The opera house and the show was amazing. The Opera House, also known as Opera Garnier or Palais Garnier, after the architect, is immense, with about a quarter of it devoted to the grand entrance and staircases. My seat was in the third balcony (there are five), and on the stage left side. The balconies on the side are really boxes, each with six seats, that are actually just chairs. It’s incredibly cramped and the sight-lines are lousy (as promised, only about 2/3 of the stage is visible when you’re seated. People tend to stand for much of the show). Fans of Phantom of the Opera will be pleased to hear there is the most ginormous chandelier in the centre of the house! If it crashed, it would take out most of the orchestra seating!!
The show was amazing, a number of ballet pieces choreographed by Jerome Robbins, music mostly by Chopin. Some were very modern, others more classical. The last piece “The Concert” was a comedy, with a pianist on stage, and various characters coming to listen to her and interact with her, the piano, and each other. I don’t know if the people on the far side of the house had the same experience, but it seemed that most of the action took place down-stage right, the area almost invisible from my seat.
It’s been a while since I’ve been to the ballet, and I really enjoyed it. The combination of music and movement without text is engrossing. It requires a lot of concentration and attention, more, perhaps, than a play. The setting was absolute minimalist, with no set or back-drop, just different lighting and strong shadows. And, I’d forgotten how many curtain-calls are the norm for ballet. I think the proper proportion is about five minutes of curtain-calls for every ten minutes of performance.
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