★★★☆☆ The two actors, Michael Ajao and Valentine Olukoga, brilliantly play all the parts- the four brothers, ‘mummy’ (a particularly fine performance which adds some much needed humour) and ‘daddy, a ‘mad’ soothsayer and other parts of this small village community in Nigeria.
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★★★★☆ Many will already be familiar with this ballet’s music, if not the movement. The clog dance in the second act is a favourite on Classic FM, and although Hérold might not be a composer whose name rings many bells, his tunes are very familiar in that “I’ve heard this somewhere before” kind of way.
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★★★★☆ Even in Michael Boyd’s version, patience and concentration occasionally need prompting. Yet as the action concludes on a bare stage with a whip-cracking Tamburlaine driving a chariot drawn by captive kings, a mesmerizing vision of Hell is created, a Hell on Earth that can only occur when abuse of power goes unchecked.
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★★★★☆ Mathew Kelly is superb as Auden, suitably seedy, world weary and outrageous, with a penchant for rent boys. David Yelland’s Britten is beautifully clipped and uptight, only relaxing when accompanying young boys on the piano. Britten’s music is cleverly interspersed throughout the play.
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★★★★☆ Written and performed by 24-year old Toby Thompson, this highly original show is based upon Faldum, a fairy tale by Hermann Hesse. A striking feature of Hesse’s story is its ambiguity . . . All those involved should be proud. Enchanting!
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★★★☆☆ Liubov Dobrynina and Dmitry Smekin were both on form as Carmen and Don José, respectively, but it was Valeriya Balandina’s Michaela who seemed to win the most profuse appreciation from the audience. . . All told, I think this a strong production.
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