Tosca sells out in Vienna – but not at the State Opera
NewsWhile the big house on the Ring plays two-thirds empty night, the Theater an der Wien opened a new Tosca last night with every seat sold.
The Staatsoper’s Tosca production is more than half a century old. The Theater an der Wien’s new show is directed by Martin Kusej.
No reviews yet, but we hear one singer was senstional.
The theaters are currently under a restricted indoor capacity of 500 and Theater an der Wien has looser protocols than Wiener Staatsoper. Theater an der Wien is using 2G+ which is 2x vaccinated or recovered plus a PCR. Vienna Staatsoper requires triple vaxxed so given the fact that so many are refusing to get boosted because the vaccine isn’t stopping transmission of omicron, many can’t go to Vienna Staatsoper. You really should do your research better. If you simply visit their websites it’s the first thing that pops up, but rather than give a thought out rational reason for the discrepancy, you focus on clickbait.
Austrian theatres are NOT “under a restricted indoor capacity” – entrance rules are based on the size of the venue.
I went last week to a film – the cinema seats far less than 500 so all that was necessary to get in was proof of vaccination (2X) and an FFP2 mask.
Volksoper, where I will be next week, has limited its capacity to 1.000, so all that is necessary there is vaccination (2x), a negative PCR test taken within 48 hours of the scheduled end time of the show, and an FFP2 mask.
Theater an der Wien – which seats a maximum of 1.000 depending on the size of the orchestra – has the same rules. Incidentally, I was there last night, and the photo accompanying this article was taken at another time: the safety curtain was not down – instead as we entered the auditorium a white scrim covered the proscenium, but the show was, indeed, 100% sold-out (and Jonathan Tetelman was the undisputed star of the evening).
Because Staatsoper seats about 1.750, the rule for venues with a capacity of between 1.000 and 2.000 demands the third vaccination. I was there for a ballet last week and the house was at about 70% of capacity. Upcoming new productions, and the revival of “Peter Grimes” with Kaufmann/Davidsen/Terfel should draw larger audiences.
Looking at photos of the production it certainly looks, ahem, ‘interesting’
Kušej is a known quantity in Vienna. I doubt anyone would book a ticket expecting a conventional production.
New works and new productions often sell out – once. For a repertory theater like the Staatsoper, the staying power of enduring productions of the standard rep is essential. Reliance on continual shiny new and improved can be the downfall of an opera house. Witness the Met.
Sorry… but to buy tickets to hear Opolais as Tosca must be a sacrilege for the ears!
Poor Vienna audiences