Often billed as “the world’s greatest love story,” there was no question whether or not I would see Roméo et Juliette, Gounod’s French iteration of the Shakespeare classic, when it came into the theaters. As the curtain rose to the sounds of a mighty orchestra and hallowed chorus, I couldn’t help but feel that this opera was going to be golden.

Much of the greatness in the performance came from the pairing of the leads. Nadine Sierra and Benjamin Bernheim were a seamless match as the tragic couple with the latter having a glib command of his native language. Their love passages dripped like honey and their easy chemistry was undeniable. It’s too bad that the Met’s satellites were plagued by inclement weather in NYC. The interruptions in the live transmission caused our local theater to miss the pivotal, romantic moments, like Juliette’s first look at Roméo and much of the wedding scene. What a pity !

Bartlett Sher’s current production of Roméo et Juliette mostly keeps with tradition while adding extravagance and taking modest artistic liberties. Despite the production moving the story to the 18th century, I was set on creating something that was more in line with the Renaissance styles of the original “Romeo and Juliet” without becoming too fussy or historically accurate. Without searching for it, I stumbled across the perfect pattern on Etsy.

The lacy neckline of View B (center on the envelope) screamed out as my opera dress. Gold it had to be, not only because of the comparison to Juliette’s Act I gown in the Sher production, but also for its representation of sunny Verona.

Surprisingly, the pattern came together quickly and was a simple sew, but gosh, that waistline was high !

The sleeves were a standout feature of the gown with elasticated bands separating the upper puffs from the lower bells.

My mother took pride in styling my hair, twisting it into whimsical braids. I loved it !

While my mother enjoys living out her hairdresser aspirations in styling my hair for the opera, she’s not always enthused about my costume creations. In fact, she gave Juliette’s gold satin gown the kiss of death by saying that it ranked “up there with the Russian one.” The blunt remark caused me to burst into peals of laughter.

Although I wasn’t crazy about the unnaturally high waistline, this dress gave me all the feelings of a dreamy Renaissance maiden, just like Juliette.

And now, Opie’s ready for his close up ! Juliette had to have been a cat lover, right ?

Toi, Toi, Toi,

Mary Martha

Cast and Credits:

Roméo et Juliette ─ Charles Gounod (1867)
Live in HD air date: March 23, 2024

Cast:
Juliette ─ Nadine Sierra
Roméo ─ Benjamin Bernheim
Stéphano ─ Samantha Hankey
Tybalt ─ Frederick Ballentine
Mercutio ─ Will Liverman
Frère Laurent ─ Alfred Walker

Credits:
Conductor ─ Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Production ─ Bartlett Sher
Set Designer ─ Michael Yeargan
Costume Designer ─ Catherine Zuber
Lighting Designer ─ Jennifer Tipton
Choreographer ─ Chase Brock
Fight Director ─ B.H. Barry
Live in HD Director ─ Gary Halvorson
Host ─ Ryan Speedo Green