A Memorable Dress-Up Night at the Cairo Opera House

Wilson' took this w/ his iPhone.

Cairo Opera House, Day 2, 12/17/09 -- Cairo, Egypt

This is a somewhat embarassing story, but what is traveling without a few of these stories? So my brother had the idea of seeing an opera while in Cairo. I've been to musicals and operas before, but I can't say I'm an opera aficinado, but I was willing to go for the experience. And, let me tell you -- it was an EXPERIENCE of a lifetime -- one I will never forget.

So ... how far would you go to see an opera? I'm not talking about distance. I'm talking about to what extent would you push yourself to make it happen? Well, that was exactly the question I faced. Watching an opera at the Cairo Opera House was not about money -- we quickly found out there were cheap "day of", or last minute tickets that we could purchase for 25 EP to 100 EP (or the equivalent of $5-$20 -- a bargain to NYC standards). So money wasn't the issue - then what was? OF all things, attire! Ok, we shouldn't be shocked by this, but, if you can imagine -- Wilson and I are traveling through the Middle East with what I would call "rugged" or "backpacker" like clothing, so the idea of having a tux/suit or a ball gown packed nicely away in our roll-aways/backpacks was not exactly what we envisioned when we packed for our trip. So, what to do and how do you make this happen?

We put on our best clothes. Wilson wore blue jeans, a white button up "Columbia" shirt that amazingly had a collar (Columbia as in the sporting outdoor company), a dark fleece zip-up jacket and his hiking shoes. I wore my one and only red dress (expecting to wear it for New Years) and since I couldn't wear it with sneakers, I wore it with flip flops. Wilson and I put on our eyeglasses, looked at ourselves in the mirror only to say, "Damn, we clean up nice! We can do this."

So of course we try this out.

We tried to purchase our tickets at the box office, but the attendant was skeptical about our attire -- so he didn't sell us the tickets. He commented that Wilson would unlikely be admitted since he was wearing jeans (and I miraculously was fine). The attendant directed to the doorman, who would inspect our clothing and give us the final "nay" or "yay". As we walk towards the entrance, I fully expect to see this burly man who knowingly would soon decide our fate (seriously?! Am I trying to get into a club in the Meatpacking District?) ...

To our surprise, the door man was a mild-mannered gentle man, who seemed friendly and nice enough to let us in. He gives Wilson the "ok", and decides to lend him a tie from the "closest" (something tells me they are used to travellers without proper attire), but gives me the big "no". Apparently, my pale legs and flip flops were a big NO NO. I was in shock! Really? I'm wearing a dress in the freezing cold! I quickly looked around and noticed non-Egyptian people wearing jeans and sneakers! DOH!!!! and now, I'm stuck outside in my red dress, with an overly expressive pair of pale legs and flip flops not being admitted to the Cairo Opera House. Wonderful!

Of course, this isn't the end of the story -- where would the fun be in that?

So, of course, I had to figure a way to make this work... but how?

Sweet talk? Not in my wheelhouse, or ... is it?

I talked to the doorman and the manager, desperately trying to work out a deal.

The sweet talking didn't work out too well (nor an unintended bribe of buying a more expensive ticket). I then asked if they had an extra pair of shoes or extra socks to cover my legs (obsurd? oh yes, but, it didn't hurt to ask, right? If they have extra ties on hand, why not shoes?) No luck.

After a few more attempts, their answer was -- either go back to the hotel and change my outfit (i.e put on jeans and sneakers) or watch the show another night. Wilson and I walked away... I of course walked away unhappy, but my mind was still working and I was still trying to figure a way to get in that night. Persistence my friends! Persistence!

So my next wacky-eyed, crazy solution was ...

Well, lucky for me, I had thought before coming to the opera house that we could potentially get denied, and if that was the case -- I better bring a pair of pants. So, luckily, in my bag I had packed a pair of black yoga pants to keep my legs warm if we were rejected. Are you thinking what I'm thinking??? Probably not, but hey -- i'm resourceful! so, walla, here comes the great idea. ;D

As you can now imagine from the photo, I decided to put on my stretchy yoga pants and use the extra length of the pants to cover my feet (i.e. wear them as if they were my own socks.) HA HA. Oh YES, I DID. :D As I was getting myself ready, Wilson couldn't help but kneel over in laughter over my ridiculous idea. I couldn't contain my laughter either -- but I soon grew serious and wondered ... will it work? Of course it did!

So I ran back to the doorman and showed him my new "formal" attire. Did it work? A few chuckles later and a few more head shakes implying "I can't believe what I'm seeing" from the manager and door man ... they gave me the formal ok with a caveat -- "ok, you can only buy balcony seats and we can only let you in when the lights go off." I was in disbelief that my "shannanigans' worked -- I WAS IN!!!! Who cares if I played the role of that "girl" going into the room with the lights off (yes, you're getting my bad sexual reference?!?! haha... that's actually what their comments reminded me of -- and NO, I haven't had that experience before! )... but honestly, who cares -- I WAS IN -- and I was about to watch LA BOHEME in Cairo!

So Wilson and I bought balcony seats for 25 Egyptian pounds, or the equivalent of US$5, to watch Pucchini's La Boheme. We thought the seats would be in the BACK of the BACK of the theater (afterall, I was the embarassment of the night!), but balcony seats at the Cairo Opera House were essentially mezzanine seats (i.e. one / two tiers above the ground floor!). It was first come first serve seats ... and since not many people were there on a Thursday night, we had our choice of the best seats in the house for US$5! What a deal ! Who cares if the show is good or bad, Wilson and I had already ended the night with a great story that will be relived for many years to come! Now, that's worth $5 and a priceless kodak moment!

These are photos of me and Wilson inside the Cairo Opera House. On the right, is the photo of the manager with us after the show. Also, part of one of the "unsaid" conditions was for us to come back and see him after the show... Lo and behold, we wanted to take pictures with us... He was gracious and generous to offer us to come to his home and he would take us on a tour of Cairo! We couldn't that night (and thought it was a bit strange, but perhaps that was the Egyptian way)... We mentioned perhaps on our way back to Cairo, we would see him again. We never did get back in touch with him.

p.s. If you're a cultural buff or love operas/musicals, you're probably wondering how was the show? It was ok. It doesn't compare to the New York Opera productions, but if you want to experience a different way of life in Cairo and can spare three hours and US$5 ... then this is a great way to spend your time. Just remember to wear, at the very minimal, jeans and sneakers (for females) and jeans, jacket, button up shirt, and sneakers (for males; ties are available at the door).