History Main / AtTheOperaTonight

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* In the 2002 miniseries ''{{Napoleon}}'', Napoleon Buonaparte goes to the opera and other public events in Paris so his enemies, the Austrians and Russians, won't expect his "Grand Armee" as it secretly marches across Europe without him.
* Audrey in ''RulesOfEngagement'' accidentally finds out that [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Russel]] is secretly a [[HiddenDepths theatre/musical enthusiast]]
* The ''HumanTarget'' episode "Imbroglio".

* The ''{{Hitman}}: Blood Money'' level "Death of a Showman" takes place in an opera house where one of your targets was in a rehearsal of ''{{Tosca}}''. The other target was watching the other guy do the rehearsal of ''Tosca''.

** the film "The Poke of Zorro" that the Simpsons [[ShowWithinAShow go to see]] is a [[AnachronismStew Historical Mash-up]] wherein Zorro saves the life of the KingArthur at the opera house (after fighting TheThreeMusketeers, The ManInTheIronMask, ninjas, and TheScarletPimpernel) and is proclaimed the new king of England.

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* AtTheOperaTonight: The play begins at the Burgundy Hotel, a Parisian theater, the public was going to see [[ShowWithinAShow ''La Clorise'']], but before it begins, they all really want is to play with cards, drink wine, eat food, brawl with each other, tease girls, make funny pranks, and work (by some pick pocketing).

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* In [[AlanMoore Alan Moore]]'s ''[[LostGirls Lost Girls]]'', the final scene of part one is a visit to the opera, which is mostly an excuse for a bizarre, drug-addled initiation of Wendy into the pleasures of homo-eroticism.

* Balzac used this trope to extremes. In almost every episode of Com?e Humaine, the characters go to opera for flirting or to make a scandal about their screwed up marriages and liaisons. The performances are unimportant, but usually some Rossini. Also, A Harlot High And Low opens with an opera ball.

* A scene in ''Film/PrettyWoman''

* ''BatmanBegins'' eschews the usual Tyrone Power ''{{Zorro}}'' and instead has Thomas and Martha Wayne mugged and killed leaving the opera early. (The opera in question is ''Mefistofele'' by Arrigo Boito, which shows thought from the writers: a lazy writer would probably have gone with ''Die Fledermaus'' for the name, but ''Mefistofele'' is much more dramatically appropriate.)

* BatmanBegins eschews the usual Tyrone Power ''{{Zorro}}'' and instead has Thomas and Martha Wayne mugged and killed leaving ''Die Fleidermaus'' early.
** It was actually ''Mefistofele'' by Arrigo Boito - not as nominatively appropriate, but its plot is perfect for referencing various Batman themes.

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* In ''StarWars: Revenge of the Sith'', Anakin and Palpatine have a key conversation while attending...a [[StealthPun Space Opera]].

* ''QuantumOfSolace'' has a... [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome memorable]] sequence during a performance of ''{{Tosca}}''.
* ''TheFifthElement'' has Korben and Ruby attend a Space Opera onbooard the Luxury Liner.
** An opera in space in a SpaceOpera. How appropriate.

* This is done early in ''TheCountOfMonteCristo'' with people paying more attention to who's in the other boxes (one of whom is the mysterious count himself) than to anything happening on the stage.
** A bit of TruthInTelevision - at the time that the story is set, the opera itself was often incidental to the social act of simply being there and being seen.

** It was actually ''Mefistofole'' by Arrigo Boito - not as nominatively appropriate, but its plot is perfect for referencing various Batman themes.

** It was actually "Mefistofole" by Arrigo Boito - not as nominatively appropriate, but it's plot is perfect for referencing various Batman themes.

* BatmanBegins eschews the usual Tyrone Power ''{{Zorro}}'' and instead has Thomas and Martha Wayne mugged and killed after an opera.

* ''QuantumOfSolace'' has a... [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome memorable]] sequence during a performance of ''Tosca''.

* The ''{{Hitman}}: Blood Money'' level "Death of a Showman" takes place in an opera house where one of your targets was in a rehearsal of ''Tosca''. The other target was watching the other guy do the rehearsal of ''Tosca''.

-> "All debts are paid
-> [[TropeNamer At the opera tonight!"]]
-> RepoTheGeneticOpera

* While what's happening on (and ''behind'') the stage in ''Discworld/Maskerade'' is very important, there is a nod to this trope; Granny observes that most of the audience is there to be ''seen'', not to watch.