Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Royal Opera House Sells Costumes

Aired August 05, 2002 - 05:57   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now the story I've been waiting for. People in London have been lining up outside the Royal Opera House hoping to get one of the incredible costumes from prior productions. Not to be outdone, our Richard Quest went looking for some bargains. We'll let you decide if he found any. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Don't call this a rummage sale full of old jumble. This is the sale of the year, a chance to pick up some of the costumes being sold off by the Royal Opera House. There are matadors from one production and toreadors from another. There are dresses with hoops and dresses with, well, almost nothing at all. This is a fancy dress party gone wild.

Ever wanted to be an angle or a nymph? Now's your chance or perhaps something more Roman is up your street. Nice costume. Shame about the hat. Oh, talking about hats, here's your hat. Where's your hurry? Let your mind go wild. It's amazing what you'll come up with. And some costumes definitely seem better on the rack.

(on camera): Unfortunately, once you've put them on the body, perhaps not.

(voice-over): The Opera House has sold off a fraction of its main wardrobe. There's still more than a million costumes left.

CORRINE JONES LORD, HEAD OF COSTUMES: Fifteen thousand items that we're selling here today, costumes, shoes, boots, hats, head dresses, all sorts.

QUEST: In the end, though, why oh why were people queuing for hours to buy old tat, pardon, hat?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm dressing a production of "Carmen" and they're military uniform hats. And I've found plenty with -- for big head sizes, and opera singers have always got big head sizes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hopefully it will inspire someone to laugh or to cry, particularly on the way home.

QUEST: It's seven years since the last sale. It will probably be that long before the next. Just long enough to get over the embarrassment of what you bought and for everyone else to forget when you wore it.

Richard O. Claudius Quest, or maybe nymph or maybe bull fighter, CNN, at the Royal Opera House, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com