How good is this really?
If you read London blogs etc a lot of them will be telling you about the BP Big Screen events and telling you how great they are. Some may say get there early and that’s about all the advice you’ll get.
Well the events start this week and will be on a Big Screen at Trafalgar Square. On Tuesday it’s the Royal Opera doing Carmen and on Thursday it’s the Royal Ballet doing Chroma, Tryst and Symphony in C.
But will I be going? Not a chance and here’s why.
As I said you have to get there early for a good spot, (a word of advice look to sit on the fountain edge or against the barriers or stand up at the back leaning on the brickwork ledge) but then it’s just the hassle of people getting in your way, on you and until everyone’s settled down it’s just not that relaxing.
Also what you have to realise is that it’s not like going to a festival in a field which isn’t that comfortable anyway.
You’re at Trafalgar Square on the ground, it’s cold, it’s hard and it’s very uncomfortable. It’s also a good idea to check out our London weather forecast before you go.
After a while you’ll be wishing you brought that picnic blanket or cushion but don’t worry even if you had brought them after an hour or so you won’t be feeling any benefit from them.
The whole idea sounds wonderful and hats off for staging them but they need to put some astro turf or something to make the experience more comfortable.
If you do want to go for it here’s the recap – two free BP Big Screen events will be on at Trafalgar Square this week. On Tuesday Carmen starts at 7pm but there will be a giant sing-a-long at 6.15pm and ends at just after 10pm. On Thursday Chroma, Tryst and Symphony in C starts at 7.30pm and again ends just after 10pm.
It’s all well and good knowing what’s on in London but it’s also worth knowing what the downside is to some events. When we know about them we try to tell you which is why it’s a good idea to subscribe to our blog so you don’t get caught out.
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Thanks for your comments can’t say the noise was an issue for me when I had been, but I’m sure it would have bothered a lot of other people as well as you.
No, they’re not a waste of time, as long as your expectation are realistic.
I went along to Simon Bocanegra, and you could feel the homage-like tone among the opera buffs. Or, more to the point, the pseudo-opera lovers, enticed by all the ‘must see’ frenzy about Placido Domingo.
Yes, it was uncomfortable, and it rained. For me the main downside was the traffic noise around the square. There seemed a constant blare of police/ambulance sirens that did little to augment Puccinni’s original.
It’s a great visual spectacle, for sure – but as a musical experience it can’t work with so much surrounding noise.
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