★★★★★ Paula Sides made for a wilful and impassioned Tosca – one could fully buy into the violent transition from lover to murderer to defiant rebel. The character of Cavaradossi can be tricky because he is a cat’s paw batted back and forth by so many of the major characters in the opera but Samuel Sakker does an excellent job of imbuing him with a sense of agency and, ultimately, pity.
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★★★★★ The ‘Messiah’ becomes ‘The Beloved’ and his followers, a crestfallen bunch of activists, rummage around looking for some meaning and direction following his death. The chorus, much loved by Handel who was very sweet on the English choral tradition, particularly following the waning of our love affair with Italian opera, here takes a role similar to that of the chorus in classical Greek theatre . . .
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★★★★★ As well as being a gifted choreographer, Bourne is a great showman. As in his memorable production of Sleeping Beauty that toured here last year, his Red Shoes is packed with pace, performance and presentation . . . Red Shoes is a visual feast that will live long in the memory of those lucky enough to see it.
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★★★★★ Sometimes you see a play and you feel bad for the cast because the audience is so small. This is one of those nights; when you wish you could grab people off the street and cram them into this little performance space because this is a story that deserves to be told. This is perfect modern theatre, unafraid to shy away from difficult conversations about dreadful things going on in the real world.
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★★★★★ The very wonderful Linda Bassett, Deborah Findlay, Kika Markham and June Watson play Mrs Jarrett, Sally, Lena and Vi. Directed by James Macdonald this quartet come to life as an ensemble, hilariously so when singing their version of The Crystals’ De Doo Ron Ron, and with depth and sensitivity when exploring the shadowy side of these characters’ lives.
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