Blame game: Strauss’ Daphne at Grimeborn
Daphne comes from one of the most controversial (read: embarrassing) periods of Strauss’ life, when he continued to compose under the Nazi regime, rather than taking a principled stand (or moving…
Bizet’s Carmen, OperaUpClose, Soho Theatre
There is no definitive edition of Bizet’s Carmen. In January and March 1875, two different editions of the score were published, neither of which match the conducting score for its premiere…
Tawdry goings on: Gala at Grimeborn
The topic of Ergo Phizmiz’s small opera Gala is Gala Dalí’s overwhelming passion for Jeff Fenholt, the original star of Jesus Christ Superstar, who was a ‘boy toy’ for Gala when she…
The Lion-Faced Man at Tête-à-Tête
We don’t laugh at oddities of nature in circus sideshows any more: sadly, we haven’t grown out of the propensity, but it’s simply become all too easy (and, for some,…
Life lessons at Tête à Tête: The Fisherman and his Wife, Storm’s Eye
The Fisherman and his Wife is a nicely conceived opera for children. Eralys Fernandez’s score confidently paints a range of moods and emotions in a cheerful piano accompaniment played for…
Vanishing point: they heavily vanish, Tête à Tête
In the mixed bag that is Tête à Tête, you always get at least one well-intentioned flop. they heavily vanish is a prime example. The title is an excerpt from…
Thursday night is school night at Tête à Tête: Sonata for YouTube, Turandot Reimagined
Tête-à-Tête is branching out ever further into new venues. Having been to a dance theatre and a nightclub, we now found ourselves in a school theatre. Fittingly, the evening’s programme…
The curate’s night out: the Tête-à-Tête Clubnight at Egg, London
Although the first piece (One Day This Will be Long Ago) was difficult and the second (China Doll) plain agony to sit through, the Tête-à-Tête Clubnight at Egg, London finished with…
The Boys from Bohème: An Unexpected Opera Chat Show
I have to start this review with a confession: the more you go to Unexpected Opera shows, the harder it gets to remain objective about them. As I’ve now seen…
Verdi meets The Queen Vic: an uproarious Falstaff from Fulham Opera
Fulham Opera’s Falstaff opens in a modern day pub: crisps are on the table, children are playing with mobile phones, and Falstaff himself is in tracksuit bottoms. It’s effectively a case…