su·per·cil·i·ous·ness

A short sleep in this morning before I headed off to a matinee at the Sydney Opera House to check out the new Opera Australia production of A Streetcar Named Desire. This adaptation was written by Andre Previn and early reviews I had read complained that all that was done was set the words of Tennessee Williams to music - but I have to say that the literal interpretation didn't detract for me - because the cast and the production was bloody good.

I absolutely loved Antoinette Halloran as Stella - she was fantastic in her portrayal of her naivety . On the other side of course was Teddy Tahu Rhodes playing Stan. The chemisty between the two was pretty good - and there has been much said about Teddy 'putting the abs back into opera' and admittedly he did look bloody good in his singlet for bits of the production. Yvonne Kenny is mostly good and her voice mostly doesn't disappoint - but I guess I reckon her Blanche was just a bit too old for the younger than normal Stan.

What I enjoyed most however was the way that Bruce Beresford has produced the opera. There is overlays of 1940s movies throughout and I am a big fan of the revolving sets that Opera Australia uses in many of its productions. As a result, this is well worth going and checking out.

When I first read that Air New Zealand was considering putting bunk beds into their aircraft to cross the Pacific, I didn't really believe it - but today I read that they have put their engineers to work trying to develop the capsule beds that weigh no more than their current seat. The plan will be to feed you your meal before you leave the airport, let you watch the movie in your capsule and nod off to sleep. I wonder how easy they will be to clean?

Interesting concept. Keep the innovation coming I say.