Customer Reviews

The Catropolitan Opera: The Centenary Celebration of the Grand Catropolitan Opera Company

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THE CATROPOLITAN OPERA is British artist Susan Herbert's follow-up to her SHAKESPEARE CATS. Whereas that book cast cats in Shakespearean productions, the present one casts them in operas; each illustration is accompanied by a brief scene-setting summary and a witty text by Bill Meadowcane. The book's premise is that cultured cats have formed their own opera company, the Catropolitan Opera, and delight both feline and human audiences with their productions. Like the Metropolitan, the Catropolitan has its impresarios (the company's general manager is named "Rex Manxman"), its director/designers ("Furrelli" created the 1910 production of AIDA) and, of course, its stars. ("Fanny Clawson" is a late, beloved prima donna," "Ailuria Katsos" is the feline Maria Callas; "Inga Holdenstroken" is the company's Wagnerian soprano and "Alexander Katnips" its Russian bass.) Meadowcane's clever commentary makes for entertaining and informative reading and lends coherence to the book.

Herbert's illustrations are brilliant. She is truly a gifted artist who knows color, line, composition - and the anatomy of the cat. Even more so than in SHAKESPEARE CATS, she has managed to suggest human-type emotions on her cats' adorable faces. Her Don Giovanni, facing the "stone guest," looks apprehensive (for once); her Lucia di Lammermoor, green eyes shining, appears blissfully unconscious of her crime as she regards her bloodstained gown; and the characters from THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO (in the final scene) wear expressions ranging from contentment to dignified remorse. In addition to these full-color illustrations, Herbert treats us to small black-and-white drawings of additional characters from (nearly) every opera. So for RIGOLETTO she shows us the debauched Duke of Mantua as well as, in full color, the titular jester and Gilda from Act II; in EUGENE ONEGIN Tatyana holds her letter on the page facing a beautiful color picture of a nervous Lensky and a confident Onegin standing back-to-back, pre-duel. With so many illustrations good enough to frame and display beside "real" art, THE CATROPOLITAN OPERA will be treasured by cat-lovers, opera-lovers, and art-lovers.

Susan Herbert's books are creative and enjoyable and this is no exception. Her attention to detail, artistry and sense of humor all contribute to a masterful piece of work.

If you love oprea or cats, or both, you must have this book. IT is just too much FUN to read this. Test your knowledge of opera by naming the opera without reading the text. It is not hard becasue Ms. Herbert captures the essence of each opera. Give this as a gift to your opera/cat loving friend, you will be a HERO. Mr. Meadowcane's text is witty, however, "Eugene Onegin" is not a tenor.