Donald Rosenberg says that the Metropolitan Opera’s new high-tech simulcasts, which allow opera lovers across the country to view live productions at their local movie theaters, is a revolutionary idea that is long overdue. “The close-ups allow us to take in facial expressions we might miss when sitting in an actual opera house. The shots from the stage into the theater provide perspectives most audience members never see. The experience is no substitute for the real, visceral thing, but it’s far better than merely listening to the matinee on the radio.”