Thursday 31 January 2013

The Mikado - English National Opera

It's a long time since I have seen Jonathan Miller's Mikado at English National Opera. <http://www.eno.org>

Last night was a Christmas present from a very good friend, and what a treat it was.  The years have treated the production well - it doesn't look tired at all.  And the enthusiasm of the singers and dancers is undiminished!

Richard Suart's up to the minute 'little list' from Ko-Ko was very funny and very sharp!

It is a great production and worthy of being kept for many a long year!

Tuesday 22 January 2013

The Minotaur (The Royal Opera) 21.1.13

My experience of Harrison Birtwistle is limited to seeing Gawain & the Green Knight a few years ago.  I was surprised how 'musical' it all was, having been told by friends that it would be difficult and not much fun.  Despite a technical fault which meant an unexpected break (and two characters suspended above the stage) I thoroughly enjoyed it.

So, when the Royal Opera House brought back The Minotaur it seemed that I really had to go and see it.

The staging is great - Alison Chitty evokes a labyrinth and the island of Crete simply and effectively.

It isn't an easy piece - some of the music is very loud and harsh, some of the singing goes well into the realms of screaming, nevertheless it is a voyage worth taking.

John Tomlinson as the Minotaur was raging, poignant, terrifying.
Christine Rice as Ariadne takes us through the back story and so helps us understand what is going on and why.  And she sings the role beautifully.
Johan Reuter, as Theseus, completes the main characters.  Wonderfully sung.

The violence and 'noise' did not go down well with some of the audience near me.....surely you don't go to something like this without knowing a bit about the story or the production?

<http://www.roh.org.uk>

The Wind in the Willows (Royal Opera House 3.1.13)

It is a few years since I have seen Will Tuckett's marvellous interpretation of The Wind in the Willows.

Inventive dance moves, wonderfully emotive acting from the company, splendid sets and costumes - a wonderful experience for children (of any age, including me!).  The snow scene was better than ever (the poor child in the row in front of me ended up like a snowman!) - still truly magical.

Batsheva Ensemble 21.11.12

Another new company.  This time it was a collection of pieces called Deca Dance drawn from work by the choreographer Ohad Naharin.  These young dancers were very enthusiastic and energetic.  The whole thing was very exciting and entertaining.

Less entertaining were the ant-Israeli demonstrations outside the theatre and inside the auditorium.  Still, it gave the dancers (who carried on regardless) the first ovation of the night.

My particular favourite was the final section with the company sitting on chairs in a semi circle round the stage.  As the music built and moves and action became more frantic and climactic.

I hope there is a return visit on the cards soon!

Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet (11.10.12)

To keep some sense of a timeline I am adding a couple of old reviews first!

This is for Cedar Lake in October last year: <http://cedarlakedance.com/>

Overall I thought Cedar Lake pretty good for a company I had never seen before.  Interesting group of dancers – mix of shapes, sizes, backgrounds.

Violet Kid – very Hofesh Schecter.  A lot like Political Mother, but that’s not a bad thing as I loved that!  Less aggressive visually and musically.  Still the same sort of costuming and socks!  What is it with the socks?
Tuplet – Alexander Ekman.   I’m not a great fan of humour in dance pieces so we didn’t get off to a great start.  Still there was some interesting stuff.  Wouldn’t write the whole thing off.
Grace Engine – Crystal Pite.  More socks!  Stark staging.  Industrial soundtrack.  Quite dark, violent.  Some of the moves aren’t pretty but some are innovative and interesting.