Welcome watchers of illusion...
Maurice once again speaks about all things cultural and natural in the RSPB Rainham Marshes area. Following the advice of my mentor Sir John Mandeville I did sojourn into serpent infested hinterlands. This time my journeying took me to the cultural phenomenon which is High House Production Park and in particular the Royal Opera House therein. If you find yourself in the Purfleet area, have already sampled the amazing wildlife of Rainham Marshes and the weirdly wonderful memorabilia of the Purfleet Heritage Centre then make your next port of call the Royal Opera House Workshop.
I recently booked a Production Workshop and Costume Centre Tour (www.roh.org.uk/tours/thurrock-tours) and was treated to an hour plus of behind the scenes magic with Graham our very knowlagble tour guide. We were a small but happy band of mid-week adventurers, and having been fortified with the hot juices of the roasted coffee bean in the Courtyard Cafe set off into the interior of the cavernous purpose-built opera workshop. Within this Moria style mine we were shown how an opera set is created, built, dismantled, stored and looked after when it is not being gazed upon by music and drama lovers in Covent Garden.
That bony sound was our collective jaws dropping as we watched from a high balcony the Bond-villain-esque space in front of us humming with activity as huge pieces of stage scenery where being fitted together, enormous sail like cloth hangings were being shaped ready for the rigging of a mysterious looking galleon and everything which was not nailed down (and even things which are) were being painted, pummelled and paraded through this magnificent Hall of the Mountain King.
In this monstrous cavern highly skilled carpenters, metal workers and scenery painters were busy creating and shaping the stuff of dreams. It was really inspiring to see these highly trained, dedicated technicians doing their thing, pulling all the raw materials together to make the onstage magic of Covent Garden’s opera and ballet- what you experience in your Schopenhauerian conceived Wagnerian dreamscapes starts in here and ends up back here folks.
After witnessing these stupendous feats of artistic endeavour we were taken to the human microcosm of sumptuous costumes, hairy head and face wear- we were shown dark corridors where frocks, frills, wigs, tiaras, and eye patches were stored from past performances, many outfits and props going way back are stored from something called the 1980s. It was a real treat to be shown Darcy Bussell’s locks up close, and there were many silks, brocades and even muddy wellingtons (!) that your humble correspondent could envisage himself in at a Lammas Night gathering. With over 6000 items of costume (including a lot of very nice frilly tutus), bodices (ripped and un-ripped) and more pinz nez than you could shake a stick at, it was a fascinating and up close delve into a hitherto hidden world.
The potted production park history is a great way to spend an hour and a half if you crave to see the magic behind the magic. Stop off at the Courtyard Cafe for a natter over the silk stockings of Don Giovanni or the powdered wig of Salieri, take a stroll through the wonderful 18th century walled garden of High House farm; the manor house itself is from the 1500s and converted from wood to stone in the 1700s- so bring an architect along for a treat.
If you are a pigeon fancier you can stop and admire the ancient grade 1 listed dovecot which kept the Long, Jocelyn and Whitbread (of brewery fame) families fed for many generations. Finally, as you gaze over the Thames and the mystical realm of the Kentish druids beyond, imagine yourself on stage with the limelight flaring and Carmen in silken tatters whirling around you in a mad tarantella- then pause and think back to the unsung heroes who put all this stardust together and brought it to life- just for you.
Dear fellow travellers, our journey sadly must end at this desolate riverside fingerpost. So until our next adventure into the unexplored known around RSPB Rainham Marshes- Farewell!
M