4th July - The Rake

I went to see the dress rehearsal of The Rake’s Progress at ROH courtesy of a (new) acquaintance, BL, a former actress in Spanish sitcoms (by way of a friend who’s her new beau) who’s assistant to the director, Robert Lepage (you must know who he is surely? They don’t come bigger than him) . And isn’t it funny that I only know one other opera person and when I texted her to tell her I was with BL, she texted back ‘I know her, I was singing with her (ex) boyfriend when they first met’. How many degrees is this one?

The Rake was well impressive, but it’s Stravinsky so no melodies stick.. but mad set up, very good/entertaining, beautifully sang and Toph filled me in on how revered the conductor, Thomas Ades, is… himself a fan /collaborator of Simon Rattle.

The following night we went to BL’s housewarming party, since she’s moved out of the ex’s. This was in a small flat (but belongs to Fiona Shaw – am I namedropping enough for one post?). It was a regular little party with about a dozen people when we arrived and twenty at the most throughout the couple of hours we were there. Mostly chatting to our friend who was feeling a little fragile as the girl had invited her ex (well known tenor) and though it was clear he wouldn’t turn up (the split is fresh) it made him a bit nervous. So I get introduced to this guy, Charlie, short, American accent… A few minutes later Toph says ‘Don’t you recognise him?’ and I said ‘Oh god it’s him, it’s the tenor from last night!!’ But in jeans and a jacket he looks like anyone. Anyway I had to give him a hug by way that I’d never met a tenor, only pop musicians, and was mighty impressed. Turns out it took him a mere 3 weeks to learn his part. Incredible. But the best bit was that we were dancing around to an ipod and the Bee Gees came on and Charlie was singing along with us, to Staying Alive. In a high pitched voice of course. And he quite liked his James Brown and Prince.

Then he told me to close the door to the garden as he was worried about his throat ( premiere was last night), and that he more or less knows what his diary is like for the next five years (except force majeure), which to me is extraordinary.

Soooo a little later Thomas Ades comes in, and then Robert Lepage himself, in a leather jacket, possibly sporting a wig. Mad! God knows who the others were, but looked all like classical musicians…I was tempted to go talk to them but it was one of those ones where the others there could probably really do with the one to one access to their gods and any exchanges would have been sort of lost if they had to talk to me. Yes, am aware of my pecking order and in that world I’m less than an amateur spectator.