A Dramatically Compelling Iphigénie en Tauride at the Coliseum First nights at the ENO always bring out the dandies. Philip Sallon looked dashing in his cavalier’s outfit, and Michael Portillo was taking a break from his train journeying in a striking plum jacket. But the real star last night was the music. It was the […]
Tosca, English National Opera
Tosca-Art as Resistance ENO brings Tosca, this titan of the opera canon to a contemporary, vaguely ’80s Eastern European, setting. In its most successful moments, it is rousing and infused with urgency, but the dramatic punch of Act Two doesn’t land, and the cast is uneven. The entire drama is set in a concert hall. […]
Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny – ENO
English National Opera at the London Coliseum Presents Brecht and Weill’s City of Mahagonny in a New Production In the hedonistic city of Mahagonny, almost everything is allowed. Eating, sex, fighting and getting drunk are celebrated. But everything has its price. A designer town, built from scratch by three criminals on the run from justice, […]
HMS Pinafore, ENO at the Coliseum
A Triumphant HMS Pinafore Sets Sail at the ENO When I was at prep school in the 1960s, a series of old military buffers came to give a lecture to my motley group of school friends about how we were predestined to run the British Empire; this was always an unlikely prospect since our colonial […]
Partenope – English National Opera at the London Coliseum
A Cocktail of Wit, Style and Baroque Fireworks in Partenope. English National Opera’s new production of Partenope bursts onto the stage with a vibrant mix of musical brilliance and mischievous theatricality. Handel’s witty and unconventional opera dazzles from the very first moments, and ENO embraces its playful spirit with infectious energy and bold imagination. The […]
Dead Man Walking, ENO at the London Coliseum
Dead Man Walking, a contemporary opera composed by Jake Heggie with a libretto by Terrence McNally and first performed in 2000, is based on the 1993 memoir by Louisiana nun Sister Helen Prejean. The book was followed two years later by the Oscar-winning film adaptation starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. The opera’s harrowing story follows the execution of murderer Joseph De Rocher, charting Sister Helen’s journey as she becomes his spiritual adviser.
Albert Herring – ENO at the Coliseum
A Fishy Tale… I’ve had a ‘Benjamin Britten’ couple of days. Last night’s revival at Glyndebourne of Sir Peter Hall’s classic 1981 Festival production of Benjamin Britten’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ was dreamlike and fantastical. Tonight I’m at the Coliseum for English National Opera’s new semi-staged ‘Albert Herring’, Britten’s lacerating chamber opera satirising English small-town […]
Carmen – English National Opera at the Coliseum
Bizet’s opera Carmen is a powerful presence in our cultural landscape, with melodies such as that of the habanera “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle” etched into the public’s consciousness. The gritty story combines groundbreaking operatic ‘verismo’ within the structural framework of the French ‘Opéra-Comique’, while being infused with the spirit of the Zarzuela, the Spanish musical theatre that helped define the country’s national identity.
ENO Cinderella (La Cenerentola) Review – Rossini Reimagined
Overall, Cinderella at ENO is a fabulous opera that will give the whole family a great evening of entertainment, and it has just the right level of contemporary relevance to provide an empathetic show that will keep everyone engaged. There are moments of magic that simply shouldn’t be revealed in a review – so you’ll just have to go along and find out for yourself.
Mary, Queen of Scots – ENO
The rarely performed Mary, Queen of Scots (1973) made its London debut at ENO’s Coliseum. The Opera followed Mary’s short-lived reign as Scottish queen. Something of a synthesis between Shakespearean period drama and contemporary opera, betrayal, lust and schemes were centre stage.