There are definitely some challenges related to being engaged to an opera singer, or really a performer of any kind. During rehearsals and performances of a show, they are rarely available, most evenings are taken up with the performance, etc. But really, those types of "time together" challenges can be an issue for any engaged couple. However, today I ran into a challenge that is quite unique to being the significant other of an opera singer.
J is a performer who is very willing to change his appearance for a show. In the time that we have been together, he has sported quite a few different facial hair looks, almost all for different shows. A trimmed beard, a bushy beard, a weird Edwardian Goatee, a Handlebar mustache, a 70s pornstache (ew!), and even some clean-shaven times. Though, the clean-shaven time is generally to get rid of whatever strange facial hair look he was sporting in a prior show.
It's kind of funny how my view on facial hair has changed since I started dating J. From high school through college and beyond, I was pretty much against any guy having facial hair (any of my college friend readers remember when we painted mascara beards on our faces to protest the facial hair growout of our guy friends?) However, as I stated above, J has had some facial hair for almost all of the time we've been together. He even met my parents for the first time sporting the Handlebar mustache! After we had been dating for about 6 months, he had some time without a show on the horizon and asked me what he should do with his facial hair. I told him I wanted to see him clean shaven. So he did. And you know what? I really wasn't a fan. I'd become so used to him with facial hair, that he didn't look like J without it. Crazy, huh? For some reason, when he is clean-shaven, it looks like he is trying too hard to be presentable! My favorite J look is a nicely trimmed beard. Presentable, but still my J. Which is what I hope he will be sporting for the wedding!
Anyway, for his current role as Monostatos in the Magic Flute, the director has the vision of Monostatos as a former gang-banger ex con Hispanic chaffeur. Yeah. Go figure that one...it's going to be an interesting performance, complete with a hispanic accent. I haven't seen J since he shaved his beard into these odd L-shaped sideburns. And then this morning, he sent me a picture of his self-tanned face. Which in the picture looked rather orange. Normally, I'd just shrug and say, "Oh well, he'll be back to normal J in a few weeks". The problem? We were supposed to shoot our Engagement Photos next Tuesday, in the midst of this Magic Flute run. I had been so concerned with figuring out what I was going to wear to look most myself (as you are supposed to for Engagement pics), how I was going to do my hair, make-up, etc....that I forgot about J's appearance!
Luckily, we have a very flexible photographer who was able to reschedule for us! I just want to be able to look back at the pictures and look like "us"...not..."Oh, right, J was in that show where he had wacko sideburns and was orange." :) So ladies, a warning...if you find yourselves engaged to a stage performer, be sure not to schedule photo-ops while they are in the middle of a show!
