A Night at the Opera

Mrs PenFountain and I went for an evening of Romantic Opera at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford yesterday evening. We are not opera buffs but enjoy lighter performances and we were not disappointed. The troupe comprised of 4 outstanding performers from Opera Box ( www.operabox.co.uk ) performing a range of arias from many popular operas together with some less well known pieces. Each was introduced with a brief outline of the plot, the principle characters and the specific setting. There were also amusing anecdotes about specific performances. For me, the highlight of the evening was the performance of Delibes Flower Duet (B.A. Sig. tune!) performed by Soprano, Alicia Fashae and Mezzo-Soprano Jeanette Ager accompanied by a simple piano. Wow!

So, what has this got to do with PenFountain.com? Well, not so much PenFountain, but trading conditions. The couple sitting next to us were regulars and they commented on the low attendance. If I was an optimist, I would say the theatre was one third full…. This was an outstanding performance in an affluent area and yet, even here customers have a mind-set of not spending money.

A number statisticians have identified that there is more disposable income in the economy this year than last, but confidence is at a very low ebb and that is impacting on a willingness to spend. Well, if we don’t start spending soon, choice will be a thing of the past and small businesses will be the first casualties. The choice to go to performances like last night’s will disappear. However, the good news is that there is another performance on Wednesday 25 November 2009. A visit is highly recommended.