashton of Lammermoor wrongfully holds the estates of Edgardo Ravenswood. In addition, Enrico’s political activity against the King has placed him in a perilous situation, and he has resolved to reestablish his family’s position by marrying his sister Lucia to Lord Arturo Bucklaw. In the end, Lucia killed herself and so did Edgardo, pretty tragic love story of arranged marriage and deception.

There was a 25-minute intermission between Act II and Act III. I didn’t know the intermission was so long but in a three-hour show, I suppose some people might have to reload their alcohol. The show ended around 11 pm. At the end of the show, the casts salute the audience in San Francisco gears (hats, foam finger, shirts, flag, etc.)