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It’s been over a year since WHO declared coronavirus a global pandemic, and to quote the first line of ‘Super Trouper’, “I was sick and tired of everything.” However, in glamtastic news for ABBA fans, Dubai Opera has announced that ‘Mamma Mia!’ – the musical that inspired the film starring Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried – is coming to the emirate from 13-22 September 2021.
After the initial lockdown, a spokesperson for Dubai Opera told Arabian Business, “I think truthfully before reopening there was an unspoken concern that audiences wouldn’t initially return. There is a huge difference between people saying they will do something and people actually taking action and purchasing tickets. In reality ticket sales have been extremely positive and we have been fortunate to experience strong demand and multiple sell out shows – customer satisfaction has actually increased.”
The spokesperson continued, “In terms of the productions, we have been limited for the scale of the presentations. Our first ballet was performed by the Moscow City Ballet to recorded music – normally we would have a live orchestra, but that wasn’t possible to achieve with distancing requirements although in February we are planning to have a smaller scale live orchestra for ‘Giselle’.”
On Dubai’s return to the new normal, the spokesperson added, “It’s been a stepping stone approach learning and building on success to gradually increase the level of productions presented. At the start of December Dubai Opera hosted a private event with special guest star Andrea Bocelli, so we are certainly once again able to host the world’s biggest artists. Moving forward, our capacity is currently limited to approximately fifty percent and the challenge will be how quickly we can return to higher capacity figures.
The spokesman revealed, “We are hopeful that in the second quarter of 2021 we will have a clearer understanding of future capacities. The global theatre and entertainment sector has had a truly extraordinary year in 2020 and rescheduling multiple events has been very challenging and many venues across the globe remain closed but at least for Dubai Opera we are operating, tickets are selling exceptionally well and we are looking forward to announcing some fantastic new shows in 2021.”
And with the announcement of ‘Mamma Mia!’ Dubai Opera remains true to its word.
Visit dubaiopera.com for more info
