I felt this was a very Shakespearean opera experience. I say this because William Shakespeare wrote theater for the common man who more than likely would not be seeing the plays in a regal setting. Yet the plays and performances were still grand. The crowd at the Santa Monica Woman's Club was a mixed bag of regular folk — elders, hipsters, couples, some subscribers, a baby — and the stage on which the performers sang looked like something from a high school play, but the performances were top notch, everyone was in fine voice, the atmosphere was congenial, and the raffle and the communal meal afterward were a great accompaniment to the fine artistic experience. I'm certainly going to be checking out more of this opera company.

My dad and I went, and he is a real Opera fan. He said more than once that he enjoyed it more than the last (Madame Butterfly, which was a modern interperatation) opera he saw at Dorothy Chandler. We enjoyed the wonderful voices. The dinner was excellent, and it was nice being able to speak to the singers and others involved and tell them how much we enjoyed it. We also met a nice couple at our table that were also Goldstar fans like us. We look forward to LaTraveatta and hope Goldstar will have tickets.

It was a bit distracting for Rigoletto not to be in make-up, and the stage looked unfinished.