Soprano Louise Alder in the role of Zdenko/Zdenka lends ‘Arabella’ a feisty sense of character and her performance is one of the best reasons you should steel yourself to see this work. Her role is small, counterbalanced against that of the eponymous Arabella (performed by Rachel Willis-Sørensen), Zdenko’s elder sister.
In ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’, written by Oscar Wilde in 1899, it is the fresh directness of the set, and the articulate and unequivocal performances of the cast – in their bustles, snakeskin suits and all – that make it sing with a mix of cynicism, middle-finger-to-society chutzpah and sheer joy.
It is soprano Lise Davidsen in the double-sided role of Fidelio and Leonore, that holds the moment with such acuity, you cannot take your eyes off her. Her presence raises this opera to a paean of hope in the face of injustice, and absolute excellence in the face of mediocrity.
‘Nye’ is about parliamentary fights and the helplessness of being on call at a parent’s deathbed. It offers one of the deepest understandings of a death scene you may experience on a live stage, and interpretations of iconic figures such as Bevan, Churchill and Chamberlain to knock your socks off.
‘Grounded’ is a knock-out of a work featuring the magnificent Canadian mezzo soprano Emily d’Angelo, that offers a take on female identity in the man’s world of war and aggression. It breaks fresh ground with contemporary technology and will blow your mind with its take on moral trauma and complexity.
The Motive and the Cue is as much about the hierarchy and debauched embarrassing nature of theatremakers, who feed off one another’s intimacies as it is about the greatness they can produce when under the spotlight and in the spell of the work itself. Beautifully staged, it is a treat.
This is opera at its best … prepare yourself for a total treat, for the ears, eyes and soul. It will replenish you, even if you are not familiar with the work, or the medium of opera.
WHAT IS IT about Chekhov that makes us relate so beautifully to his characters that we can be unbridled in our laughter, cringes and agony of recognition at their psychological turmoil and suffocating family closeness? Director Sam Yates and writer Simon Stephens have cooked up a fresh and […]
That feeling when you get into a warm bath after a difficult day, and you know everything will be alright is the kind of sensation you get in the remote audience of Puccini’s timeless classic Madama Butterfly. It’s not just about music that you will recognise from countless […]
HUMAN BEINGS HAVE an ugly propensity to be cruel to one another. To throw children to the proverbial wolves out there. To lack basic empathy. The Namibian film Lukas, puts a human face on all of these horrors. Compiled from the true stories of 23 homeless Namibian children, […]
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