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Reviews by John O'Brien

Madam Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini at the London Coliseum | Review

February 27, 2020 Last updated: February 27, 2020 4:49 pm By John OBrien

Madam Butterfly ENO - Coliseum - Credit Jane Hobson

It’s no accident that Puccini wrote Madam Butterfly in 1905. Japan had announced itself on the world stage by defeating Russia. It was the first Asian nation to win a war against a modern industrialized power. It was an event that undermined lazy assumptions of white racial superiority. Puccini’s opera can be seen as a landmark in the dialogue between 'the West' and Japan. However, it was to be America, not Russia that proved most influential in shaping modern Japan. Puccini captures this macro … [Read more...]

Dances at a Gathering / The Cellist | Live Screening | Review

February 26, 2020 Last updated: March 7, 2021 10:11 pm By John OBrien

Dances at a Gathering / The Cellist is a magnificent double bill from the Royal Ballet, which I saw last night in a live screening at the Curzon Richmond. The Cellist tells the story of the triumph and tragedy of Jacqueline du Pre. Triumph because she became the most famous and glamorous cellist in the world and tragic because she was dead by 28, cruelly cut down by multiple sclerosis. The choreographer Cathy Marston’s idea, to make the cello a character is a masterstroke. We see the ballet … [Read more...]

ENO’s Luisa Miller by Giuseppe Verdi at London Coliseum | Review

February 13, 2020 Last updated: July 12, 2021 5:11 pm By John OBrien

ENO Luisa Miller 2020, ENO Chorus, David Junghoon Kim, Elizabeth Llewellyn. Credit Tristram Kenton.

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) is one of the greats of Italian opera. Best known for Aida and as the composer of the dramatic music for The X Factor. Translated into English his name is Joseph Green. He is the man who sexed up opera. Bringing in adultery, rape, prostitution and violence. Searching for a vehicle that would allow him to explore the power struggles within society on the domestic level Verdi hit upon the idea of adapting Schiller’s play Intrigue and Love (1874). This had the added … [Read more...]

Carmen by Georges Bizet at London Coliseum | Review

January 30, 2020 Last updated: July 12, 2021 5:12 pm By John OBrien

Someone famously remarked about a performance of Hamlet that it was full of quotes. Well, I felt the same about Carmen. It's full of famous tunes and memorable songs. Not surprising as it’s the world’s favourite opera and has been mined by artists, composers, filmmakers, writers, advertising agencies and a hundred others seeking to exploit its riches. Everyone knows a tune from Carmen even if they couldn’t name it. English National Opera is quite rightly engaged in a mission to reach new … [Read more...]

Alan Ayckbourn’s Ten Times Table at Richmond Theatre | Review

January 21, 2020 Last updated: January 22, 2020 12:32 pm By John OBrien

Ten Times Table

Ten Times Table (1977) is a comedy about people who like being on committees. It arose when Ayckbourn had to relocate his theatre in Scarborough from the library to new premises. This involved spending many hours in meetings. He became fascinated with the personality types to be found there and in particular how they used the procedures and protocols to get what they wanted. He brings all his comic genius and technical wizardry to turn this situation into yet another of his hit plays. He has now … [Read more...]

English National Ballet 70th Anniversary Gala | Review

January 18, 2020 Last updated: March 7, 2021 10:12 pm By John OBrien

What a night. English National Ballet celebrated its platinum anniversary with a feast of music, dance and reminiscence. Archive film footage showed key moments in the evolution of the London Festival Ballet (coined to cash in on the post war Festival of Britain at the Festival Hall) from humble beginnings in 1950 to the change of name to English National Ballet and the move to the London Coliseum. Pre-recorded interviews featuring past directors and dancers brought to life the history of the … [Read more...]

The Sleeping Beauty at Curzon Richmond Cinema | Review

January 17, 2020 Last updated: March 7, 2021 10:13 pm By John OBrien

The Sleeping Beauty. Artists of The Royal Ballet. ©ROH, 2016. Photographed by Bill Cooper

This is a leaping, weeping, sleeping beauty that like Mary Poppins is practically perfect in every way. The sets are gorgeous, the costumes are tremendous, the music is spine-tingling, the dancing is unmatched, the choreography is superb, the conductor Barry Wordsworth is outstanding and Ross MacGibbon’s direction for the screen catches every nuance of every movement. In short this is the definitive production of The Sleeping Beauty. The roll call of the great and the good of the ballet world … [Read more...]

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