Opera house blames its doors for keeping people out

Opera house blames its doors for keeping people out

main

norman lebrecht

April 07, 2019

From the Telegraph today:

English National Opera plans to open its doors – quite literally – to a wider audience.

The company is in discussions with planners to make the entrance to its grand Coliseum building more welcoming after visitors said they found the Grade I-listed front doors too “excluding”.

Under one proposal, inner glass doors would be installed, allowing the wooden doors to be propped open all day…..

Words fail.

Comments

  • Allen says:

    Have the doors changed since the company was successful?

    And this “problem” will be fixed by glass doors, leading to a marble interior.

    Any excuse.

  • Rupert Christiansen says:

    If ENO is serious about attracting a new crowd, it would do well to reduce its scandalously high bar prices – £8 for a glass of house white wine eg

    • Furzwängler says:

      That seems about standard these days. It was the same in the Royal Albert Hall last autumn when I attended a Proms concert, and is probably similar in the ROH Covent Garden by now.

    • Una says:

      I used to bring my own when going there regularly! Horrendously expensive a d a huge loss when Spaghetti House closed down. Gaetano, the manager, knew about bringing people in. Not sure changing the doors as such will help bring people in but they might make people stay! They are very, very heavy to open and close and when open make the foyer absolutely freezing. The Garden got the right idea years ago. They’re food and wine is just as bad for price! £11 for a smoked salmon sandwich – hardly a luxury these days.

    • Saxon Broken says:

      Its funny how Tottenham Hotspur, desperate to generate money from the fans, are charging £4 per pint. They figure that getting people to arrive early for a drink and, and stay after the match for something to eat will make them more money.

  • Viola da Bracchio says:

    What next? The seats too hard/soft? The ice-cream too cold? The brand of gin in the G&Ts not quite the one that’s favoured? The Artistic Director unable to stage a simple scene? Ooops!

  • Ms.Melody says:

    What keeps people put are NOT the doors but crazy, ugly, misbegotten productions that form season after season. Porgy and Bess was superb, but it was the exception, not the norm.

  • Andrew says:

    This week’s gimmicky “woke” press announcement from the creatively moribund moneypit on St Martin’s Lane. An outfit that hasn’t had a purpose for years.

  • Cyril says:

    Uh, bad idea. Just from an aesthetic standpoint, the beauty of the doors seen head-on with the surrounding windows vanishes when they are propped open.

  • Stephen Diviani says:

    Well, not just the bar prices, what about the seat prices! The ENO management has totally lost the plot. I know that we all have to ‘dial down the language’ but what a bunch of unutterable #”!*$”s

    • 18mebrumaire says:

      How much do you think it costs to put on an opera in the West End of London? Bills to be paid will include: conductor, orchestra (60-70 players each performance and rehearsals), coaching staff, costumes, sets, backstage staff (unseen), front of house, house maintenance staff, and many more besides just to keep the show going . And that’s before you pay the singers.

  • John Borstlap says:

    I’m glad they will keep those doors open. My aunt Clara, who’s on the heavy side, once missed the whole first act of Mazeppa because she got stuck in the doors and staff had the greatest trouble to unhinge them.

    Sally

  • MOST READ TODAY: