“Poor visibility stage right” my ticket read. It was only 150 Czech Koruna so I wasn’t too concerned with where the seat was. I had never been to the opera before but had heard it was a popular thing to do in Prague. I figured it was something I would never do at home so I should give it a try.
The theater is gorgeous; it is the national theater. After picking up our tickets from will-call and grabbing a glass of Rosé (there is no cider at the National Theater of Prague) we headed up the flights of stairs to our seats. They were not joking when they said poor visibility; the stairs kept going until we were at the very top. We had an amazing view of the chandelier and the beautifully decorated ceiling. The people-watching was great though. Everyone was dressed in their best outfit for the opera. The clothing ranged from ball gowns to simple slacks and button downs. It seemed as though it was a good mix of locals and tourists all ready to see “The Bartered Bride”.
The opera was in Czech so to understand the songs for those that spoke English, there was a small projection with subtitles at the top of the stage. It lasted three acts each an hour with an intermission between them. The entire experience was not like anything I have had before at home. While people dress up to see a show or play, it is nothing like the extravagant experience it is here.