I detest reality-TV. Give me a room full of contestants and I'll reach for my remote-control. Put me in the room, and I'll reach for my gun.
But Operatunity is way different. It's based around the world of opera, but it doesn't matter if you like opera or not -- this becomes a human-drama guaranteed to draw you in and keep you hanging on.
Operatunity was the brain-child of Britain's English-language opera company, the English National Opera, based at London's Coliseum Theatre (Britain's most prestigious opera company, the Royal Opera, performs in original-language, at Covent Garden).
The premise was simple. Invite applications from all over Britain from hopefuls who may have had some singing training -- or none at all -- but who all wanted a chance to join the big-time world of opera. The prize would be coaching and full preparation building up to one big night -- the chance to take to the opera stage at the Coliseum, alongside the professionals, performing one of the world's favourite operas, Verdi's 'Rigoletto'. Opera fans will be pleased to know that the staging we eventually see is the classic Jonathan Miller production, set in Mafiosi New York.
Some 2500 video applications came flooding in -- here were hopefuls singing in the shower, in the kitchen, everywhere. The 2500 entrants were winnowed to 100. Those hopefuls appeared live on stage in front of the ENO judges -- and the winnowing continues.
Finally, we're down to six finalists. Who will be the winner? By this time we've become acquainted intimately with them all. There's a Tesco Supermarket check-out chick. There's an investment banker who wants to chuck in his lucrative profession for a chance to tread the boards. There's a courageous blind mother-of-three.
We feel for them all, as they go through the trauma of competition -- and the even more traumatic training program. This is no crap 'Pop-Idol' type show. We can see the extraordinary work and total dedication, let alone talent, needed to succeed in this area. And we ask how our fledgling aspirants could hope to succeed.
By the time we find the result (which I won't reveal, in case you missed the show on ABC Television), we wish they all could win. And when we watch the bonus follow-up episode, filmed a year after the big final-night, we find ourselves hoping against hope that careers will grow, and that courage and hope find their rewards. It's a great show, which redeems the concept of reality-television.
An excellent anamorphic transfer with perfect picture quality, as one would expect of a modern production created for television and DVD. Sound is clear and fine, as you'd expect for a show with a big operatic component.
The only extra is the bonus 'after the competition' follow-up chapter. It's all we really would have wanted.