Puccini’s operas have to be some of the most popular of all time - they certainly rank amongst my favourites, so therefore, not surprisingly, I was delighted when Welsh National Opera chose to audio-describe Tosca during their latest week at the Birmingham Hippodrome.  Written in the 1890’s it is a very dramatic work set against a politically turbulent time in Italian history and, as with so many of Puccini’s masterpieces, there are some really wonderful, memorable arias.

Assistant stage manager Katie Heath-Jones was on hand – along with resident Sightlines describers, Margaret Spittles and Jonathan Nash - to take fellow visually impaired patrons and their companions, onto the stage for the pre-show touch tour.  I remembered meeting Katie on the touch tour for La Traviata back in November and, once again, her undisguised enthusiasm was infectious.  We were shown the back for the opera’s first act, a Renaissance church, built on a massive scale, including the platform where the opera’s hero, artist Cavaradossi, is painting his latest work.  There was also plenty of time for Katie to show us an extensive range of the props such as a giant crucifix and a moving dais used for transporting the Pope, during one of the processional scenes.

For the first time Welsh National Opera had sent the VIPs a very helpful CD in advance of the performance, giving comprehensive details of the different sets used for each of the 3 Acts.  The disc also featured character/costume notes and cast details.  Even though I am familiar with the opera, it was nevertheless really useful to be reminded of the actual storyline, which I’m sure Tosca first-timers would have found invaluable, as the plot is quite involved and you need to know something about the historical background.  Having time to digest this information in advance helps enormously, as did the last minute ‘live’ reprise 15 minutes before curtain up – so too were the scene-setters which we were given shortly before Acts 2 and Act 3.

Thanks to their characteristically meticulous preparation, both Margaret and Jonathan were able to describe the dramatic on-stage action in such a way that it enlightened us, but did not interfere with our enjoyment of the beautiful music and excellent singing.

The next audio-described performance at the Birmingham Hippodrome is the phenomenally popular Les Miserables on the afternoon of Saturday 10 April and the evening of Thursday 15 April, and details on ticket prices, how to book headsets and places on the touch tour, can be obtained from the box office on 0844 338 5000.


Incidentally WNO’s next audio described opera at the Birmingham Hippodrome, will be Verdi’s ever popular, Rigoletto, on the evening of Friday 9 July and it’s worth saying that if you are on WNO’s mailing list the latest brochure about 2010/11 productions comes with a CD – with the added bonus of musical excerpts from the operas.

Sight Concern, The Bradbury Centre, 2 Sansome Walk, Worcester, WR1 1LH. Registered Charity 202144 T: 01905 723245 E: info@sightconcern.co.uk

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