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Showing posts from October, 2018

I'm Not Running, National Theatre

David Hare's new play about a more-or-less accidental politician in the Labour Party seem contemporary at the time when politicians are about the parties, rather than the people. Siân Brooke's portrayal of the protagonist Pauline Gibson was strong and nuanced - especially when there were flashbacks to her doctor training days and a difficult mother. Alex Hassell's Jack Gould was equally effective at delivering a main stream process-focused politician. At times, some dialogues seem too contrived, too many pauses. It's definitely a play of the moment. Perhaps David Hare will write one for a yet-to-be-fathomed post-Brexit England.

Les Huguenots, Opéra Bastille

I don't know why so few Meyerbeer operas are staged in London. In order to see his grandest grand opera , I traveled to Paris to see Les Huguenots staged at Opéra Bastille. The star of the show was Lisette Oropesa who sang Marguerite de Valois - she got the warm yet regal tone for the role, her delivery of the emotions was fantastic. Yosep Kang, a late replacement for Bryan Hymel, was passable. His rendition of Raoul de Nangis could do with a few more rehearsals. And his voice strained a little at the higher register (there was one gasp in the audience when we all thought he was going to crack!) His love interest Valentine, sung by Ermonela Jaho, was good - a more youthful if pensive voice. The male chorus was a little agricultural in act 1 - untidy and lacking in focus. Luckily, the men were saved by the women (again) when the ladies of the court sang lusciously while frolicking along a real stream. Where was the BALLET??? The set design had modern lines and shades - a P

Der Ring des Nibelungen at the Royal Opera

Once every few years, the Royal Opera stages Wagner's Ring Cycle. Nowadays, only the big houses have the budget to mount such mammoth undertakings. So I count myself a lucky one to be able to sit through these four operas at one go. Das Rheingold. I never liked the messy set, or even the clever vertical stage movement. John Lundgren was a reasonable Wotan, though a little on the tame side. Sarah Connolly's Fricka had depth. Die Walküre. Hunding (Ain Anger) was pretty angry and good - especially when he first met Siegmund (Stuart Skelton). Nina Stemme - is she the Brünnhilder of the moment? Definitely. The last act was pretty magical as Wotan put her to bed. Siegfried. Stefan Vinke appears to be the only heldentenor who can sing the part of Siegfried right now (he is to appear at The Met's Ring Cycle in 2019 ). His voice takes a lot of getting used to - it sounded like he was wearing a orthodontic retainer in his mouth. His diction, for a German, had room for improve