Madam, – Clutching my ticket costing €101, I made my way to the O2 to see Aïda. For this princely sum I had a view of the stage sideways on and backstage right. I have no idea what the backdrop was like as I could not see it. I’ve been told it was impressive. The screens were hard to see and the subtitles impossible to read. The opera began.
I enjoyed the singing and the ballet pieces were excellent.
After a while the conductor left the podium and the stage crew arrived to change sets. In my innocence I thought that sets had to be changed in a way to maintain the illusion of a different time and place. This crew was dressed in black tops and paler coloured jeans except for one stage hand who was resplendent in a bright orange top. They proceeded to construct the new set, in bright lights, to the accompaniment of loud hammering. This took the best part of 10 minutes. Illusions of a different place and time were truly shattered. Many in the audience protested. Later on this set- changing fiasco was repeated.
My experience of set changing in both professional and amateur theatre and musical theatre has been of dark clad shapes in utter silence and almost total darkness swiftly changing the scene. Thirty minutes into the second half, when I saw the conductor leave once more, I decided that I had had enough. No more DIY for me that night! Is this the way opera is supposed to be presented to the public? Perhaps some kind reader could enlighten me. It’s far from Grand Opera I was reared! – Yours, etc,