Rewatching Batman Begins, and I know Bruce was the one that made them leave the opera and all... but it was kind of a dick move by Papa Wayne to take his son (with his crippling fear of bats) to a show that involved people dressing as Bat-like creatures.
Was the opera being played a real world play? regardless it may not have been obvious to him what the exact content of a play he hasn't seen before is. It's been a while since I've see it but was his father even aware of his fear of bats?