Eliogabalo

Last night we went to see a production of the opera "Eliogabalo", an opera composed in the mid 17th century by Cavalli.  The production had a novelty component; it was being presented in a very small Lower East Side nightclub/burlesque theater/strip club called "The Box", where the shows normally start at 1 AM.  Having seen opera productions with scenes updated to be set in a strip club, we were now going to see an opera in an actual strip club.  The problem was that the only tickets available were either in seats at tables for $175, or standing room for $50.  We went for the standing room, assuming that we would manage somehow.  The problem was that the standing room was at the bar, which was mostly separate from the room where the opera was, with only a partial view of the stage, and the only sound was through some poor quality speakers!   Not to mention the sound of drinks being mixed, etc.  Needless to say this was worthless, and after about 15 minutes we decided to leave.   The opera and its staging received good reviews in the Times, and would have been interesting from the seats.   We talked to the producer, though, and he was extremely apologetic; he promptly refunded our money, and offered us free tickets to their next production.   So it was a major disappointment, but kudos to the producer for being so quick to make amends.


Note the musicians hidden in the back...