Ballet: Onegin

Today and tomorrow are in the Opera House - tonight, I was at the ballet Onegin.. happily, I bought my ticket before the cheap ones all sold out! Left in decent time - sort of. The office is close enough that I can walk - theoretically. But hey, by the time I was ready it would've been a bit tight - and my decision was made when I turned a corner and was hit another wallop by the wind. Sod it, I said, I am not enduring a half hour of being a punching bag for the wind - I'm sick of it. So I took the bus instead - most of the way there. Much better.

So - this is the best view you can have from the back row of the slips; I was right at the end. And it's not bad - although wasn't improved when the front row filled up and they all leaned forward for a better view. At least I had a couple of free seats beside me, which gave me a bit of freedom to stretch out. Unfortunately, you just can't avoid a corner of the stage being cut off - and unfortunately, for this production, a lot of action takes place right there. Honestly, for one bit, I had to stand up to see what was happening. Hey, I could though - there was nobody behind me, after all!

Didn't spoil my experience, I'm happy to say. This is a classic story of a man who spurns a young woman who loves him, only to regret it when it's too late. The score - by Tchaikovsky - is spectacular, the choreography graceful, the whole production startlingly beautiful: it does make for a wonderful evening out. As always, here. Runs till the 29th, but now completely sold out - despite the ticket prices! Still, highly recommended if you get a chance to see it. Far too much clapping at the end, as usual..

My bus home arrived almost immediately - and we even managed to get to it, squeezing past rickshaws and taxis waiting for the crowds streaming out from Mamma Mia! And I had some fun, on the journey home, watching the young lady sat facing me - who was enjoying both her ice cream and the view out the window, gawping at everything! Well, it's a great sightseeing route.

Tomorrow, I'm back there with Up in the Cheap Seats - for a backstage tour! There's a group rate, but the group booked ages before I got interested. Still, when I suggested that I buy my own ticket and come along, they suggested I contact the box office to see whether I could be included on the group rate! So I did - and they said yes, and gave me a booking reference number, saying to ring with that number to pay by phone. So I did - and was speaking with a terribly nice chap, with a terribly posh voice, who was delighted to hear all this! And so I'm going, on the group rate. And we might hang around afterwards, and do something.