Dvorak's 'Rusalka' set in a brothel is met by boos at the Royal Opera House It is the Royal Opera's first ever, and some say long-overdue, staging of Dvorak's tragic opera, which is based on Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairytale The Little Mermaid. In the Telegraph's three-star review Rupert Christiansen said that the "slick concept wears very thin very fast, and apart from the witty transformation of a huge pantomime black cat into a slinky real one, I found nothing either amusing or edifying along the way." He was, however, complementary about the music. Although booing is almost unheard of in theatres, it is not uncommon to be booed at a traditional opera venue like the Royal Opera House these days, according to Christiansen. "In fact, it happens at about one in three new operas now, and usually in protest at a modern retelling of a classic," he says.