So we had dress rehearsals for Aida last night at the O2. To be honest, I’ve got mixed feelings going into tonight’s performance but I won’t go into that right now.
Here’s the O2 stage with both the male and female choirs giving it socks to the sweet orchestral accompaniment from below. The sound in there is fantastic.
Darragh & Ruairi (I think!) before going on stage:
If you’re going, well myself and Niamh will do our best to wave our lovely palm leaves at you from front left of the stage while trying to fall off and into the orchestra.
Oh and hopefully, you’re not too sensitive to the aroma of horse manure. I’ll leave you with that thought.
I have never been so disappointed in a show in my life!!! The whole stage management crew should be fired. What was the story with guys walking across the stage to set it up – especially the guy in the orange t-shirt. I noticed he changed it half way through. Perhaps that was due to the applause he was getting. The stage crew looked like a gang of headless chickens. Very unprofessional hammering between scenes. Imagination had to be greatly suspended watching the leads. Their singing was wonderful but looking at them made it hard to believe the storyline. Unfortuntely there were too many guts and man boobs for my taste. As for the poor guys in the ‘nappies’ – I’ll say no more. The ballet was totally under rehearsed. You could see they were lovely dancers but definitely needed more rehearsing. One of the most unprofessional productions I have ever seen and it din’t end until 11.50pm.
Agree with Mary.
Musicians were fantastic, stage management was a disaster. Compare your photo above with the description in the advert: “The production brings new meaning to ‘grand opera’ as The O2 will be transformed with spectacular sets and scenery….The O2 will be unrecognisable when the stunning sets are built for the show. A 12 metre high pyramid will dominate the stage, along with the throne of Pharaoh, and statues of Egyptian figures as well as eight palm trees.”
Many of the audience left before the show was finished and many spent there time wandering in and out to get more drinks and buckets of popcorn.
The O2 will be unrecognisable….!
Aida last night has to have been the most farcical production I have ever witnessed. Brought my opera buff dad for his eightieth birthday and I was mortified from start to finish. Nappies on grown men, bare butts on dancers, and who said construction has left Dublin. there were plenty of BOB THE BUILDERS on stage last night. The singers looked depressed and the triumphal march was nothing more than a damp squib. A very expensive wasted night out. Sad as dad may not be well enough to attend another one. Basil Fawlty would have been proud.