San Francisco Lyric Opera

We live in a city with TWO professional opera companies. TWO. Putting on great shows at price points that let everyone enjoy reasonably good opera. For that we should all be proud.
I’m proud of Lyric Opera as a presenter of accessible offerings of opera with some really good production designs, soloists, and overall casts.
I’ve seen several very nice productions while the company was at the Legion of Honor, including a nice Lucia di Lammermoor and a good Tales of Hoffmann.
Now that they’ve moved to Fort Mason, I’m looking forward to a slightly easier-​to-​get-​to theater, and I certainly can’t wait to see a certain member of the chorus in Rigoletto. I’ve had inside reports that the solists are excellent.
No matter what show you catch, enjoy Lyric Opera for bringing big opera to small theatres at even smaller prices, with lots of local talent. Keeping opera alive and kicking in the 21^st century is reason enough for 5 stars – the great entertainment to be had is pure gravy, to use a decidedly non-​highbrow term.

The Lyric Opera regularly, consistently offers the best value in entertainment. The soloists are as good as I’ve heard anywhere, and often even look and act their part (something most small opera companies can’t be bothered with). The chorus is always spectacular as well, obviously cast for the purposes of exhibiting the entire range of voices called for by the music. Above even the quality of the music, the Lyric Opera seems aware that it is theatre above all else. It likes its audience and respects them.

Let’s face it. I have champagne taste on a Pabst Blue Ribbon budget.
I love opera but am never willing to pay the outrageous prices at the «big» opera house. Sure, I’ll go if you’re treating. And I will thoroughly frickin’ enjoy it, so long as it isn’t some new fangled, artsy production. But I’ll still go, especially if you have box seats.
That said, the free tickets are few and far between and I can’t get student rush tickets anymore with my dusty college ID. The «little» opera or SF Lyric Opera has always been a bright spot in my dynamic City life. (Of course, so are the metallic guys, the panhandlers with creative signs, BART, and many other less romantic things.) But SF Lyric Opera really makes the arts accessible. The ticket prices and the venue are key.
No, they don’t have the world’s most celebrated tenor or the international divas, but they do have amazingly talented opera singers that anyone can enjoy for less than the price of dinner and drinks at any trendy spot.
I would have given them five stars if it weren’t for their recent move from the lovely Gould theater at the Legion of Honor to the Cowell Theater at Fort Mason. I haven’t actually been to a performance there, so I will amend my review as necessary once I do. But the Gould is the most delightful little venue. You might think that Marie Antoinette invited you to a command performance, and there isn’t a bad seat in the house.
Wherever they may go, though, I will follow. The company is wonderfully talented and even with the bigger venue, you will have an experience you couldn’t get at the «big» opera. That is unless you don’t mind dropping a couple Benjamins for a seat. And if that’s you, you probably wouldn’t mind if I tag along…

the ambiance of the palace of legion honor at night is breathtaking. trek out to the edge of the city for a lyric opera performance and you’ll see what i am talking about. this is a small scale performance that you sneak through the through the side door of the museum at night to access. if that doesn’t say ‘your own special club” i don’t know what does. now, i know almost ziltch about opera except for the time i went on a field trip to one in fifth grade. our office manager is in the chorus, and we all went out support. i was super impressed. the theatre is intimate (further emphasizing the «own special venueness») and beautiful and so was the performance of gounod’s romeo and juliet. the lobby of the theatre has cases full of ancient artifacts for pre-​show and intermisision oogling. as well as wine, cookies and coffee. a classy event in a schwanky schetting

My good friend Curtis ushers as a volunteer here. We were talking during a refueling stop on the Three Bears Loop — so, it seems we have similar interests in tragedies. The setting is classic Westside/​Seacliff crowd. But the prices are great. I got to sit next to the drummer (sorry, percussionist).and out of the corner of my eye watched him retune his drums in the middle of the opera. One of the main characters had a wardrobe moment when he was unable to release his cape prior to a sword fight. I could see that the wardrobe folks had forgotten to remove a holding bobbie pin. I practically sat with the orchestra, since there is no pit. The conductor, true to his heritage, knew all the words. It was great. They reserve some free seats for SFUSD students, and all kids under 12 are free. Hit the first Friday shows, the first performances have their charm.