The current revival of La traviata at the Royal Opera House could easily have been one of the great performances ever staged there. Richard Eyre has returned to direct his 1994 production, with its staggeringly wonderful, lavish sets by Bob Crowley (the sight of the elaborately grotesque yet beautiful décor of Flora's Act II scene 2 salon alone is worth the price of a ticket) and magical … [Read more...]
Archives for June 2009
Shakespeare Propelled?
(photo Nobby Clark)Chip off the (solid oak - he's Peter Hall's son) old block Edward Hall leads Propeller, an all-male company dedicated to performing the works of Shakespeare. I try to see all their productions; they're usually superb, and never less than exciting - every one I've seen makes you think again about a text you know well, and the revelations generally come thick and … [Read more...]
Summertime, and the Opera’s easy
We've forsaken sun and sand for chilly June nights and picnics in the shelter tent. Summer opera festivals are increasingly prevalent, ever more fun, and gaining in cultural weight. We've recently seen a pair of operas that would not have been possible, or at least very difficult, to stage in the context of a normal season, Garsington Opera's Mirandolina by Bohuslav Martinů and Glyndebourne … [Read more...]
Clarity without a concept
Recently I've detected something curious happening in the dramatic and lyric theatre, a tendency to clarity, to narrative simplicity and straightforwardness. In a way it's the opposite of the Konzept school that has so long dominated performances in Europe, with directors of East German origin pushing their weight around the stages of the West. What we're seeing is a drive to tell the story using … [Read more...]
Is it still the same old story?
Do all artists have a "late period," in which they exhibit power coupled with exuberance, occasionally even surpassing some of the work they made when younger? Or is this venerable fireworks display only achieved by great artists? The list is familiar (and assembling it a trivial pursuit) - Picasso, Rothko, Rembrandt, Titian, Poussin, the Verdi of "Falstaff." On the evidence of his … [Read more...]
Toy shop, sweet shop or simply heaven?
For those interested in the arts, the metaphor for being in London this summer is what? - a kid in a toy shop or sweet shop? Or maybe a religious trope is more appropriate - a believer finding himself in heaven or paradise (and with no shortage of virgins at the British Museum's newly opened exhibition, Garden & Cosmos)? … [Read more...]