Finally found a Romanian opera to watch. I know you'd been waiting with bated breath to see if I'd manage this. "Motanul Încălțat" just straightforwardly translates as "Puss in Boots," and that's what this is. "The recommended age for this show is 4 years," per this page. I cannot help but think I have been insulted. But, I saw it!
You probably know the basic story here: there's a poor guy (here named Ionică) who has a cat and that's about all. But fortunately, it's a pretty great cat! He, the cat, helps him out: he saves the King from a would-be usurper, earning his admiration. Then, he tricks an ogre into turning into a mouse and eats it so his master can be a proper lord. And he, Ionică, gets to marry the princess. Whoo! As far as I can tell, that ogre wasn't actually doing anything until the cat just comes along and murders him. Is this the moral of the story? If you're poor, kill a rich person and take their stuff? I mean, it's not a bad lesson, but it seems surprisingly radical.
This was a lot of fun. You can see that it was designed for kids; there's a guy who does a few magic tricks between acts to create a fun, carnival atmosphere, which is reflected by the sets. I especially like how the ogre is visualized:
Just cool. Also, you can hear a bunch of kids chattering in the audience. It could indeed be a good first opera for young'uns. The music is fun, neo-romantic stuff, often with a kind of circus atmosphere to it that fits well. I'd love to have the chance to see this with subtitles, but even just working from a summary...the fun shines through.
Also, I probably shouldn't say this, but here I am, no one can stop me: Motanul is a trouser role, and I unexpectedly find the soprano playing him, Gloria Tronel, almost heartstoppingly attractive in that cat costume. I'm not a furry...am I?
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