Zeffirelli was honored last week at the Met in the middle of a performance of LA BOHEME. As a New York Times article on the event made clear, even in the midst of such an honor, the Met is about to begin a long-term project of phasing his eight productions out of the repertory, starting with TOSCA and LA TRAVIATA in the coming years. But I think it's safe to say that his LA BOHEME, which is the biggest money maker in the Met's history, is safe for the time being. I first saw this production two years ago, when I was first starting to see Met productions. And having now attended numerous other works here ranging including Wagner and Prokofiev, I can really see what makes LA BOHEME such a tourist attraction. It gives the people what they want: weepy romance tragedy plot, epic set design, soaring Puccini melodies and arias. I'll admit that I had a better time watching this than say THE GAMBLER or THE FIRST EMPEROR.
Anyhow, I also caught THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE at Cap21. This actually marked the second NYU undergrad production of the show I've seen this academic year, following a production by the Steinhardt Musical Theater program in the fall at the Provinceton Playhouse. The Steinhardt one had no sets or costumes, and seemed to resemble a staged concert. While the Cap21 production had very minimal set design (there's no room in their blackbox), they had deluxe costumes (courtesan attire, togas, Roman stuff) and very elaborate choreography. The singing was thin, but pretty decent, and it was well-done overall. This year marked a great improvement in the Cap productions I've seen, along with URINETOWN and INTO THE WOODS earlier in the year.