Like the woman of high society I am, on Friday I went to the opera! Well I went to an opera. It was a really good opera, Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Ruddigore (The Witch’s Curse),” presented by our Bienen School of Music. Myself and a few other admissions officers in the building went to support one of our senior counselors, Robby Eisentrout, who played the lead.

It was an awesome experience for a few reasons. First, I had never seen an opera before, nor did I ever really plan on going to one. But I love plays and musicals and pretty much as soon as I settled into my seat and the curtain rose I was back in a happy place. I haven’t been to see too many student performances this year — I had been really missing them since my freshman year, back when I lived in the performing arts dorm — and it was really delightful to see my classmates doing amazing things, and doing them really well (as a seasoned shower singer, opera sounds like it’s a tad more difficult to pull off). The show, in addition to being easy to keep up with because it was in English, was a total spectacle of frivolity. From the bouncy songs courtesy of a Northwestern pit orchestra to the colorful costumes and set, the opera made for fun Friday night viewing.

The show was held in Cahn Auditorium, a beautiful space on campus that holds some of Northwestern’s biggest musical productions, such as The Dolphin Show and Waa-Mu. It was really cool to see how many Evanston residents were in attendance to satisfy their cultural cravings; I love to see Evanstonians taking advantage of what Northwestern has to offer.

But mainly, I was so happy to go and support a fellow senior counselor. We never get to hear Robby’s talent as a voice major around the office, although that would make for some interesting information sessions, and his talent totally floored me. I got to watch my co-worker sing, dance and practically carry an opera while also appreciating all of the great, expressive actors and singers around him. The students did an excellent job of making the play come to life, and making the audience crack up. After the show we got to go backstage with other friends and families of the performers to greet the cast. I felt very VIP, it was cool to see the dressing rooms in disarray and all of the stage makeup coming off, but best of all it was awesome to hug Robby after a job well done and know how much it meant that we were there to support him.

–Ava Wallace