ROH Otello Kunde/Jaho - December 2019

[Sebastian]

Just out of the Otello revival dress rehearsal. We don’t review rehearsals but if anyone was wondering what the 2pm Floral Street crowd was roaring at, this was when Jaho and Kunde came out.

 

Not many tickets left for the run but if you are still wondering whether to go, I suggest doing what you can to get in.

 

[MrsBBB]

I’m going on Friday the 13th 😊

[Scheherezade]

Ditto. 😲😨😱

[Dawnstar]

I'd hoped to see it but there's only one date I can really make & right from when Friends booking opened the very few stalls circle seats that would have been within my budget were already sold out, so unless I get lucky with a return then I won't be seeing it.

[Scheherezade]

Oh, Dawnstar, the way they've hiked up opera prices I can only ever afford the cheap seats these days.

[Dawnstar]

I've only ever been able to afford side stalls circle in 15 years of ROH-going but the way prices have gone recently even most of those are now unaffordable.  The removal of the blocks of seats nearest the stage for most performances has made it even harder as that's knocked out many of the cheapest seats. I'm now down to a dozen each side in row C for any but the least popular & therefore cheapest operas, so if they've already gone then it's no go.

[Scheherezade]

Yes, those seats at the side of the stage are a real loss. As the the emails that Susan Fisher used to send to Friends who used to book them with news of their later release. 

[Geoff]

A cheap seat is just fine for this cast, who are worth hearing from any seat, ie including the cheaper ones from where one can't see much (the production is not quite as grating as first time round, a few tweaks maybe or else I was focusing so hard on the singers I didn't notice, in any case it's not important)

[RuthE]

I didn't notice any production tweaks (favourable or otherwise) except for a bit missed out to accommodate the fact that there is now a big cut in the middle of the Act 2 chorus.

 

I do wish they had got rid of the bit at the start of Act 3 when first the Herald and then Desdemona make their entrances by popping up through the floor.  It looks silly.  Also, in Act 2, Iago's blatant brandishing of the stolen handkerchief where the audience could see it but Otello could not, was all a bit lacking in subtlety.

 

The singing and general performance, however, I thought was terrific - I'm looking forward to seeing it from closer quarters.