My friend Rachel and I had a *bloody* good time seeing Elektra at The Dallas Opera last night! The German opera is one of those “everybody dies” shows hinging on a revenge plot. I dressed for the moodiness of the show in a simple off-the-shoulder black dress and a faux fur wrap since it was quite chilly.

Dinner

We arrived early and walked across the street to eat dinner at Ellie’s at Hall Arts Hotel. A dinner here never disappoints! We ordered the caramelized onion dip (to die for!) to start and split the roasted heirloom beet salad. The latter had orange segments, baby red and golden beets, radicchio, and the best roasted garlic yogurt and sumac dressing.

I couldn’t resist the braised beef short ribs with gruyere whipped potatoes on such a cold night. We literally gasped when I pressed my fork against the short rib and it cut through it like butter. So sexy!

We were also delighted with our Woodford Reserve old fashioned’s. I’ve done the legwork and Ellie’s makes the best classic old fashioned in Dallas! Last but not least, we split the spiced pear cobbler with bourbon whipped cream for dessert before braving the cold to take our seats at the Winspear Opera House.

The Show

Rachel had never been to an opera before and I was delighted to share my love of it with her. At only 100 minutes, Elektra is quite short for an opera, which was refreshing. Music Director Emmanuel Villaume had the Dallas Opera Orchestra and Chorus in fine form for the sold out show. The music was absolutely incredible!

The costumes were an interesting mix of Amazonian meets Queen of Hearts meets Mad Max, not what I was expecting from a show set in ancient Greece. The use of light in the show was particularly noteworthy, especially the use of shadows, and the bloody staircase did not disappoint. The audience gasped when the blood started cascading down the steps. That’s one of the coolest effects I’ve seen on stage in years.

Alfred Walker as Orest was a true highlight. What a star! My favorite scene of the whole show was between him and Marjorie Owens as the titular Elektra, which took us on a journey of anguish, shock, relief, and tenderness.