The More You Read The Worse It Gets: The Opera
I work at the Opera House and about halfway through a performance a couple of ladies, likely tourists, approach me at the assistance desk.
Customer: “Would we be able to get refunds?”
Me: “I’m afraid we can’t refund the performance unless it’s been cancelled or interrupted.”
Customer: “But it’s all wrong! This is not what we expected at all!”
Me: “I’m sorry, but the performance is the standard opera for—”
Customer: “It’s not an opera! It’s just some people shouting in another language!”
Me: “Well… I guess that sounds accurate to a degree.”
Customer: “But we saw an opera back home and it was nothing like this!”
Me: “Do you mind me asking what opera you saw?”
Customer: “The Phantom Of The Opera!”
Me: “That… is not an opera. It’s a musical about an opera.”
Customer: “Exactly! A musical! An opera! Not whatever this is!”
I had to explain to them the differences between a musical and a classical opera. They didn’t seem to agree with me but didn’t argue about the refund and decided to leave. I was explaining this to my coworker:
Coworker: “Oh, that’s nothing. I once had some tourists walk in asking me if this is where we tape Oprah, like the talk show. They thought she did a British version here.”
Related:
The More You Read The Worse It Gets, Part 26
The More You Read The Worse It Gets, Part 25
The More You Read The Worse It Gets, Part 24
The More You Read The Worse It Gets, Part 23
The More You Read The Worse It Gets, Part 22
