Maybe They Should Quit While They're Ahead

Saturday the Metropolitan Opera is doing a live national performance of TRISTAN AND ISOLDE, which will be broadcast to movie theaters across the country. My daughter, who is home on spring break from college, is sorry that she's missing seeing the free performance at USC's theater.

The Met has met with varying degrees of disaster for three straight performances, culminating with a "set malfunction" Tuesday night which sent the lead tenor headfirst into the prompter's box. The cast has also contended with an underprepared understudy and a stomach virus which sent the leading lady running offstage.

The New York Times gives a fascinating history of "jinxed" performances of TRISTAN AND ISOLDE.