The Opera House's "sails" light up the night.
The Sydney Opera House has redeemed itself in all my estimation after our visit there on Thursday the 13th of October to see La Boheme. Estimated to cost around $6 million but ending up at over $100 million, the Opera House was an expensive addition to the harborÂ’s rim. But more than 30 years later, the Opera House is standing tall and trimmed with detail that makes its interior architecture andambiancee at least as spectacular as its exterior. The Opera House's design is said to have been inspired by the sails of a boat and at night that is exactly what it looks like - a boat riding the current into harbor.
Stopping by the Opera House in the early afternoon, we were able to purchase tickets for that evenings performance since it is the off-season (and even receive some reduced rates for prime seats because we were under 35). Several shows were going on, ranging from traditional theatre to comedy and of course opera. We chose to see an actual opera - La Boheme and as such were in the actual "opera house," one of at least four performance spaces that the complex has. This would be my first opera and though done in Italian with English subtitles above the stage, I would be mesmorized.
What do you wear to the opera? In Sydney the opera remains a high class affair and if Eric and I had thought about it in advance we would have brought better clothes. Still our khakis and dress shirts allowed us to pass through the concrete halls and glass-arched skyline views with little shame. From the looks of it, this was a largely Sydney audience and they were dressed in suits, some nearing black tie.
Concrete can be beautiful. A wall on the outside of the auditorium, this photo probably captured a fifteen foot area.
We arrived by taxi about 30 minutes before the show and after stopping of at the gift shop walked the long thin stairs of ascent. At night, the detail of the interior really shone through as what during the day looked to be just concrete wall now was illuminated with deco-esc exploding rays of interpretative sunshine. The audience by in large arrived early and many were deep into cocktail time which spilled from the crimson lined floor of the interior to large concrete balconies back towards the city.
A hurried shot of our row, done on the sly before much of the audience had come inside.
The auditorium itself was like mostBroadwayy theatres I've been in, likely seating around a thousand and fairly steep in its run from floor to ceiling. Our seats were in the exact center of row N, giving us a nice view of the stage but still requiring a slight upward tilt of my head in order to read the subtitles above the stage. Orange cushions sat firmly in auditorium chairs of sleek white plastic, reminding me of a building called Nunemaker on the KU campus. Just because the chairs were plastic did not mean that they were not expensive, and we found them surprisingly comfortable. The acoustics fed the audience the sweet song of Italian in a consistent and addictive fashion. Muted English words sparingly captured the content of the words but failed to portray the passion of the situation in their translation. Long periods of song would pass with only a one line translation like, “Love is poetry,” making me want to learn Italian so I can truly understand the play. Still, there is something universal about a love story and about song.
This particular version of La Boheme had been adapted to a more modern setting, something like the 1960s in the US. It is a very simple and yet very interesting story. Many of its plots were adapted for Moulin Rouge, and I think to good effect. The cast of the production were a quality crew, and theportrayalsyls made me swoon with mood. The set was innovative in particular and brought together many scenes and worlds through the actual lowering and raising of the entire stage. There was a the random 30 seconds of break dancing that was thrown into the middle of the second act that was a bit out of place but definitely interesting.
The lounge at intermission. Through the windows in the background you should be able to see the harbor but that didn't come through too well.
The intermission was an unexpected enjoyment. Exiting our seats and the auditorium, we walked up and then down towards the bay to a bar area, but the real surprise was that down one additional level was an outside terrace with view of the Harbor Bridge. A slight breeze picked us up where the coffee I purchased failed to. Large leather couches were arranged appealingly throughout the many levels although we didnÂ’t have time to become comfortable.
The view as we left.
Young and old were in attendance reflecting truly an all ages experience that I have not seen in live theatre in quite some time. Respect and amazement for the surroundings were evident in the mood and though many tried to capture photos, ushers scolded. Still people took photos. None of mine turned out that great, but I hope that in my words you can tell what a wonderful experience this was. A night at the opera. A night in Sydney. A fairy tale evening.
