Sometimes budget cuts fall in the forest, so while you are all worked up about the plants and animals on Paterson's chopping block, we're betting you turned a deaf ear to the opera's budget drama. The NY Times reports that "the Metropolitan Opera has been bludgeoned by the recession and now faces a 'disaster scenario' unless the company finds major cost cuts, including concessions from its powerful unions."
Word came from the Met’s general manager, Peter Gelb (whose successor could be Placido Domingo), yesterday—who noted that their comfy $300M endowment "has dropped by a third, donations are down by $10 million this season; and ticket sales are expected to be off by several million dollars." For now, senior staff members are cutting their pay, expensive productions are being canceled, and to help encourage folks to attend they've dropped their planned ticket price increase.
The New York City Opera, who just announced George Steel as its new general manager and artistic director, is also feeling the crunch and "has said it would seek union concessions as well." But fear not opera-lovers, you know what they say about the fat lady singing.
Photo of the Met Opera House entrance via Mike Dillingham's flickr.
