Last Night at the Met(s): Angelina Jolie at the Opera and a celebration of black artists at the museum

For a certain type of New Yorker, last night might have been a bit of a scheduling conundrum: November 12 was the date of two big Met moments, across the park — a tale of two Mets, if you will.

On the West Side, the Metropolitan Opera celebrated its rich history with the work of Giacomo Puccini with a gala dinner for the latest production of Tosca. On the East Side, meanwhile, the Metropolitan Museum of Art opened ‘Flight into Egypt: Black Artists and Ancient Egypt, 1876–Now,” a comprehensive exhibition exploring the many ways in which Egyptomania has been expressed by black artists. Considering that the 6:30 pm curtain call for Tosca waits for no one (even Angelina Jolie, who was in the audience) and the museum reception Also started promptly at 5:30 p.m., it was impossible for even the most ardent Met fan to attend both events. Below is a summary for those who missed one (or both):

Tosca Gala at the Met Opera

This season at the Met, the legacy of Giacomo Puccini and his contributions to the New York institution are on glorious display. On Tuesday, a pre-performance video, shown onstage in the majestic mid-century opera house, set the stage: It was through the Met Opera that Puccini enjoyed his entry into the New World when Manon Lescaut premiered there in 1907 and quickly became a sensation. Last night, from him Tosca drew a crowd eager to see Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen in the titular character; The Met’s music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducted the piece, which also featured tenor Freddie De Tommaso as Cavaradossi and baritone Quinn Kelsey as Scarpia.

Guests arriving for the show or gala dinner may have noticed Angelina Jolie, elegant in black and a Maria Callas-esque cat eye. This was appropriate, considering Jolie’s turn as legendary Greek soprano in the upcoming issue of Pablo Larraín Mary (out in the US in select cinemas on November 27) – and the fact that Callas’ performance of the aria ‘Vissi d’arte’ in Tosca is one of her most celebrated. Other guests who enjoyed the evening, which culminated in a post-show dinner, included Christine Baranski and Barbara Tober.