Dead Man Walking : 3 of 5

I wasn't too excited about seeing this opera, since I'm not a huge fan of modern opera, plus I haven't seen the movie and I knew the story would be depressing. Intense is a better word - this opera turned out to be fantastic (just very draining). It opens with a reenactment of the crime, complete with a car on stage, two naked teenagers making out, and then a rape and stabbing (not the usual thing to see in an opera). The acting and music really made the characters real (and of course, they are real since this is a true story) and completely portrayed the strength of the nun and the transformation of the convict, right up to his on stage execution. The sets were imaginative, featuring bars, chain-link, and descending catwalks that gave the prison depth.