Sunrise, sunset

The Komische Oper is a little different from other opera houses in that the productions are frequently a little “different” from the norm. We really enjoyed the fun of La Belle Helene a few years ago (who wouldn’t: roller skating, cheeky lederhosen-clad dancers?) and whilst we didn’t think Anatevka would be quite so fun-packed, when we saw it on the programme we wanted to see it, for sure.

We had a little difficulty buying the tickets and it took some determination. This season’s programme didn’t go on sale until a month ago due to CV-related uncertainty and my Hero did a bit of a stakeout of the website on the day booking opened to ensure we managed to get some tickets, for we’d already bought our flights and booked our hotel!

Last night, having spent the afternoon shopping, we came back to change and set out early for supper - we’d booked a table at a(nother) favourite restaurant not far from the theatre.

Yes it’s Bavarian and yes, it offers all of our favourites! (And yes, my Hero was texting from the table… )

Now, to actually use our tickets, we needed to show our vaccination certificate - no change there, for many places request that. But here, our certificates were scanned and checked against our tickets. Serious stuff. The we had to agree to wear a medical mask (EU specified) throughout the show and complete a track and trace form each, which we’d picked up at the office the day before yesterday. That sign says “Those who go to the Opera kiss better” - well, not until they’ve passed all kinds of tests, I say!

Though modern on the outside, the interior of the theatre is traditional and rather grand. Our seats were in row 9 of the stalls, with, we thought, a pretty good view of the stage.

When we chose our seats, we weren’t sure how they’d manage the social distancing, since no seats seemed to be excluded. then we arrived, it all became clear. Next to each booking of however many seats, adjacent seats were covered with a purpose-made drape - quite an elegant solution to putting them out of use, I thought. So, my hero had an empty, draped seat next to him and I had one next to me too. The seat in front of me was draped off and the two in front of him were open, soon to be taken by two rather tall women.

The show began promptly and the first half began much in the spirit of the trailer we’d watched. Anatevka is the German version of Fiddler on the Rood and never having seen the show or the film, we didn’t quite know what to expect.

But as soon as the show started, an immediate problem became obvious. The woman in front of my hero just couldn’t sit still and was bobbing about all over the place. I could see why - there was another woman in front of her with an extraordinarily large hairdo, probably blocking her view. My hero was unhappy - to have waited so long to see this show and have it spoiled…. But what can one do? I noted a free seat to his left and was going to suggest he move when the interval came, but before that happened, someone sneaked in having arrived late and sat there. Boo. I would change places with him at the interval then. Except the show went on for almost two hours and there came no interval. Perhaps the CV precautions meant they were avoiding opportunities for mingling?

We continued to watch the show and to follow the story until we reached the spot where the first hint of the troubles came. In stark contrast to the jollity of the previous hour or so, a group of the villagers were rounded up, attacked by Russian thugs and things fell silent as they stood - the main character Tevya stepped forward, thrust forward his hands and uttered the word “Oy”.

I’ve never witnessed such a silence from so many people except during a Remembrance ceremony. Not a whisper, not a breath was heard…the stage fell dark as the curtain fell…and the audience filed silently from the auditorium.

Wow.

Was that it? No-one stayed in their seats and everyone went out, so we followed. Were they retrieving their coats from the cloakroom and leaving the theatre? Well no, they were heading for the bar and for the loos! There was still a second half to go!

The second half continues the downbeat course of the story and is very bleak indeed, though there’s a glimmer of hope amongst the characters. Not much hope for my Hero though, who had refused (politely of course) my offer to swap places. Sadly, the two women had changed, the taller of the two sitting in front of him and bobbing from side to side even more than her friend had done.

So, our night at the Komische Oper this time brought mixed success. The performance was superb - the trailer shows the lively bits, but even the quiet and more downbeat moments were beautifully played and the set design was outstanding. What to do about people sitting in front though? Definitely something to consider next time we come here - I feel a little more seat research is needed for sure.