Opera in Kansas City

I'm lucky to have moved in (more or less) across the street from the gorgeous, new performing arts hall- the Kauffman Center. 

From some angles the building looks like it spontaneously sprang from the prairie.

Matt and I went to see the Lyric Opera perform "Cosi fan tutte" there on Saturday night. I love opera, but going to a performance is also a good excuse to get dressed, have a cocktail, and people watch. 

Most concertgoers had also taken the opportunity to get dressed up- I saw fur coats and stoles and even a couple of tuxedos.

The Kauffman Center is comprised of two performance halls with one giant central lobby. It's a million miles away from my old hometown orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra. The hall they play in, Severance Hall is much more formal than the Kauffman Center. It's hard to compare the two. I did notice that the Kauffman Center has a very good gift shop- there were actually some things I wanted to buy (anyone looking for a stocking stuffer for me, please see: miniature Beethoven bust). The gift shop at Severance  Hall was always a pet peeve of mine- a hole of unwanted kitsch is the first thing that greets you as you enter the hall from the parking garage. 

The opera was wonderful- it was set in the 1920's and I loved the sets and the costumes. The Kauffman Theatre has great acoustics and the most comfortable seats- this becomes important when sitting through a three hour opera! We had a fantastic night, and I can't wait to go back.