That’s why Opera has so many long boring bits. Attendees weren’t expected to pay attention as if it were a High Mass. It was a social event, a place to see and be seen, as well as trade gossip and so on. The performance itself was somewhat analogous to the TV on in the background at a bar.
Sure, going to either an opera or the latest Marvel blockbuster is often a social event to some degree. But the idea that the entertainment itself is just background noise like a few musicians at a cocktail party is just bizarre.
