Greetings!
While sport might be grabbing the news headlines over the summer, a delightful letter that was received during the World Cup served as a powerful reminder that theatre and the performing arts can generate just as much passion as sport. |
Mrs Rooney prefers theatre to football | |
It was a huge surprise to receive a letter from Mrs Barbara Rooney from Cambridge, just as the World Cup kicked off, requesting her own set of opera glasses. It turns out that Mrs Rooney is not related to the England star and is a much bigger fan of theatre than football.
"We go up to London quite a lot and like to use opera glasses" explains Mrs Rooney
"We use them if they are there but they are not always available. My husband bought me some expensive binoculars but they just don't do the job as well. I wear glasses and I can still use the London Opera Glasses without taking my specs off. I think they are very, very good." she adds.
Mrs Rooney has been a dedicated theatre goer since 1954 when she saw Guys and Dolls while on honeymoon.
These days Mrs Rooney is a much bigger follower of Andrew Lloyd Webber than any sports star. " Love Never Dies is absolutely fabulous" she tells us, "it was a standing ovation from the word go".
Mrs Rooney received her own set of London Opera Glasses outside the Apollo Victoria theatre from MD, Philip Main together with a complimentary ticket for Wicked. |
Croydon to get up close and personal | |
Neil Chandler, front of house and technical manager at the Fairfield Halls in Croydon has no doubts about the benefits of opera glasses for his patrons having just had a complete installation.
"In a challenging financial climate we wanted to offer our patrons a new service as opposed to cutting our current offering in an attempt to save money. Opera Glasses were definitely the way to go" says Neil.
"Our patrons can now get up close and personal with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Russian Ballet and a whole host of other stars" he adds.
The glasses were installed in time for the summer season and the opening of Joseph on 12 July. |
Vaudeville glasses ready for Jeff Goldblum | |
Opera Glasses will be installed at the Vaudeville Theatre in time for the opening of The Prisoner of Second Avenue, the award winning black comedy depicting a New York couple, Mel (Jeff Goldblum) and Edna Edison, enduring the trials and tribulations of city life.
Theatre Manager, Alistair Sutherland, was delighted with the installation and was amazed how well the glasses fitted into the auditorium.
"It was good to see the advance in technology that opera glasses have made" says Alistair. |