Memo to the Met: LA Opera just sold 20 percent more tickets
mainFrom the Los Angeles Times:
Los Angeles Opera said unaudited figures for its recently ended 30th anniversary season show a 19.9% increase in the number of tickets sold and a 27.6% rise in ticket revenue compared with the previous season.
Read how here.
This is good news, obviously, but it should also be said that seasons at the Los Angeles Opera have become less interesting than they used to be. There’s lots of Puccini and not much of anything else. In fact, if you want to see compelling operatic works in the city, you’re better off crossing the street to Disney Hall, where the L.A. Phil has recently done Andriessen, Unsuk Chin and Eötvös and, quite creatively, staged all three Da Ponte/Mozart operas. I believe Los Angeles Opera has played a role in some of these productions, but the Philharmonic is the driving force. Hopefully L.A. Opera is successful in building new audiences and will eventually go back to being the innovative company it once was.
Before basking in schadenfreude for the MET’s woes, let’s think whether we are compare apples to apples.
Absolutely true. If the two companies were in the same market with similar repertoire, similar house size, etc., then there would be some basis for comparison.
While those two stats are obviously good for them, note that the costs for that season have not been released yet. Could be that costs jumped as well.
Oh, please. Let’s not pretend LA Opera is well run, the director nearly drove this company into collapse financially, as he succeeded in doing with Washington National Opera.
And what, may I ask, does any of this have to do with Woody Allen … ?
I believe he directed their recent production of Gianni Schicchi
The Woody Allen production was first done in 2008, almost two years before the Ring that purportedly threw the company’s finances into disarray.
LA Opera please hire Peter Gelb away from the MET…..
Amen !
Why would you want to wish that on anyone?