.
American Normal was Glynn Ross, former director of Seattle opera. Beautifully staged operas. Wonderful in every detail -- principles, chorus, costuming, choreography, stage decoration. My first thrilling introduction to opera and it made me a fan for life.
When Ross retired and gay Speight Jenkins took over, started hiring gays vastly out of proportion to the actual statistics, and the productions suffered to the point that we stopped buying season passes. One of my husband's favorite baritone/tenor duets, from "The Pearl Fishers", was simply intolerable, and we walked. The last opera I attended. It ruined live opera for me.
American Normal is a great description.
.