You may not have heard, but some new things are happening at the Metropolitan Opera. On Monday, the company opens its season with Anthony Minghella's production of Madama Butterfly. There will also be live broadcasts out on Lincoln Center Plaza and in Times Square, and Sirius Radio will kick off the Met opera channel. The Met website is bursting with fresh material, including an advice column called Ask Figaro. (Q: "Do I have to go out and find one of those glasses on a stick that Mrs. Howell used to use on Gilligan’s Island? Please help! A: They’re called 'lorgnettes,' and they haven’t been spotted at the Met in about 80 years. But, hey, don’t let that stop you. If you feel like making lorgnettes hip again, wielding a set on the Grand Tier would be a great place to start.") More on these lively initiatives in the New Yorker soon. The critics were asked not to comment on the Butterfly dress rehearsal, which was opened to the public at an unprecedented "open house" on Friday, but I will say this: If you are interested in attending a performance, you might want to get tickets now, because once people see what Minghella has done with the opera the run is going to sell out very quickly.
