So we were going down the Bowery just days ago in the lightly falling snow, bemoaning the lost CBGBs and shaking our head at all the shiny glass-and-steel construction -- and we thought to ourselves, at least the Amato Opera (probably the only opera house in the country to be entirely self-sustaining) is still going strong in its 61st season.
But of course you should never say such things, because of the immediate jinxing effect. Sure enough, Curbed tips us off to the NYT piece confirming that the last show will be in May ("The Marriage of Figaro," on the 31st) as Tony Amato, who founded the place in 1948 with his wife Sally, quietly sold the building in December for $3.7 million to Steve Croman, who you may recognize from the Village Voice's 10 Worst Landlords list.
We'd been pleased recently when we read (also in the Voice) that Amato's niece vowed to keep it open if her 90-year-old uncle wanted to retire, so this is especially sad. Go and see an opera before May. The tickets are $35, and you don't want to miss the chance to experience this slice of wonderful old New York before it's gone.
Copyright NBC Local Media / NBC New York
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