Having raised up the Castel Sant'Angelo from the depths of the Metropolitan Opera in Tosca and put half of Paris onstage for La Boheme, Franco Zeffirelli must have felt some pressure to top himself with his new production of Giacomo Puccini's Turandot. Curious first-nighters, proud holders of the toughest opera ticket of the season, entered the Met last week wondering how far the director's passion for outsize verisimilitude would extend. Would he cut off the Prince of Persia's head and stick it on a pole? Build the Great Wall of China? Or (gasp!) actually respect the libretto and provide a tasteful...
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