Royal Opera House — Attraction in London

Saw the revived 1984 production of Turandot. The singing was magnificent. The choreography was magnificent. The set was magnificent. The orchestra was magnificent. This was a triumphant recreation of an iconic rendering of this ever popular classic. Why four stars? The whole event was ruined for me by truly laughable casting. And I mean laugh-out-loud laughable. Did no one involved in the production at any time stand back and look at the love duet between Calaf and Turandot in Act 3 and think, 'This is a travesty. We can't possibly expect people to pay what we charge to watch this'. In this section, the audience is expected to swallow Calaf, a fit and comely young hero, making love to a woman who looks like his mother, or at a push, his grandmother. She is desperately trying to act like a 20 year old and does as good a job as could possibly be done but looks every second of her 55 years. This is one of the worst examples of the Emperor's New Clothes which it has ever been my misfortune to encounter. In opera, no one seems willing to admit to what their eyes tell them. Suspension of disbelief can't be used as an excuse to cast a fat and fifty tenor with a face like the back of a bus as a young Rodolfo or a middle aged, full figured soprano as Cio-Cio-San. To do so is simply to insult the audience. In drama, a marvelous actress in her fifties plays the nurse not Juliet. You won't see Judie Dench now being cast as Ophelia. She had this part when she was young and fresh. Perhaps today, she might bring to the part many things she has learned over decades but her audience saw a vulnerable young woman not a mature grande dame. In film, you won't find Derek Jacobi announced as the new Janes Bond. Having a marvelous voice is a necessary condition for being cast as a young hero or heroine but it should not be a sufficient one, and opera, uniquely, seems unwilling to see this. The visuals do matter. A set designer worked and reworked the set of Turandot to achieve an effect as close to perfection as one might imagine, only to have all her efforts nullified by the jarring idiocy of proposing to an audience that this handsome young man has fallen in love at first sight with this middle aged and, in her Turandot make-up though not in real life, rather plain matron. If the visual effect does not matter, why is so much effort expended on set design? We quite rightly laud the stunning visual achievement of this show's designer but are not, in opera it seems, permitted to condemn the disastrous impact of mindless casting which cannot see ludicrosity when it is staring the audience in the face. Did a single opera critic even mention his or her impulse to laugh out loud when he saw Calaf pretending a burning desire for this aging mother figure? No, it seems we must all pretend it's OK because it is the voice that matters or we should be able to use our imagination or some such. Opera producers, please just open your eyes and take an honest look at your obligations to your...

I have visited the RBO (ROH) for too many ballets to count and two operas. The quality of dance, costumes and sets is always to the highest standard. What’s more tickets can often be bought from £7 for over 25’s and from £1 for under 25’s!

I appreciate the environmental initiatives such as no longer printing the cast list (they are available online) and installing a fountain to encourage water bottle use, if one did not bring a bottle the cups are biodegradable.

Drinks and food are not cheep, but affordable - and I would prefer extra funds to support the RBO were taken from drinks which are optional than ticket prices.

During the interval it is clear where to buy a program / ice cream and staff are always incredibly nice. There is a lot of seating during the intervals but there is still never quite enough - but if one wants to sit they can sit in their seat and there is not much space for additional seating.

I love that there is an option to do a behind the scenes tour - something I am yet to do. And whilst I do not need them my self I love that the RBO offers a variety of accessible features such as relaxed performances, audio devices and seeing the costumes up close.

I am personally a Young RBO member, a scheme I love and very much appreciate - select tickets for select performances can be purchased for £30. However I would love for there to be a Young Adult option too, where maybe 25-30 year olds can do the same but die £50 or £60? My sister can no longer accompany me for the under 25 tickets, nor can she afford the full prices.

Another improvement I would suggest is having the shop open after the performances. The RBO of course is always looking for extra funding and I think a lot of sales are missed in this time where people are feeling inspired after a...

Parts of the Opera House are amazing; the glass orangery bar on the first floor, the ceiling of the main auditorium & some friendly staff in the shop. Sadly however this is where the good bits end!

When making a booking; The seat finder lists any view obstructions & armrest availability & includes a guide photo of the view; but it fails miserably to inform about the lack of ventilation in the amphitheater (cheap seats) leading to inhumane temperatures which actually caused a young lady to collapse with heat exhaustion during the first act!

As for the particular show “Madama Butterfly” it was riddled with negatives; Poor production value, nothing to woo or wow the audience, a dull lack lustre production with unremarkable scenery & costume awash with a depressing sea of unimaginative 50 shades of beige. The disappointment continued with a plethora of orchestral blunders particularly from the drums & further diminished by the stifling heat in the auditorium.

I have had the privilege to attend a diverse array of West End (& regional) productions, musicals, plays & operatic performances & none were as poorly produced as this version of Madama Butterfly - even a production with 1 actor, minimal props, no orchestra & no music was more visually & audibly stimulating than this! Equally, I have yet to experience such a poor environment, lack of air & inhospitable temperatures the Opera House delivers - even in far more humble venues!

Save yourself the discomfort & money: visit a street performer in Covent Garden - it’ll be better, more visually appealing & more comfortable than a visit to the Royal Opera House. Such a...