Opera: The Marriage of Figaro

I do love The Marriage of Figaro. So getting a ticket for this production was a no-brainer. Cheapest tickets in the Coliseum, as usual, were in the balcony, and for once I noticed a seat towards the front (Row C - C6, to be precise). I'm not usually happy going that far forward - entrance is at the back, and to get to Row C you have to descend a very steep flight of stairs. However, this was to the side, and they do have a railing along the wall. I pored over an online photo, and decided that, although the railing ended a couple of rows before mine, there was a pillar I could use for support and I'd probably manage.

So I booked. Unfortunately, although there have been a ton of offers for this production, I'd missed all of them! There are still offers, I just couldn't get anything cheaper than the official box office. But that does have the advantage that they issue e-tickets, which you can print at home, which saves you queueing at the box office when you get there..

The earlier than usual start time (7pm) was a nuisance, but I left in good time - just as well, as the District Line was up to its old tricks. It was kind of the driver to tell us, as we waited at Earl's Court, that the train on the adjacent platform, headed to the same place, would be leaving first. Just as the doors on that train closed and it pulled off. Later on, the journey was enlivened by a snarling dog, further along our carriage, that seemed to wake up whenever we stopped and people got on and off. I never did see it, but it sounded pissed off.

I've been to the Coliseum often enough lately that I didn't have to check my route from Embankment, and I was soon there and embarking on the long, long climb to the balcony. I generally make it to the second-last flight before I have to pause and gasp for air. There is a lift, but it's quite small and probably restricted to the more disabled than I. Anyhoo, I eventually arrived, panting, at the balcony. My ticket helpfully told me exactly what door to enter by, and what aisle to take. When the railing ran out, I did have a bit of trouble - but people were slow coming in, and I was able to grope my way to my seat without impeding anyone.

For some reason, there were a lot of French people sitting near me. Also notable, as we waited for the show to start, among all the people snapping photos of this gorgeously ornate building on their phones, was the lady in the front row of the balcony, who was sketching the ceiling detail in a notebook she'd brought with her. Not something you often see, and I thought it was lovely.

Well now, I had expected a better view, this far forward! The back rows might be far from the stage, but they have an excellent view; in contrast, the view from the front three rows of the balcony is interrupted by the safety rail. Also, the view from my seat (and those further to the edge) was lacking the near corner of the stage, and several of us were craning to see what was happening at the beginning, which would have to be in that corner! My ticket was not sold as a "restricted view" seat and I will be complaining. Having said that, it was nice to be a bit closer to the ornamentation on the side, for once.

And I could see most of what was happening. There were several free seats, and by the time the show started, all the people to my left (towards the centre) had moved to better seats, leaving the entire row section free to my left! So, at opportune moments, I scooched further in, to get a slightly better view. I ended up three seats further in, and behind the shortest person in the row in front (good planning on my part). She also had the good grace to leave at the interval and not return, which improved my view even more.

The show? Inventive and hilarious! And with that beautiful music, of course. The singing was hypnotic, and they had an ingenious, revolving stage, which allowed them to set up scenes at the back while the opera progressed at the front, then just spin the stage around. There's very little for most of the participants to do - there are only a handful of main parts - but they busied themselves quite entertainingly around the edges. Fantastic direction meant there was always something to watch. The story is one of servants pulling the wool over their masters' eyes, and opportunities for mayhem abound. There are physical gags too, and the whole makes for a very entertaining evening! as people find out things they never knew, and in the end, love finds a way. Of course. Runs until the 23rd, but not every day - only seven performances remain. And yes, the start time does mean a long show - you will probably be slightly stiff by the end. The very straight seat backs in the balcony don't help. But it's worth it.

I was quite dazed with all the stairs I had to negotiate to get back out again, but I made it out alive. And that rain they promised this morning - making its weary way from Scotland, where it's been torrential - arrived as I made my way home - as a light drizzle.

Tomorrow, it's Shakespeare: the Kings, at Cadogan Hall. The City of London Sinfonia performs the scores from the Olivier films of Henry V and Richard III, with readings from Henry V. Stirring stuff - just a pity I have to miss Hard Façade. And, of course, I have Necropolis: Journey of the Dead on Thursday - I see it's now completely sold out for both Thursday and Friday. Still tickets left for Saturday, the last day it runs..