As is the way with Theatreland these days, the Royal Opera House’s forthcoming production of Puccini’s Tosca carries eight trigger warnings relating to murder, sexual assault and torture.
So far, so woke. But now comes a trigger warning with a difference: for the venue is now alerting its audiences to – horror of horrors – the curtain-up bell.
It is ‘loud and startling’ apparently, which, you might think, is the point. Its purpose, after all, is to make sure patrons know there are ten minutes before the curtain goes up and to finish off those drinks at the bar.
About the only person in the UK this might come as a shock to was Del Boy in an Only Fools And Horses Christmas special in 1986, when he finds himself at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane to see Carmen.
When the curtain-up bell sounds, Del, played by David Jason, mistakes it for last orders, exclaiming: ‘Cor blimey! He’s rung that one early, ain’t he!’.
Opera buffs at the London venue spotted that performances come with advance warnings.
An online listing for next month’s show warns: ‘The bell is loud and can be startling. It is rung ten minutes before the show starts and at each interval.’
It is understood the Royal Opera House (ROH) has put the warning on shows including Aida, Romeo And Juliet and Carmen.
The Royal Opera House’s (pictured) forthcoming production of Puccini’s Tosca carries eight trigger warnings relating to murder, sexual assault and torture
But now comes a trigger warning with a difference: for the venue is now alerting its audiences to – horror of horrors – the curtain-up bell. Pictured: Mykhailo Malafii as Cavaradossi and Giselle Allen as Tosca in Puccini’s Turandot from the Ppera North production
About the only person in the UK this might come as a shock to was Del Boy in an Only Fools And Horses Christmas special in 1986, when he finds himself at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane to see Carmen
The West End has been criticised for its deference to those of a sensitive disposition in recent years, with shows accompanied by content warnings, even where audiences know the plot covers themes such as suicide, mental illness and death.
Last year the West End adaptation of Stanley Kubrick’s satirical anti-war film Dr Strangelove warned audiences the play involved cigarette smoking, replica guns and bad language.
The Royal Shakespeare Company felt the need to stress that its rendition of The Merry Wives Of Windsor contained ‘body-shaming’, in reference to character Sir John Falstaff, also known in the Bard’s works as ‘the fat knight’.
And those attending Slave Play, starring Kit Harrington, were offered ‘self-care’ tips and breathing exercises to cope with sexually explicit elements of the plot which focused on three interracial couples in relationship counselling.
But the ROH is believed to be the first to point out the frightening aspect of the curtain-up bell.
Last year the West End adaptation of Stanley Kubrick’s satirical anti-war film Dr Strangelove warned audiences the play involved cigarette smoking, replica guns and bad language
The Royal Shakespeare Company felt the need to stress that its rendition of The Merry Wives Of Windsor contained ‘body-shaming’, in reference to character Sir John Falstaff, also known in the Bard’s works as ‘the fat knight’
It comes as the ROH’s planned month-long run of Tosca has been mired in controversy over the decision to cast Russian soprano Anna Netrebko (pictured) in the title role despite her homeland’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Lord Young, Free Speech Union founder, said: ‘You would have thought people triggered by loud noises wouldn’t be opera lovers. What are they supposed to do when the sopranos hit the high notes? Cover their ears?’
An ROH spokesman said: ‘This is not a trigger warning. The information… is on our accessibility page.’
It comes as the ROH’s planned month-long run of Tosca has been mired in controversy over the decision to cast Russian soprano Anna Netrebko in the title role despite her homeland’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Netrebko is a long-term supporter of Russia’s president Vladimir Putin, and previously won a payout from New York’s Metropolitan Opera after it cancelled her performances when she refused to denounce the despot.
