A Night at the Opera

We splurged and bought some good seats to see The Merry Widow at the Sydney Opera House. It just so happens that our visit coincided with Elizabeth's birthday. Imagine that happening!



From the outside, the shells of the various theaters don't seem to be related to anything that happens inside.

One inside, you realise that the open, windowed end you see from the landward side is the lobby end of the building sections and the stage (at least in the Joan Sutherland Theater where we saw the opera) is just behind the lobby. At the other end of the shell, facing the harbor is the back of the theater, much higher than the stage. Behind the back of the seating area is a bar and restaurant with a view of the harbor.

Inside, the concrete construction leans toward the Brutalist a bit with crisp lines of gray exposed at every turn.

This view toward the rear of the auditorium shows the lighting/sound control booth and the balcony seating. A view toward the stage was just a large dark place in the light available before the show. Of course, no photos allowed during the performance.

The Merry Widow production featured beautiful a fin du siecle set and costumes in a cheeky production. As always, Franz Lehar's music was great and it was performed with enthusiasm by the orchestra. the casting was excellent and Danielle de Niese perfectly captures the bubbly Widow. The well-known arias she sings with lots of heart and great voice. The choreography was excellent and the dancers were as limber as wet rags. It was fun and fabulous.

After the show, we walked outside to wonderland of lights in central Sydney. Underneath the Harbor Bridge is the brightly lit Luna Park.

Looking back toward the Circular Quay we see the evening crowd enjoying the bar scene along the waterfront.

With the short walk to between the opera and the train stop and the short walk from the Eastwood stop to our apartment. This was just about as perfect an evening out as it is possible to imagine.

A good time was had by all.