ARLINGTON, Texas – For the second straight spring, pro football gave way to Puccini within the confines of Cowboys Stadium.
Saturday night saw another successful simulcast of a performance of the Dallas Opera. Whereas fans were treated to a performance of Mozart's "The Magic Flute" in 2012, this year's event featured a rendition of Giacomo Puccini's "Turnadot."
Some 14,000 fans turned out to Cowboys Stadium, which aired the Winspear Opera House's performance of the opera on the HD screen hanging high above the Dallas Cowboys' playing field.
Though the Cowboys won't take the field for another five months, that didn't stop many of the attendees from turning out early to tailgate and congregate in the stadium's parking lots. The free parking and free admission for fans helped re-create the relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere that marked the first occasion.
The 2013 simulcast was held in conjunction with the Dallas Foundation, and it also featured another screening before Puccini's classic took to the stage. The stadium also showed the 1957 classic cartoon "What's Opera, Doc?" The Warner Brothers short stars Mel Blanc and Arthur Q. Bryan as Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd and pays homage to the operas of 19th century composer Richard Wagner. As it was shown on the Cowboys' 180-foot long, 72-foot wide screen, it had the distinction of being the world's largest cartoon screening.
