I feel compelled to write about my evening last night as it was extraordinary - and very inspiring....note - The pictures in this post are not taken by me! I'm just aiming to somehwat capture what the experience was like...
Tom, who I work, with has grown up in the wings of the Royal Opera House as his father was a ballet dancer, and his mum is the stage manager. He very kindly offered me wing seats for Romeo & Juliet recently, so last night my friend Charlotte and I met on Floral Street...and as soon as we passed through the stage entrance and into the backstage area I knew we were in for something very special.And it was, from start to finish it was like being in a film...we were seated 10 minutes before the curtain went up - dancers in wonderful velvet costumes were rushing around us, practising on stage, mucking around. Romeo was actually wearing Adidas tracksuit bottoms over his tights until moments before the curtain went up!
And then as it started you could hear everything - the thud of shoes on the floor, people breathing heavily...the audience felt SO far away, the applause is so distant it almost sounds like a tape recording they might have used for rehearsals.We could see the sweat flying off the dancers and hear them swearing as they danced on and off stage...it was incredible to see their transformation as they left the wings, from human being (albeit wearing tights and wigs) giggling and chatting to each other and the crew, to performer - poised and beautiful.
We even enjoyed the intervals - we were taken to the girls' dressing room during the first - racks of costumes and stacks of tutus, girls running around half naked... and then to sit with the orchestra during the second - so formal, composed and atmospheric.Even though the illusion of being in the audience was broken, I still cried in Act III. The performances were highlighted, you could see the agony in Juliet's face - and the music goes right through you.A once in a life time opportunity...unless Tom is feeling generous for the next show....this one I did take on my blackberry very quickly!
