Drive-In Opera

Back in 1989, the Norwegian National Opera staged the world's first (and only?) "drive-in opera" with a performance of the Barber of Seville broadcast live on a 225-square-foot movie screen in downtown Oslo. The idea was that people could watch the performance from their cars. This was supposed to be a way to bring opera to the masses, to let people know that "opera can be fun."

However, the event didn't go quite as planned since the Norwegian audience wasn't quite clear on the "drive-in" concept. Most of them showed up on foot. And many of the cars that did show up parked facing away from the screen. More info at AP News Archive.


The Bulletin - Apr 20, 1989
     Posted By: Alex - Sun Feb 22, 2015
     Category: Music | Theater and Stage | 1980s





Comments
Who'd'ah thunk it... they actually got cars in Norway? I'd've said snowmobiles or sleds maybe.
Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 02/22/15 at 09:10 AM
Or longboats...
Posted by TheCannyScot in Atlanta, GA on 02/22/15 at 03:44 PM
They don't know how to watch drive-in movies over there??
Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 02/22/15 at 04:20 PM
@Patty: Who went to the drive-ins to watch the movies?
Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 02/22/15 at 11:47 PM
They should have tried showing "Pal Yat Chee".

"When we listen to PAL-YAT-CHEE,
we get itchy an' scratchy.
This shore is top corn,
so we go and buy some popcorn.
We hate to go back,
but we can't git our dough back.
There ain't no use complainin',
'cause outside it's a-rainin'."
😝
Posted by KDP on 02/23/15 at 11:42 AM
♫'Twasn't very sanitary♫
Posted by TheCannyScot in Atlanta, GA on 02/23/15 at 11:56 AM
Expat, a bunch of 13 year olds at a birthday party. My mom took us and my 2 little sisters went too.
Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 02/24/15 at 06:41 PM
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