Strange Opera

My son, Andrew is a huge opera fan and the Los Angeles Opera's production of "Das Rheingold" did not disappoint, at least musically. What I found strange was the staging. The oversized costumes were in keeping with the larger-than-life plot of the first installment of Wagner's ring, but in terms of talent performance, the designs did a great disservice to the world class artists performing at the Dorothy Chandler pavilion. Several characters performed the entire work with their heads encased in masks or cages. Imagine reading the news with a bag over your head and you get the idea: the emotional aspect of their facial expressions was lost. Instead of sweeping across the stage, the actors were required to stand in place most of the time while the music soared. I'm sure there is an explanation for why this was done, but I left the music center thoroughly baffled.