On Saturday night I did something I’ve never done before… I went to the Opera! The Queen of Spades is playing at the Lyric Opera House through March 1st – and it made me a fan of Opera.
At first the whole format of reading a teleprompter with the singing was a little weird, but after about 30 minutes it felt pretty natural. The singing was amazing as you would expect – and the set pieces were beautiful. There was a haunting Gothic feeling to the whole show, with scenes that felt like they were straight out of a horror movie.
Since this was my first time at the Lyric Opera House – I do have a few tips if you decide to go to a show.
- Don’t try and save a few dollars using Spot Hero and parking underneath on Lower Wacker Drive. I tried to save $6 on parking and ended up not being able to even find the spot. There are deals for Opera parking right across the street from the theater.
- If you show up late – You aren’t getting into the seats you paid for. They will escort you to the back of the theater until the first intermission… So leave yourself plenty of time. (staff was wonderful)
- The Opera is 4 hours long. Be prepared. The show went from 7:30p – 11:20p.
- There are 3 intermissions. I thought everyone was leaving the theater and it was a 3rd intermission. There’s plenty of time to grab drinks in between so come thirsty.
- Your date will dig the opera. Bring one. – Producer Dan
Performance dates for The Queen of Spades are February 15, 19, 23, and 26 and March 1 at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N Wacker Dr., Chicago. Performance times vary.
For tickets and information call 312.827.5600 or go to lyricopera.org/spades. College students who are registered with Lyric’s NEXT student ticket program can buy tickets for just $20. Discount tickets are available for children accompanied by adult ticket holders by calling 312.827.5600.
The Queen of Spades is performed in Russian with projected English translations. Estimated running time is 3 hours 45 minutes, including two intermissions.
