The Royal Opera House has ranked the Wellesley in its UK Top Ten UK independent venues with the highest admissions for its live productions. The Wellesley achieved its ranking for the production of ‘The Nutcracker’ in December, one of no fewer than four sell-outs for different shows in the past few months.
Keith Nash of S & K Entertainment said, “In just six months we have established a regular and loyal clientele for our ‘Live’ events and our audiences put us in the Top Ten charts for ‘The Nutcracker’. We’re very proud of our success which is almost unheard of in the current climate.”
“Hosting these ‘Live’ events has caused us a vast amount of ‘behind the scenes’ admin work but the extra revenue generated has been put to good use,” Keith added. “The entire Wellesley frontage has been repainted and the auditorium has just been redecorated for the first time since 1990. With a revamped Kiosk and a new Box Office, all the extra takings are going back into the venue.”
“We’ve found that ballet is certainly more popular than opera but now, with the Elton John concert, we are giving the people of Wellington and the surrounding area a chance to see a spectacular Las Vegas show direct from Caesar’s Palace at a fraction of the price of a Las Vegas ticket. We’re hoping that it will appeal to a much wider age group than our usual theatre, opera and ballet performances and if this is successful we shall certainly continue to provide such shows in the future.”
The next major live event is ‘Don Giovanni’ from the Royal Opera House on Wednesday, February 12. Following the production’s opening performance earlier this month critics have hailed the “technical wizardry of the striking visual effects” and, in the Daily Telegraph, Rupert Christensen’s review states, “Kasper Holten directs meticulously: the staging has been rehearsed with exceptional thoughtfulness and attention to detail. The pace is sure, and characterisations and relationships are sharply but subtly drawn.”
Report: Gill Paltridge