Hingham's Loring Hall Theater is featuring "Opera in Cinema." This series of films include high quality recordings of operas at Europe's grand opera houses.
Loring Hall is an old social hall in Hingham, used for shows and dances until it was converted into a movie theater. While the seats and screen are small, there is a pleasant quaintness to this theater.
As soon as the usher handed me my playbill I climbed up to the balcony, since I've always wanted to have balcony seats at the opera.
My view wasn't obstructed as this image would lead you to believe. I didn't want to be obnoxious snapping pictures in a movie theater.
This is the very end of the first act. Again, the image on the screen was not blurry, but I was trying hard not to cause any sort of disturbance. I had the balcony all to myself, but didn't want to disturb viewers below. I really enjoyed having my own private "box" at the opera :D
The opera was subtitled, which is good because my Italian is a bit rusty, though I was pleasantly surprised at how much I understood.
After the show I treated myself to a tea at Brewed Awakenings, a coffee shop a few doors down from the theater in downtown Hingham. The shop is recently updated, and a very pleasant place to enjoy a post-cinema beverage.
These operas are showing all summer in Hingham, and also at the Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline. Tickets at Loring are $20, and on a rainy summer Sunday it is a welcome way to get a little bit of culture.
