Sultry Spanish Seduction
Carmen
by Georges Bizet, libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy
Sembla and Ellen Kent Productions at Richmond Theatre until 14th March, then on tour until 8th May
Review by Claire Alexander
Richmond Theatre was packed last night to see Ellen Kent’s production of Bizet’s Carmen. Richmond may only be a tube ride from the grand opera houses of central London but this is a rare opportunity to see top class opera on your own doorstep.
When I opened the programme to see that the orchestra was the Orchestra of the Ukrainian National Opera and Ballet Theatre, Kiev, and the conductor (Vasyl Vasylenko) their artistic director, and most of the singers either Ukrainian, Moldovan and even Russian, the evening suddenly achieved a new poignancy. And so somehow did the story of Carmen and Don Jose’s fatal choice between duty and family.
Read more…All the Fun of the Fair
Così Fan Tutte
by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte
English National Opera at the London Coliseum until 22nd March
Review by Andrew Lawston
Against a glittering golden curtain, a rousing rendition of Ukraine’s National Anthem brings the audience together before Così fan tutte has even begun.
This revival of director Phelim McDermott’s 2014 production of Mozart’s comic opera begins with a flourish that sets a playful tone for the evening, as the skills ensemble of sword swallowers, contortionists, fire-eaters, and acrobats take turns to climb from Don Alfonso’s surprisingly capacious trunk onto the Coliseum’s forestage.
As the carnivalesque ensemble melt into the background of a bar in a faded recreation of 1950s Coney Island, Don Alfonso begins to harangue his two young friends Guglielmo and Ferrando about the essential duplicity of women.
Read more…Troll Models
Snow White
by Ben Crocker
Questors at the Judi Dench Playhouse, Ealing until 27th March
Review by Nick Swyft
What did you miss at Christmas? Was it the song and dance, men dressed as women and women dressed as men? Was it cries of ‘he’s behind you!’ and the riotous audience participation? Was it a classic tale of an oppressed child making good in the end? Due to pandemic restrictions Questors lost the chance to give us all this. Nevertheless, undeterred, they gave us an excellent and colourful panto for spring (not yet Easter).
Read more…Poignancy Propelled
Letters and Longings
by Emma Louise Tinniswood
Step on Stage Performing Arts at Hampton Hill Theatre, until 5th March
Review by Heather Moulson
We sat down to a curtain-less set, with a pensive blue backdrop, that was simple yet effective. The dramatic lighting by Ken Lau, and the sleek direction by Emma Louise Tinniswood brought this dark, vibrant piece alive, with predominately white costumes whose simplicity matched the mood of this grim era. Each scene was striking in its own way with tableaux from talented young actors from Step on Stage Performing Arts.
Beautifully Choreographed Chaos
Cluedo
by Sandy Rustin
Kilimanjaro Theatricals at Richmond Theatre until 12th March, then tour continues until 15th July
Review by Eleanor Lewis
An apt response while applauding the bows at the conclusion of Cluedo would probably be, “What just happened?” A reasonable answer would be “I don’t care, whatever it was it was thoroughly entertaining!”
Read more…Austentation
Persuasion
by Jane Austen, adapted by Jeff James, with James Yeatman
Rose Original Productions, in association with Oxford Playhouse, at the Rose Theatre, Kingston until 19th March
Review by Gill Martin
Spoiler alert: if you are expecting crinoline, ringlets and Regency ballrooms when Jane Austen reaches the stage hold onto your bonnets. It’s more bikinis, blonde manes and disco action in this adaptation of Persuasion at Kingston’s Rose Theatre.
The romantic comedy has taken a leap from the 19th Century’s measured society to a riotous reimagining fit for the 21st.
Read more…Quibbles with Nibbles
An Hour and a Half Late
by Gérald Sibleyras with Jean Dell, adapted by Belinda Lang
PW Productions, Theatre Royal Bath Productions and Sam Julyan at Richmond Theatre, until 5th March, then on tour until 9th April
Review by Melissa Syversen
If you are looking for a pleasant way to spend an evening without committing to anything running too late into the night, something too serious, or resorting to yet another Netflix series for some light entertainment, An Hour and A Half Late might just be the play for you. And as the title suggests, the runtime of this “sitcom-on-stage” is a pleasant hour and a half straight through, no interval. You can get an evening out but can still also enjoy the simple pleasure of being in bed by a sensible 10pm.
An Hour and a Half Late premiered at Bath Theatre Royal and is originally a French play by Gérald Sibleyras and Jean Dell. For the revival it has been neatly directed and adapted by Belina Lang, who herself played the female lead in 2006.
Catch Me If You Can
Pay the Piper
by Anna Appleby, Ninfea Cruttwell-Reade, Cecilia Livingston and Ailie Robertson, libretto by Hazel Gould
Glyndebourne Youth Opera at Glyndebourne Festival Theatre until 27th February
Review by Mark Aspen
“Recollections may vary”. This one year-old phrase of diplomacy is now well established in our collective memory. It is a truism that frames the approach to a retelling of the Pied Piper of Hamelin folk tale, in Glyndebourne’s bold and innovative new opera, Pay the Piper, premiering in an enthralling production with its Youth Opera. Each of four protagonists, The Piper, The Mayor, A Mother and The Lonely Child Tam, tell us, “I will tell the story … This is what I remember … This is what I know is true…”
Thus we have a multi-faceted view of the narrative that reflects the nature of the musical score, which has four composers working in collaboration. This is highly unusual in any musical genre, and must be unique to opera. To this particular first, Pay the Piper adds two other firsts for Glyndebourne, the use of puppetry and the non-use of the theatre’s stage.
Read more…Blast Furnace
King Lear
by William Shakespeare
The Rhinoceros Theatre Company at the Hampton Hill Theatre until 26th February
Review by Mark Aspen
Storm Dudley, Storm Eunice, Storm Franklin. The week leading up to the opening night of Rhinoceros Theatre Company’s new production of King Lear left most open land in the country as a blasted heath. This tempestuous triumvirate was an appropriate herald to announce the arrival of a remarkably insightful production that captures both the elemental and visceral nature of what is arguably Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy.
Read more…Slightly Foxed
The Cunning Little Vixen
by Leoš Janáček
English National Opera at the London Coliseum until 1st March
Review by Andrew Lawston
Unavoidably delayed due to Storm Eunice, the English National Opera’s new production of Leoš Janàček’s opera The Cunning Little Vixen is a visual riot of fantastical costumes and inventive staging, and of course a feast for the ears. As soon as the ENO Orchestra begins tuning up, the windswept West End outside becomes a distant memory. The Coliseum is the perfect venue for this production, as former musical director Sir Charles Mackerras was credited with introducing Janàček’s music to English audiences.
In this deceptively slight tale, a young vixen is captured by a Forester and raised in a human house. Her upbringing isn’t happy, and she eventually escapes into the woods to start a new life, outwitting humans and other animals alike.
Read more…
Mark Aspen 