Since coming to Montpellier, one thing I’ve learned is that as a person under 26 who travels, teaches and likes going to movies and concerts, there’s a discount card for just about every situation I could find myself in. To be honest, my life is starting to feel more and more like an iPhone commercial. Need a discount on the train? There’s a card for that. Want free entry into museums? There’s a card for that. Reduced price movie tickets? Yup, there’s a card for that.
One of the many cards I’ve gotten is called a Tutti’Pass, something that gives me access to 4 “spectacles” on the 2009-2010 Languedoc-Roussillon Orchestre and Opéra calendar for only 15 . So far I’ve been able to see a production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, as well as a performance by the Montpellier National Orchestra (where I somehow ended up sitting in the third row). Although I’ve been to a fair amount of performances back home, I’ve never seen an applause ritual quite like what they do in France. At the end of both performances, the entire crowd broke into raucous applause, but soon all the clapping seemed to magically sync up until everyone in the entire theater was clapping in unison. While this seemed somewhat cult-esque at first, it was pretty cool to have a thousand people all acting as one. Not only do they do this, but the encore claps go on for about 15 to 20 minutes, which meant 10 curtain calls for the cast of The Magic Flute. 10. I think by the end the actors just wanted to get us out of there. On the bright side, at least it was applause and not booing…
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