overheard at einstein on the beach

I wasn't going to see "Einstein on the Beach" (performed by Glass himself in a slightly abridged version at Carnegie Hall Thursday night). But impulsively I got out of work and decided to go see if there were any tickets left. Short answer: no. But someone outside the hall was selling a single ticket in the balcony. So, it was fate.

It's tough to find words to describe the experience. Amazing. Mind boggling. Mind-altering... For those not in the know it's safe to say that "Einstein" is probably the most important opera/music theater work of the latter half of the 20th Century, and it's not really like anything else. And it's incredibly hard to sing/perform. I get repetitive stress disorder just thinking about it. I just hope someone is brave enough to put on a fully staged version again before I get too old to appreciate it.

Rather than me waste more words on how astounding it was, let me borrow someone else's.

The scene: the crowded Carnegie Hall stairway.
The cast: 2 young hipster guys, annoyingly coifed and slightly made up. One having a cellphone conversation, the other chiming in.

Guy on Phone: "One of the top ten experiences of my life. Top five even." ... "Like, up there with loss of virginity."
Other guy: "Top ten, yeah...maybe top twelve"
Guy on Phone: "yadda yadda....he says top 12."
Other guy: "Well. Definitely top 20. Not top 10."

I don't think I even HAVE 12 experiences to fill out a top list. But I have to agree that this was pretty high up there.