12 – 23 August
Double-bill of opera and dance at Bath’s Ustinov Studio features leading Mezzo-Soprano CHRISTINE RICE in Benjamin Britten’s PHAEDRA and the world premiere of MINOTAUR by award-winning choreographer Kim Brandstrup
Christine Rice’s award-nominated performance of Benjamin Britten’s Phaedra will be presented alongside the world premiere of Minotaur, a new dance piece from Olivier Award-winning choreographer Kim Brandstrup, in a sensational double-bill which appears at Bath’s Ustinov Studio from Friday 12th August to Tuesday 23rd August.
Phaedra is the second production of internationally acclaimed and multi award-winning theatre and opera director Deborah Warner’s inaugural season as Artistic Director of the Ustinov Studio. Following the success of her 2020 production at the Royal Opera House, director Deborah Warner, Olivier Award nominee Christine Rice and music director Richard Hetherington join forces to re-imagine Benjamin Britten’s intense and evocative cantata Phaedra in a piano version specially developed for the intimate space of the Ustinov Studio.
On the day of her wedding to Theseus, Phaedra catches sight of his young son Hippolytus. She falls instantly in love. Consumed by lust and a longing for a love she knows cannot be requited, death will be her only escape. The scalding power of Britten’s score pushes Phaedra towards her doom in a remarkable and thrilling drama. Written in 1975, Benjamin Britten’s cantata Phaedra was his last vocal work.
Christine Rice is one of the leading British singers of her generation, a regular performer at the major European opera houses including the Royal Opera House, Glyndebourne, English National Opera, Salzburg Festival, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Madrid, Munich, Zurich and The Met. British conductor, répétiteur and pianist Richard Hetherington has been Head of Music of The Royal Opera since 2017. He has conducted many operas including La sonnambula, Le nozze di Figaro, La traviata and The Magic Flute.
The second part of the thrilling double-bill performance is the world premiere of a newly commissioned dance piece, Minotaur, choreographed by Kim Brandstrup, who is renowned for his work over four decades with The Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet, English National Ballet and Rambert. Minotaur is performed by New York-based Laurel Dalley Smith who hails from Bath, Jonathan Goddard and Tommy Franzen.
Phaedra’s sister Ariadne is the inspiration for Minotaur. Often depicted as a creature of great masculine power and invincible strength, the Minotaur is also a creature trapped, isolated and abandoned. The Greek hero’s journey into the labyrinth is a confrontation with this ambiguous world of masculinity. Ariadne stands by the entrance to the maze, she wheels out the thread that will secure – hopefully – a safe return.
Originally from Bath, Laurel Dalley Smith is currently a member of The Martha Graham Dance Company in New York. Laurel is also a guest artist with UK and Los Angeles-based dance company, Yorke Dance Project. She has worked on several projects with Kim Brandstrup previously in the UK and America.
Jonathan Goddard is a dancer, choreographer and movement director, whose numerous credits include performances for the Royal Opera House, Royal Ballet, Rambert, Scottish Dance Theatre and Richard Alston Dance Company. Jonathan was the first contemporary dancer to be nominated in the Dance category of the South Bank Show/Times Breakthrough Award in 2007. The following year, he was nominated for the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance. Jonathan was the first contemporary dancer to win the Critics’ Circle Award for Best Male Dancer. He also won the 2012 award for Outstanding Male Performance (modern) and the 2014 award for Best Male Dancer.
Tommy Franzen, who hails from Sweden, has performance credits ranging from Mamma Mia The Movie to the Handover Ceremonies at 2008 Bejing Olympics. In 2010, he was runner-up in BBC One’s So You Think You Can Dance, before creating choreography for the show. Having worked with The Royal Opera House, Sadler’s Wells and the Russell Maliphant Dance Company, Tommy has been nominated for multiple awards for his work in dance and musicals, including the 2012 Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance.
Recognised as one of the leading narrative choreographers of his generation, Kim Brandstrup is renowned for his award-winning work in ballet, opera, theatre and film. Kim has created works for world leading dance companies including The Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Rambert, Birmingham Royal Ballet, English National Opera, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, Bregenz Festival and the Teatro alla Scala in Milan.
Phaedra and Minotaur appears at the Ustinov Studio at the Theatre Royal Bath from Friday 12th August to Tuesday 23rd August. Tickets are on sale at the Theatre Royal Bath Box Office on 01225 448844 and online at www.theatreroyal.org.uk/ustinov
Photo credit: Tristram Kenton
