Famous, or infamous, even before it opened the National Centre for the Performing Arts is now home to an opera house, a music hall and a dramatic theatre. The Opera House can hold 2,398 people, the concert hall holds 2,019, and including the drama theatre, the NCPA’s total capacity is 6,200, making it China’s premier performance venue. Opened in time for the 2008 Olympic Games, the NCPA’s controversial silver dome design by French architect Paul Andreu led to its nickname, ‘The Egg’. Recent performances of the John Cranko-choreographed Onegin by the National Ballet of China and Verdi’s Rigoletto by the Teatro Regio di Parma have been the talk of the town.