The Santa Monica Pier on Sept. 17 is hosting a free big-screen broadcast of LA Opera’s production of Verdi’s famed “La Traviata.”
It’s not like seeing an opera live at the venue, but the idyllic scene of a setting sun, ocean breezes and the surf will be a nice compensation, I’m sure.
More about the production:
The live broadcast will be captured by nine cameras at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and shown simultaneously on a large LED screen on the Santa Monica Pier deck. [..]
Prepared food picnics are encouraged. Bring your own seating: blankets, low lawn seats, and cushions. We suggest warm clothing and solid footwear as the surface of the pier can be unstable. We also suggest you bring CASH for parking, beer garden, and food vendors. […]
Grilling or cooking is prohibited. Avoid large coolers (handheld coolers are OK, but subject to search). No canopies or tents or sun umbrellas. Guests may not bring alcoholic beverages onto the pier (though you may purchase at the beer garden).
Sorry, no pets. Smoking is not permitted on the pier.
Although the telecast on the pier is free, it’s strongly encouraged you reserve advance tickets online for a $1 fee so you can avoid long lines before the show. You also can get the free tickets from the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion box office at 135 N. Grand Ave. in Los Angeles. Leftover tickets will be available to walk-ups at the pier the evening of the show.
I saw a film version of “La Traviata” starring Placido Domingo years ago, and can attest it’s an entertaining opera. And I’m not even an opera buff.
The Santa Monica Pier long has been known as the traditional western endpoint of Route 66, although the true terminus sits at a more mundane intersection about a mile away at Lincoln and Olympic in Santa Monica.
(Hat tip to Jim Farber; image of the Santa Monica Pier entrance by David Seibold via Flickr)