從門外漢到歌劇通

主持：Joanna C. Lee 編譯：辛時雨

左頁：時代華納中心

歌劇與商業操作：如何花錢？

Opera and commerce: How to spend your money?

小瓊：上個月，我介紹了東京新國立劇場的公共空間，以及如何吸引大眾走進劇院。這也促使我去思考，早期歌劇院的組織與操作方式是怎樣的？

小薇：那你大概要研究研究那些18世紀在意大利建立的歌劇院了。它們是為觀眾而建，與更早時期王室貴族們光顧、宮廷內的演出場地有所不同。

小瓊：的確如此。一個例子是于1778年8月3日開張的米蘭斯卡拉歌劇院。那時候的歌劇院常常配有多功能設施，提供多種娛樂活動。最受歡迎的元素之一是賭場，通常會在演出前后甚至是演出期間營業。

小薇：意思是觀眾可以在劇目演出過程中溜去大堂去賭一把？

小瓊：別忘了，當年歌劇院的私人包廂里甚至可以提供全餐。上流社會人士可以在這些地方舉行宴會，情侶則可在此幽會！如果我們把場景放到21世紀，你就會明白為什么新建的歌劇院或劇場大抵修建在購物中心或大型的酒店綜合體附近。這意味著觀眾可以在演出前后輕松進餐，或是有一個周末度假的住處。

Joan:Last month I introduced the New National Theatre Tokyo’s public spaces and how inviting they are to the general public. This has now prompted me to look at the structure and organization of older opera houses.

Valery:Well, that means you examine Italian opera houses that were built for audiences in the 18th century, which were different from earlier venues patronized by royalty.

Joan:Precisely. Take for example La Scala in Milan,which opened its doors on August 3, 1778. In those days, opera houses were often multi-purpose facilities, providing a wide range of entertainments.One of the more popular elements would be a casino,open before, after, and even during the performance.

Valery:You mean audience members could slip out to the foyer and gamble?

Joan:Remember also that entire meals were served in private boxes, where the elite could hold their own parties, or lovers could meet for a rendezvous! If we put this in context in the 21st century, you can see why new opera houses or theatres are often built adjoining shopping malls or big hotel complexes.That means the audience can easily enjoy a meal

左：迪拜歌劇院距世界第二大的迪拜購物中心僅幾步之遙

小薇：一個極好的例子是位于紐約曼哈頓的弗雷德里克·羅斯廳，正是林肯中心爵士樂之家（包含了羅斯劇場、阿佩爾小劇場、迪茲“可口可樂”俱樂部三個空間）。它建于2004年，比上世紀60年代建造的林肯中心要稍微“外圍”一點。

小瓊：確實，位于園區南邊500米的羅斯劇場（羅斯劇場是“新”紐約市立歌劇院的駐處）是時代華納中心的一部分。后者是一個購物中心，還可以直通旁邊的五星級文華東方酒店。

小薇：香港的西九龍文化區則是另外一個例子。雖然仍在施工階段，去年開幕的第一家劇場——戲曲中心——現已容納了六家店鋪，包括中餐廳、面館、糕點店與茶館。

小瓊：考慮到上海歌劇院本月到訪了迪拜歌劇院，我們需要特別提到一點：看罷上海制作的《圖蘭朵》之后，觀眾可以移步至迪拜購物中心（世界第二大、有50萬平方米的可租賃空間），享受其中的購物及餐飲設施！

before or after a show, or stay over for weekend getaways.

Valery:One of the prime examples I know is Frederick P.Rose Hall, the home of Jazz at Lincoln Center (comprising three spaces: Rose Theater, The Appel Room, Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola). It was built in 2004, slightly “outside”the original Lincoln Center campus built in the 1960s.

Joan:Indeed, located about 500 meters south of the campus, the Rose Hall (Rose Theater being the home of the “new” New York City Opera) is part of the Time Warner Center, a shopping mall that is also attached to the five-star hotel Mandarin Oriental.

Valery:Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District is another example. Although it is still partly a construction site, the first theatre that opened last year—the Xiqu Centre—already houses six dining and shopping establishments, including a dimsum restaurant, a noodle shop, cake shops and teahouses.

Joan:Considering that the Shanghai Opera House visits the Dubai Opera House this month, we should note that after seeing Shanghai’sTurandot, the audience can take a quick stroll over to the Dubai Mall (the second-largest in the world, with 500,000 square meters of leasable space) to enjoy what it has to offer!