In English, it is. But in France, “CH” is pronounced the way “SH” is pronounced in English.
So, to get the standard American “CH” sound in French, you have to add a “T” at the front. Hence “Tchaikovsky.” For that matter, a Chinese immigrant living in Paris might spell his name “Tchang” or “Tchen.”
I took my wife to see a version by the Moscow Ballet last night. I can’t speak Russian and was completely lost. :smack:
If you’re sitting near the front of the orchestra (not the “pit”), you may not be able to see things in the rear of the stage. But don’t worry about it; just sit back and enjoy. *The Nutcracker *is one of those things that you don’t have to prepare for. That’s why you’ll see a lot of kids there.
Great username - thread title combo.
For The Nutcracker?
The Nutcracker, much like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, has a rich and varied history of props for audience members to use at specific moments. You will want to bring along a bag of walnuts, some candy canes, a cage of live mice, a sword and those blood packets like they use in the movies (although since it’s your first time, no one will think less of you if you bring a squirty bottle of ketchup instead of the blood packets). Have a good time!
All well and good, but I … don’t think there’s a “CH” in “ballet”?
Or are you whooshing me for teasing RNATB?
The most important thing is to remember not to snore too loudly.
I saw the Nutcracker several years ago and was bored out of my mind. Between the classical music (which I despise) and the ballet, it was the longest evening of my life. Not even a snack at intermission helped. And who knew that there wasn’t one freaking word to the whole thing? Hours and hours and hours of music, pounding at my ear drums…
Of course, I’m not what most would call cultured…some would say I’m barely civilized.
And really, don’t wait for the others, feel free to throw your applesauce up on the stage first, they’re right behind you just waiting for someone to get the party started. Whenever you’re ready, remember, there’s no specific cue to start the applesauce fight.
Did you go? I hope you enjoyed the half naked ladies dancing around for you. I just hope you didn’t throw any dollar bills up on the stage.
We went. It was excellent. Well, the first act was extremely boring, but the second was excellent. Our seats were also excellent - four rows from the front, which was just high enough to see the entire stage (and an excellent view of the conductor’s bald pate). I threw neither dollar bills nor applesauce, which might have exposed me as a bit of a hayseed but saved me some money.
The only downers were the twin babies that the couple right in front of us decided to bring along. Unsurprisingly, they whined and/or wailed through most of the performance. That, and the unidentified beverage that somebody behind me spilled which gradually pooled under my seat during the performance.
That’s okay. It’s hard to follow the lyrics, even when they do it in English.
Now that you’ve dipped your toe into “(semi) high kulcha,” it’s time to stop using phrases like “the wife.”
… a wife?
Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
I don’t get the ballet hate, myself. Opera, theatre, ballet, symphony at least once a week - that’s the way I want to live my life!
I believe the correct term is, “Old Ball-And-Chain.”
Or if you want to go really high class, “The Old Lady.”
Straight No Chaser’s take
…or ‘the trouble and strife’…
In the day douche bag was reserved for the wife alone.
Nowadays you can’t even tell who people are talking about when someone uses it. Tsk.