Intermezzo

Shaggy Doge story

Simon Boccanegra - Royal Opera House, 27 June 2013

Boccanegra is back - again. Covent Garden's penchant for revivals must have more to do with Tony Pappano's love of the score than any fondness for Elijah Moshinsky's unremarkable '80s production. And it's the orchestra who emerge on top yet again. Pappano revels in the music's cinematic chiarascuro, lending grandeur and colour to its bold strokes.

Close your eyes and the singing is fine too; open them and the clumsiness of the direction is all too apparent. Handsome marble sets can't compensate for some equally marmoreal acting.

Royal Opera House Boccanegra discount offer

Top price stalls seats for the Royal Opera House's forthcoming Simon Boccanegra are reduced from £150 to £85 with a Travelzoo offer.

It's valid for three performances only: 3, 10 and 16 July.

Either enter the code tzoosb on the booking page or call the ROH box office on 020 7304 4000 quoting Travelzoo Boccanegra offer.

A special note for Friends of the Royal Opera House
As with the recent Gloriana offer, the ROH would rather have empty seats than allow anyone who already supports them financially to benefit from the discount. You will not be able to see the reduced prices if you log in as a ROH Friend before entering the code. The way round this is to enter the code, pick your seats, and only log in when prompted during the payment process.

Cheap Butterfly

Madama Butterfly, opening on Saturday at the Royal Opera House, is always a popular draw, so discount offers are unlikely. However there are a couple of ways to nab a cheapish ticket.

The ROH have just released over a hundred stalls circle stage-side seats over the pit for each night (initially set aside in case the orchestra needed the space for acoustic purposes). These are all under £50, with some under £20. Be warned that views are restricted and the sound is raw.

Alternatively, prices for the 8 July and 15 July performances are capped at £37.50. The catch? These shows will be recorded in 3D, which necessitates bulky cameras at each front corner and a crane stretching over the orchestra pit, slap bang in the middle. From balcony and amphitheatre seats, the cameras should be no more than a distraction; lower down, they will impede views. But you may be prepared to put up with the nuisance for the 75% discount.

Meanwhile at the Coliseum, further discount offers for Simon Boccanegra are popping up with the frequency of Giggsy's ex-shags. Check them out here.

Simon Boccanegra -Tcherniakov tries ENO

Simon Boccanegra - ENO Coliseum, 8 June 2011

Dmitri Tcherniakov’s reputation for radical and thought-provoking productions is solidified by his new Simon Boccanegra for ENO. Unfortunately his ideas are so drably clothed and opaquely executed that the experience is a testing one.

Discount Doge

 
Thanks to Nick for spotting this lastminute.com offer - tickets for ENO's forthcoming Simon Boccanegra at £15 (Upper Circle) or £25 (Dress Circle). The only risk is that you don't get to pick your seat, so you could end up in the furthest recesses of the back rows.

Dmitri Tcherniakov's new production has been co-commissioned by the discriminating Bavarian State Opera, so it stands a stronger chance than usual of being half-decent.

*UPDATE*  TravelZoo have an offer at the same price if you want to choose your own seat - book online in the normal way with ENO, entering the code TZSIMON to get the discount.

*UPDATE*  Lastminute.com have a 24 hour sale - and you can get stalls tickets for only £30 - as well as the cheap dress and upper circles that they had before - and it's now been extended to include July dates. (Thanks Faye for spotting).

*UPDATE* And the offers just keep on coming! Time Out are offering best available tickets for £30 each (or two for £30 in the upper circle) - you will need to register with them (free) to get the code. (Thanks Steve for the tip).

Simon Boccanegra from the best seat in the house

Prom 3: Simon Boccanegra (semi-staged) - Royal Albert Hall, 18 July 2010

One of the things I've never liked about the Proms booking system is that you can't choose your seat. I've never complained though because I always seemed to end up with pretty good seats. But I knew my luck would change one day. And so it was that I ended up at the very end of the side stalls for Simon Boccanegra - not just an angled view, but actually behind the orchestra. And costing more than I pay at Covent Garden too. (That's another dirty little Proms secret - the standing tickets may be cheap, but the seats cost more than any other classical venue in London bar the opera houses).