Night at the opera just got a wee bit shorter...

A PRODUCTION of La Boheme has been cut short – to help any opera lovers who find themselves caught short.

English National Opera (ENO) is staging a Covid-friendly production of Giacomo Puccini’s story of two lovers in Paris in September, but the running time has been reduced, in part to avoid a rush for the loo.

The drive-in version in the car park of London’s Alexandra Palace will comprise 90 minutes of ‘ greatest hits’ – 45 minutes fewer than the traditional running time – and the interval has been abandoned. ENO’s artistic director Annilese Miskimmon assured fans that the best-known arias including Quando me’n vo and Si, mi chiamano Mimi had not been flushed away.

‘It’s something that normally we wouldn’t consider but it is an indication to our audience that we want to put their safety at the heart of it,’ she said. ‘Ninety minutes is still a lot of music. All the big hits and big tunes will be there, it’s just the transitions and the travelling between the key moments which won’t.’

Nica Burns, one of Britain’s must successful theatre owners, has booked tickets. ‘It’s ideal for those who love opera but are put off by the running time.’

The pandemic has wrought havoc upon the £13 billion-a-year arts industry, although Boris Johnson last week paved the way for some venues to reopen from August 1. Jon Morgan, director of Theatres Trust, said social distancing meant most theatres could only operate at 40 per cent capacity when they require 70 per cent to be viable.