France-tastic

The Sydney Opera House is an iconic building. It is the proud home of the Australian Opera, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and the Australian Ballet, it is known throughout the world, and is one of the most photographed monuments in all of Australia.

But it doesn't have private boxes.*

The Opera Garnier in Paris does. And last night I sat in one! They're not very practical, and certainly don't give an unhindered view to very many people (and certainly not the cheapskates in €10 seats!), but they are wonderful! And since when was a night at the Opera about the practicality of a row of flip seats, and not about beauty and glamour and romance? For a short magical time, you feel like a beautiful sparkling part of the bourgeoise set in an Oscar Wilde or Dostoevsky novel, flitting along to your box at the opera, where you spend the night twinkling in your jewels, flirting with princes, gossiping about your friends, catching the eye of the mysterious count in the opposite box, and occasionally throwing a glance at the world famous performers there to entertain you.



Admittedly, last night was distinctly lacking in princes for a Wednesday night, but we definitely had our €10's worth! The Opera Garnier, the older of the two Opera houses in Paris, is just beautiful, full of marble columns, frescoes, gold leaf, ornate carved shiny wood, and red velvet a-plenty! The boxes are draped in velvet, the little chairs gold gilted, and you have a private little vestibule to hang your furcoat and check your diamonds, and an usher comes to open and close the door for you. It is as ornate as Versailles, yet in daily use by the Paris Opera and the Paris Ballet, and no doubt all sorts of people who fit better into the world of princes and counts than I do (though they don't usually go for the €10 seats).





Last night Ruxandra and I saw a beautiful production of Figaro, number two in our list of cheapie tickets at the opera house, the first being a ballet a couple of weeks ago, that was also wonderful. It was a modern piece (actually three pieces) by a choreographer called William Forsythe, and is where the photo below comes from.



If any of my lovely future visitors would like to go to a performance (BYO diamonds), let me know before you come, because to get these bargain tickets (especially considering that to visit the Opera House as a tourist, without seeing a performance is about €6!) you have to book about a month in advance.

*I don't think anyway- I've not sat in one if there is!