A Night at the Royal Opera House Muscat

We’ve noticed quite a few queries around the dress code at ROH Muscat. Here’s our version as to how to dress for the Opera.

– Our dress code is formal or business. For Omanis, this means Dishdasha and Massar (no khanjar) for men and formal attire for women. For Non-Omanis, this means suits for men and long dresses for females.

– Please note that local culture requires conservative dress. So please, no exposed shoulders and short dresses above the knees.

Also worth remembering is that it’s HOT. So take that into consideration too when planning your outfit.

Arriving at the Royal Opera House

If you are arriving by car there is a large multi-storey free car park at the Opera House. It was really easy to find a space when we arrived which was about half an hour before the opera was due to start. I’d been warned to allow plenty of time as if you are late you might not be allowed in. Although it was easy to get into the car park, leaving at the end of the evening was another matter. So many cars were leaving at once it took ages to get out, so if you’re going to need to leave quickly then maybe consider parking on a nearby street rather than in the official car park.

As you enter the Royal Opera House you need to go through airport type security and put your bag through the x-ray machine. I had some water in my bag, but I wasn’t allowed to take it in. I don’t know if the ‘no liquids’ rule is for the same reasons as on flights or if it’s just because they want you to buy drinks inside. I assume it’s the latter.

The box office to collect tickets and buy programmes is on the right as you enter the main hall and the toilets are to the left.

Entering the Auditorium

The young Omani men and women who were taking tickets looked both stunning and elegant in colourful costumes. These are traditional, but very different to the usual black abayas and white dishdashas. The friend I was with is an English teacher at a Muscat college and several times she heard her name being called and turned to find one of her former students now working at the Opera House.

I’d bought a bottle of water to replace the one I’d lost at security only to find that even drinks bought inside the Opera House can’t actually be taken inside the auditorium. As I’d just paid two riyals (four quid!) for a small bottle of Evian I wasn’t about to give it up and shoved it down to the bottom of my bag. Fortunately there were no more security checks and I smuggled my water in successfully. I didn’t need to drink it during the performance, but if I hadn’t had it with me I would have spent the entire time being worried that I might have a sudden coughing fit.

Performances at the Royal Opera House are popular and so there wasn’t much choice of seating left when we bought our tickets just the day before. Consequently we paid quite a lot.

How much do you think quite a lot is?

Compared to other opera houses and theatres around the world it really wasn’t that much. Our seats cost 24 riyals (£48) each and we were right near the front. Looking around all seats seemed to have a good view though and so I’m sure cheaper seats would have been fine had the tickets still been available.

The Performance

I suppose I should mention what I actually saw. It was L’Occasione Fa Il Ladro with music by Gioachino Rossini. It’s a comedy of mistaken identities and begins when two men meet as they shelter from a storm. Upon leaving their bags get mixed up. One man sees this as a stroke of luck and decides to take on the identity of the other which includes travelling to the home of the man’s betrothed and claiming the bride for himself. Both men arrive, the right man with no  papers and the wrong man with the right papers. The bride-to-be meanwhile has got cold feet and swapped roles with her maid as a kind of test to see who her suitor really falls in love with. Of course it all comes right in the end and everyone lives happily ever after.

Although the performance was sung in Italian, I was easily able to follow along as the back of each seat had a screen with subtitles in both English and Arabic. There were also subtitles above the stage.

In fact it was so easy to follow and I was so engaged in the performance that when the story seemed to be drawing to a close I was surprised and thought, ‘but it’s supposed to be a 90 minute performance and it’s nearly over though it’s only been about half an hour’.

Then I checked my watch and was even more surprised to realise that almost an hour and a half had passed!

What Can You See at the Royal Opera House

The performance I saw was an opera and ran for just two nights. The programme seems to change frequently and encompasses many different types of show.

For example, over the next couple of months there is a display of military music and pageantry; a children’s ballet version of Cinderella; a homage to Pavarotti; traditional dances and The Moth Princess which is an opera aimed at children and inspired by Puccini’s Turandot. In the past Placido Domingo has performed here.

The Building

Sultan Qaboos bin Said, Oman’s ruler, is known to be passionate about classical music and wanted to bring this art form to the Gulf. The Royal Opera House, built at his behest, first opened its doors in 2011.

From the exterior the palatial white building displays the straight lines, arches and slit windows redolent of the forts that can be seen all over Oman. The interior has wide open spaces, majestic staircases, glittering chandeliers and gold leaf galore, yet it’s subtle and pleasing to the eye rather than the brash and in-your- face look I was partly expecting.

The complex includes shops and restaurants and is surrounded by landscaped gardens.

In a Nutshell

• If you are going to be spending time in Oman put a visit to the Royal Opera House in Muscat at the top of your list.
• Try to buy a ticket in advance so you have a choice of seats and prices, but even if it’s last minute you’ll likely pay less than you would at home.
• There are no ‘bad’ seats.
• You might need to go to the box office or borrow a computer to book.
• Pay attention to the dress code though you should be able to borrow an abaya or jacket if need be.
• You will need to pass through a security check to get into the Royal Opera House and will have liquids and khanjars confiscated.
• You are not allowed to take drinks (even expensive water purchased inside the Opera House) into the auditorium.
• Don’t forget your camera. You won’t be allowed to take photos of the performance, but you will want to take pictures of the building.
• There are subtitles.
• Parking is free, but it could take you a while to get out of the car park after the performance.

The Royal Opera House also runs daily tours of the building for three riyals (£6). This is on my list of thing to do for my next visit.

Do you like visiting theatres and opera houses on your travels? Which have you been most impressed by? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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