Screening Ballet/Opera

I have been to a few live Ballets or Operas over the years and I am aware that these are now being streamed. Going to either is a little pricey even if I always go for the cheap seats! And lets be honest getting into London is a right pain.

Anyway Saffron Screen which is attached to Saffron Hall is a small cinema that I noticed screens ballets and operas and I saw that Coppelia was being shown last Sunday afternoon and that the cost was less than my tube/car park let alone the ticket! So off I went.

Now it was an interesting experience and this wasn't actually streamed live but recorded a few days before. The broadcast gave you a synopsis of each act before and during the intervals, also during the intervals there were interviews with the conductor and a pre-recorded interview with lead dancer.

The view is good since I was a lot closer and honestly it showed how AMAZING the dancers were given how often they were "en pointe". The view feels more narrow as you have to focus on what the director shows you and your attention can't just wander to left or right to look at the rest of the cast.

Was it better or worse than live? No it was different you lose the atmosphere but get a better view and learn about the production etc. I enjoyed it enough to book another ballet and an opera next year. It's a great idea for those of us to whom getting into London or other big cities is either a challenge or a pain and one of the broadcasts is from La Scala in Milan!