AUSTRIA - Best of Europe 2014 - page 90

Unless Placido Domingo is in town, it's easy to get one of 567 standing-room tickets
( Stehplätze, €3 up top or €4 downstairs). While the front doors open one hour before the
show starts, a side door (middle of building, on the Operngasse side) opens 80 minutes be-
fore curtain time, giving those in the know an early grab at standing-room tickets (tickets
sold until 20 minutes after curtain time). Just walk straight in, then head right until you see
the ticket booth marked Stehplätze . If fewer than 567 people are in line, there's no need to
lineupearly.Ifyou'reoneofthefirst160inline,tryforthe“Parterre”sectionandyou'llend
up dead-center at stage level, directly under the Emperor's Box (otherwise, you can choose
between the third floor— Balkon, or the fourth floor— Galerie ). Dress is casual (but do your
best) at the standing-room bar. Locals save their spot along the rail by tying a scarf to it.
Rick's Crude Tips: For me, three hours is a lot of opera. But just to see and hear the
Opera in action for half an hour is a treat. You can buy a standing-room spot and just drop
in for part of the show. Ending time is posted in the lobby—you could stop by for just the
finale. If you go at the start or finish, you'll get the added entertainment of seeing Vienna all
dressed up. Of the 567 people with cheap standing-room tickets, invariably many will not
standthroughtheentireperformance.Ifyoudropbyaftershowtime,youcanwaitforpeople
toleaveandbumtheirticketsoffthem—besuretoaskthemforcleardirectionstoyourspot.
(While it's perfectly legal to swap standing-room spots, be discreet if finding your spot mid-
performance—try to look like you know where you're going.) Even those with standing-
room tickets are considered “ticket holders,” and are welcome to explore the building. As
you leave, wander around the first floor (fun if skipping out early, when halls are empty) to
enjoy the sumptuous halls (with prints of famous stage sets and performers) and the grand
entry staircase. The last resort (and worst option) is to drop into the Café Oper Vienna and
watch the performance live on TV screens (inside the Opera, reasonable menu and drinks).
“Live Opera on the Square”: Demonstrating its commitment to bringing opera to the
masses, each spring and fall the Vienna Opera projects several performances live on a huge
screen onits building, putsoutchairs forthepublic toenjoy...andit'sall free.(These projec-
ted performances are noted as Oper live am Platz in the official Opera schedule—posted all
around the Opera building; they are also listed in the Wien-Programm brochure.)
Vienna Volksoper
For less-serious operettas and musicals, try Vienna's other opera house, located along the
Gürtel, west of the city center (see Wien-Programm brochure or ask at TI for schedule,
Währinger Strasse 78, tel. [phone], www.volksoper.at ) .
Theater an der Wien
Considered the oldest theater in Vienna, this venue was designed in 1801 for Mozart oper-
as—intimate, with just a thousand seats. It treats Vienna's music lovers to a different op-