Lucia

On Wednesday I went to a Friends of Fulham Opera gig in their unprepossessing home at St John’s Church – they have the builders in.

They have a good cast although, embarrassingly, I thought Lucia, who sang superbly, didn’t really act “mad”. Our American director explained “she’s singing not acting this evening”. If you’ve seen Lucia before you may think, like me, that it’s all antlers and tartan but our designer, Anna Yates, has read Walter Scott’s novel (The Bride of Lammermoor) and explained that it is about old money/new money and no doubt much more. Director Jim Mangello said that rehearsals are in the kitchen, where the flour and oil are splattered around, and the performance will be in the dining room and we shouldn’t give anything away about the production. A nice analogy and I said that it’s Chatham House rules. Jim didn’t get this but he got it when I said – “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”.

I’m going on Friday 17th November if you’d like to join me. Oh, and if you’d like to get an insight into future productions and have a reserved seat,  become a Friend of Fulham Opera – a snip at £75. Did I say that I’m a trustee of FO? Oh, and if you think it’s worth subsidising opera, a little goes a long way with thrifty Fulham Opera.

Another rather different operatic experience is on offer at the new space in the V&A.

The operas are L’incoronazione di Poppea, Rinaldo, Le nozze di Figaro, Nabucco, Tannhäuser, Salome (that’s the adult content) and Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District. The audio guide is essential as it plays excerpts from the operas. I haven’t read a bad review so I feel a bit mean saying that I thought £19 a ticket a bit steep and I’d rather listen to the operas in an opera house or at home. Having said that, it did while away an hour quite pleasurably and there was an innovation: you buy your ticket on a big touch screen, like buying a train ticket, so no need to queue.

https://youtu.be/NYm7oJXVeks