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Royal Opera House Review

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Royal Opera House

Address: Bow St., Covent Garden, London, WC2E 9DD
Phone: 020/7240-1200
www.royalopera.org

Category: Arts/Performance Venues
Location: Soho and Covent Garden

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Fodor's Review:

London's premier opera and ballet venue was designed in 1858 by E. M. Barry, son of Sir Charles, the House of Commons architect, and is the third theater on the site. The first theater opened in 1732 and burned down in 1808; the second opened a year later, only to succumb to fire in 1856. The entire building, which has been given a spectacular overhaul, retains the magic of the grand Victorian theater but is now more accessible. The glass-and-steel Floral Hall (so badly damaged by fire in the 1950s it was used only for storing scenery) is the most wonderful feature; you can wander around and drink in (literally, in the foyer café) the interior during the day. The same is true of the Amphitheatre Bar and Piazza concourse, where you can have lunch while looking out at a splendid panorama across the city. There are free lunchtime chamber concerts and lectures, as well as tea dances and occasional free jazz concerts, as part of the policy to dispel the Opera House's elitist tag.

Tube: Covent Garden

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