Opera times Opera

We've done two performances of the opera.  And there will be eight more.  Every year it's an opera marathon.  The mind counts the time by page numbers, the body molds itself around the key changes and accidentals, the reflexes move in time with the tempo changes and recitatives.  And we are only 20% of the way through the run.  It will become ingrained in us in the confines of a dark cramped pit. I cannot see anything that is happening onstage.  My role is one of many experiences in the room.  Crawl in, play, crawl out, crawl in, play, crawl out, and then three hours have passed and an audience is happy but also sad because it's that kind of opera.  A day off tomorrow and then four more days before another break.  It's marathon summer opera time!