I am delighted to be reporting on this year’s Ladies Only Luncheon because it was such a very special event.  The memories will remain with me for a long time to come.

On 6th November at 11am 40 Ladies and Guests of the Livery foregathered at the Royal Opera House for what proved to be a most interesting and entertaining backstage tour.  We were greeted and hosted by our very new Master’s Lady, June Lowings, who, coupled with Neville’s tireless administration, had ensured that all ran smoothly.

Divided into two groups (the latter to which my guest and I attached ourselves) we were shown round by the most entertaining and ‘camp’ raconteur.  He knew the Royal Opera House intimately and gave us a flawless commentary often interspersed with witty asides and anecdotes.  For example, in the very early days members of the orchestra were not ‘contracted’ and would sometimes just not turn up for a performance on the night if something better had come along, which naturally caused big headaches for the poor conductor!

We started at the very top of the auditorium, looking right down on to the stage where various discussions on props and positioning were in progress.  Such were the acoustics that we could easily hear what was going on although voices were not being projected for our benefit.  At the same time the grand piano was being tuned in the orchestra pit.

After a reconstruction lasting over 3 years the Royal Opera House was finally reopened in 1999 at vast cost, derived from a combination of Lottery funding, arts funding, large investors and, of course, you and me as the taxpayer.  The results are splendid, though some complained that they could not see much change!  This was exactly the point, for front of stage it was a sympathetic reconstruction, maintaining the traditional appearance, but greatly improving the acoustics and installing sophisticated lighting that folds away unobtrusively into the dome, where in days of old a magnificent chandelier had hung, obscuring the view of much of the stage from half the audience.
The Royal Opera House site now comprises two and a half acres in the centre of Covent Garden, the land was acquired following demolition of older market buildings.  Previously all the various departments, including rehearsal rooms, stage set construction, costume storage and administration had been farmed out and spread over sites in East London, Barons Court, surrounding buildings and even as far afield as Aberfan in Wales.

With all the outlying properties now sold and almost everything under one roof, the company operates far more efficiently for a fraction of the cost.  Major changes have taken place in the scenery area.  The space behind the stage is now so vast it can house up to 3 complete stage sets at any one time plus sets being worked on.  Since some props can weigh as much as 30 tonnes sets are constructed on rails that drop in under the floor with state of the art technology – so no more dismantling and removing after every performance.  Elaborate stage sets ‘waiting in the wings’ could be glimpsed through little windows in the corridors we passed along.

The Royal Opera House is home to three world class performing companies:  The Royal Ballet, The Royal Opera and The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.  There are usually offerings of at least 3 different performances each week throughout the year which calls for a great deal of set moving and planning. 

One of the areas we passed through was the costume department which was fascinating, where row upon row of garments in a range of sizes are held on rails for the current productions, so costume changes run swiftly and seamlessly, if you will pardon the pun.

The icing on the cake for me, however, was the witnessing of a Royal Ballet rehearsal in progress, a glimpse into the intricate steps of a particular movement being worked out over and over again.  We had a perfect close up view through a window of this small sequence.  It was quite absorbing and an utterly fascinating insight.

Finally our two groups converged at the light and airy top floor restaurant where we were greeted with Kir Royale, followed by a splendid and delicious ‘feast’ including celeriac soup, roasted cod with fennel Dauphinoise and crispy bacon, and finally a tangy lemon tart with crème fraîche, all accompanied by a light 2007 Chardonnay and a 2007 Languedoc.  We were again welcomed by the Master’s Lady and each Lady and Guest was given a smart mini torch on a fob engraved with the Royal Opera House emblem.  Mine now graces my key ring and is a fitting souvenir and reminder of a very enjoyable occasion.