When Nixon sings 'it's prime time in the U.S.A.,' director James Robinson brings on an American nuclear family enjoying TV dinners on shaky aluminum trays. Harrington's video projections, however, I had not fully considered Nixon in China as an examination of the golden age of television. Until this vivid production featuring Allen Moyer's set design and Wendall K. I have, I suppose, 'used' Nixon in China for three decades as one of the finest examples of late 20th-century American opera. The opera is filled with gorgeous ensemble passages and the chorus as an entity is at the heart of the work. Adam's music is constantly shimmering with some new idea, Alice Goodman's libretto is constantly surprising and eloquent, and each of the three acts offers myriad opportunities for interpretation and commentary. It's no secret that I adore the opera and I continue to enjoy being perplexed by its deep structure and quirky contemporary aesthetic. I saw it first in Brooklyn during the premiere run, and then a few years later in a more modest production at Boston Lyric Opera, and then again at the Metropolitan Opera in 2011, with the composer John Adams conducting. HGO had the foresight to commission this groundbreaking work in 1987, along with the Brooklyn Academy of Music. I considered this all through the opening night of Houston Grand Opera's stellar Nixon in China. They are not often thought of as objects to be used, like flashlights or pot-holders. We want the arts to inspire and enlighten us, and hopefully to entertain us in the process. Here in the America, we usually think of such arts in terms of enjoyment. What I find more striking, however, is the notion that a ballet, a parody of which figures prominently in the second act of Nixon in China, is something to be used.

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