The Tales of Hoffman

The Tales of Hoffman

This Sunday I had a once in a life time chance to go to the opera. Ever since I arrived to the US I hardly found the time to worry about the finer things in life. So while I was working on the anime site, mama got a phone call from one of her soul sisters who had three extra tickets to the opera. We had nothing better to do on Sunday so we decided to go to kill some time. It was either the opera or going clothing shopping with my mother (which is a serious pain).

When Sunday arrived we woke up two hour later than we had planed. So then it was the rush , rush, while bro and I took showers mother was rushing calling all her friends asking for directions in order to find Adrienne Arsht Center. We had a light breakfast consisting of two croquettes , a bit of juice and two donuts. After wearing our fanciest cheapest attire we went on an epic quest to find the Adrienne Arsht Center. After looking round like crazy for a half an hour we found the Adrienne Arsht Center. However, a new problem arose. We could not find the front nor parking space to search on foot the vicinity of the Adrienne Arsht Center. Luckily, we found great parking in the Miami Herald parking space. So , that saved us 25 bucks of valet parking.





We managed to rendezvous with our soul aunt and uncle. Together we formed a party of five. The elevator was a death trap. There were so many old people packed together like sardines inside that elevator. We saw one or two lil kids with their mothers. But mostly it was an army of old crones and fat chicks.

Anyhow, after arriving at the 5th floor we were directed to our sky box seats. It was 4th Tier , Row H and mine was seat 18. I started joking with my bro saying that we had a the best view in the house should the phantom of the Opera decided to show his ugly face. The seats were super high and I regretted not having binoculars. When , I first got inside I felt a bit of vertigo. It just seemed like you could fall down very easily.

The play we watched was the "Tales of Hoffman". The story goes that the author died before completing the play. Recently they found 30 versions of the last act. This is the shortest version that the producers were able to find. The first act was kinda cute. The main character was a drunk poet that was in love with an Opera singer named Stella. However, he never got the love letter she sent her because his love rival stole it. Now, he waits inside the bar keeping an eye on Hoffman in order to keep him away from Stella.

The first song was about a dwarf , who was ugly and went click clack with his rusty armor. In the middle of the song he starts reminiscing about his Stella. His drunken bodies convinced him to sing about his beloved. He separates his girl into three forms. The first form was Called Olympia.

Olympia was a a puppet to the whims of her adopted father that was using her talents to make money. Her other father was given a some money to keep away. Hoffman using magic glasses he bought from father number 2 used them to see Olympia in the form he most admired. She sang in such a silly fashion , and she danced so cute as well, like a cute golden robot puppet. In the end , she breaks his glasses due to her mechanical moves and he sees her for what she is. However, after father number two finds out that he has been cheated out of his money he takes revenge out on Olympian , thus breaking her.

The second tale describes Stella in the form of Antonia. Antonia is suffering from the same illness as her mother. If she keeps singing she will die. Before Hoffman meets her, his muse warms him about his previous mechanical love Olympia. She wants him to focus on his poetry. However, he ignores her. Meanwhile the father of Antonia forces her to promise never to sing again nor see Hoffman.

Luckily, the butler is a deaf idiot. He does a cute dance and song and blames his lack on talent in his technique. Truly it was a funny lil man. Anyhow, Hoffman sees his beloved but then the father returns. While hiding beneath the piano he overhears the conversation between the Father and Doctor Miracle. Miracle promises to cure the daughter , but the father is skeptical because Miracle had perform no miracles when his wife was ill. The duet between the father and doctor was intense and quite angry around the edges. It was truly charming.

Both leave and when the coast is clear Hoffman makes Antonia promise not to sing if she wants to marry him. After he leaves, Doctor Miracle comes to Antonia and gets her to sing again. He appeals to her pride and the ghost of her mother. She sings so sweetly and then drops dead after she tells her father that her mother spoke through her and urged her to sing her song. thus, the scene ends with Doctor miracle pronouncing Antonia dead, while the Father blames Hoffman of her death.

The Tale starts in a somewhat spooky fashion. Hoffman and his muse are ridding gondolas (french water boats that come with weird french singers with stripe shirts and tight black pants). The boat takes him and his muse to dust town were he meets the last form Stella, Giulietta the courtesan. Giulietta is under the control of a vile man that is using her gaze to get what he desires from men. His newest target is Hoffman. He wants Giulietta to take his shadow. Giulietta starts seducing Hoffman, but one of her old lovers attacks Hoffman. Hoffman kills the lover who lost his shadow. Afterward, Giulietta convinces Hoffman to give her his reflection. She then laughs and abandons him. The whole shadow and reflection is a poetical way of saying that Giulietta can get whatever she wants from men.

In last part of the play, Stella enters the bar with the rival lover of Hoffman. Hoffman is surprised to find Stella. He ask, " are you the broken Olympia, the dead Antonia or the cheating Giulietta?" He then realizes that his love with Stella will be his perdition. He scorns her and resumes to finish the dwarf song. The last line is that love makes men great, but tears makes you greater. It was truly a fascinating play.