Gore, who ran for president in 1988, has made a ritual of poking fun at his wooden image, but it continues to bedevil him.

CNN: Vital Stats

Dexter's staging looks barely touched by time and remains a marvel of simplicity, starting with the opening image of 13 nuns lying prostrate with arms outstretched on a raised wooden platform shaped like a cross.

WSJ: Review: Stirring revival of Poulenc opera at Met