Last Saturday thousands of Irish opera fans were treated to the first production of the new season of New York’s renowned Met Opera. In the past, to enjoy the visual and aural delights of Verdi’s Macbeth fans would’ve had to travel to Manhattan’s impressive Metropolitan Opera House, but these days they need travel no further than an Omniplex Cinema to see the entire season of both the Met and the Royal Opera House. A total of 21 performances set to run until the end of April 2015, with some lasting up to six hours and shown in their entirety on the big screen in Dublin.
Omniplex Cinemas has been showing live international opera since 2010, when satellite technology permitted productions to be shown live, beamed to cinemas around the world in High Definition. This allows access to a greater number of fans and has opened up the opera to much wider audience, with performances being beamed to 66 other countries. As well as the Met Opera, Omniplex are screening live viewings of Royal Opera House’s new season. The Irish-owned cinema company also shows a variety of live events from the Bolshoi Ballet, major sport and last week even had a One Direction concert live from Milan.
Paul Anderson, Chairman of Omniplex Cinemas, said: “Satellite technology now allows us to show a much more than just the latest movies. We can now offer people access to exclusive events that in the past they would’ve had to travel a great distance for and pay much higher prices for tickets. This winter, in Omniplex Cinemas, you can experience live performances by the Met Opera and the Royal Opera House in HD with surround sound, or visit the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel in 3D, all without having to take a flight or pay for a hotel. It’s so good, that some viewers have said that they thought they were really there.”
The Omniplex’s 2014-2015 Season
| Opera | Date | Time | Duration | Title |
| Met Opera | Sat. Oct. 11th 2014 | 6pm | 3h 15m | Macbeth (Verdi) |
| Royal Opera House | Thurs. Oct. 16th 2014 | 7.15pm | 2h 35m | Manon |
| Met Opera | Sat. Oct. 18th 2014 | 6pm | 3h 50m | Le Nozze Di Figaro (Mozart) |
| Royal Opera House | Mon. Oct. 27th 2014 | 7.15pm | 2h 35m | L due Foscari |
| Met Opera | Sat. Nov. 1st 2014 | 5pm | 3h 40m | Carmen (Bizet) |
| Met Opera | Sat. Nov. 22nd 2014 | 6pm | 3h 30m | The Barber of Seville (Rossini) |
| Royal Opera House | Weds. Nov. 26th 2014 | 7.15pm | 2h 45m | L’elisir d’amore |
| Met Opera | Sat. Dec. 13th 2014 | 5pm | 6h | Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg (Wagner) |
| Royal Opera House | Tues. Dec 16th 2014 | 7.15pm | 2h 55m | Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland |
| Met Opera | Sat. Jan. 17th 2015 | 6pm | 3h | The Merry Widow (Lehár) |
| Royal Opera House | Thurs. Jan 29th 2015 | 7.15pm | 2h 30m | Andrea Chénier |
| Met Opera | Sat. Jan. 31st 2015 | 6pm | 3h 45m | Les Contes d’Hoffmann (Offenbach) |
| Met Opera | Sat. Feb. 14th 2015 | 5.30pm | 3h 40m | Iolanta (Tchaikovsky) & Duke Bluebeard’s Castle (Bartók) |
| Royal Opera House | Tues. Feb, 24th 2015 | 7.15pm | 2h 20m | Der fliegende Holländer |
| Met Opera | Sat. Mar. 14th 2015 | 5pm | 3h 30m | La Donna del Lago (Rossini) |
| Royal Opera House | Tues March 17th 2015 | 7.15pm | 3h | Swan Lake |
| Royal Opera House | Weds. April 1st 2015 | 7.15pm | 3h | Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny |
| Met Opera | Sat. Apr. 25th 2015 | 5.30pm | 3h 30m | Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) & Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) |
| Royal Opera House | Tues May 5th 2015 | 7.15pm | 2h 15m | La Fille mal gardée |
| Royal Opera House | Weds June 5th 2015 | 7.15pm | 2h 50m | La bohème |
| Royal Opera House | Sun July 5th 2015 | 2.45pm | 5h 40m | Guillaume Tell |
Omniplex’s cinemas in Rathmines Dublin; Mahon, Cork; Dooradoyle, Limerick; Dundonald, Belfast; Londonderry, Co. Derry; and Tralee, Kerry; will also show the full season of performances by both the Met Opera and the Royal Opera House.
Ticket prices for the Met Opera are:
- €24/£20 for standard adult tickets
- €40/£33 for premium seat tickets (if applicable)
- €18/£15 for encore screenings
- concessions are available for children and students, who can get a 50% reduction; and family tickets are available for two adults and two children at €60/£50
Ticket prices for the Royal Opera House are:
- €16/£12 for standard adult tickets; and
- €10/€8 per children aged 14 and under.
All tickets can be booked through http://www.omniplex.ie and there is also currently 10% off for customers who sign up to become My Omniplex members.