Readers of parterre.com are, La Cieca calculates, about six weeks ahead of the curve, so your doyenne figures you are ready to hear what will likely be a major scoop in the New York Times a few days prior to Halloween. It’s about the technical rehearsals for the Met’s season opener Das Rheingold, and what is heard from backstage is not encouraging.  

A source close to the Met whispers that the rehearsals thus far have been “excruciatingly slow, and plagued by multiple technical glitches, which end up dragging out the rehearsal process beyond scheduled stop times, resulting in numerous overtime expenses for technical crew.” The informant adds, “And to what effect? So far nothing looks very exciting.”

Of course, a lot can happen in two weeks, and La Cieca understands that the Met’s main stage will be devoted to that production practically every day of that time before the opening night. But will this show turn out to be just too complicated for the Met?