WNO’s THE MAGIC FLUTE at Bristol Hippodrome

WNO’s THE MAGIC FLUTE at Bristol Hippodrome

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Welsh National Opera’s production of Mozart’s THE MAGIC FLUTE has been given a surrealistic dressing. It begins with Tamino being pursued by a giant Dali-esque lobster. And his travails to win the right to love the Queen of the Night’s daughter Pamina are played out in a Magritte-like tableau of doors set into walls painted to look like sky. The stage is raised to allow some extraordinary scenes later when the Sorastro ‘brotherhood’ is visible only by dint of their heads protruding up through the elevated boards wearing bright orange Magritte-inspired bowler hats.

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ENGLISH TOURING OPERA at the Cheltenham Everyman

ENGLISH TOURING OPERA at the Cheltenham Everyman

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THE SIEGE OF CALAIS, THE WILD MAN OF THE WEST INDIES and LA BOHEME. “If you thought The Siege of Calais was obscure, wait till you see The Wild Man of the West Indies (Il furioso all’isola di San Domingo). English Touring Opera is clearly carrying a flag for Donizetti – and why not. First performed in 1833 Wild Man was, apparently, very successful in its day but by 1889 it had disappeared not to be seen again until 1958. This production claims to be the first in Britain in modern times . . . this was a fine production . . . ”

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A MAD WORLD MY MASTERS at Bath Theatre Royal

A MAD WORLD MY MASTERS at Bath Theatre Royal

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” . . . the whole play is unblushingly mined for laughs with characterization going little deeper than the epithetical names, some of which have been changed for a modern ear. The humour is as broad as a Carry On film and just about as subtle: where the one may have ‘Bigus Dickus’ the other has ‘Mr Littledick’ (né Shortrod Harebrain). . . Linda John-Pierre’s singing, whilst bringing a nice smoky atmosphere where required and Alice Power’s clever and adaptable set, complete with saucy street names, all add to the feel of a very slick and entertaining production of this little performed classic.”

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SHREK THE MUSICAL at the Birmingham Hippodrome

SHREK THE MUSICAL at the Birmingham Hippodrome

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“Appropriate, easy to follow and enormously entertaining, Shrek The Musical is perhaps the easiest recommendation for a night out in Birmingham that anyone could give over the Easter period . . . This is a show that bursts with colour, not only in its set design and props, but in its cast of characters, which include everyone from the Fairy Godmother to the Three (Large) Little Pigs . . . Go and see this show. If a friend is going this Easter weekend and you are not, prepare to be green with envy. There are too many fantastic moments to list . . . ”

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THE HISTORY BOYS at Malvern and Cheltenham

THE HISTORY BOYS at Malvern and Cheltenham

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” . . . This production certainly conjured up the chalky feel of the school room and all the boys were excellent. I liked Richard Hope as Hector although he lacked the seedy edge of Richard Griffiths. Alan Bennett, the older he gets, is taking on the mantel of Oscar Wilde with a quotable quote for all occasions. For example, history dismissed by one of the boys as being just one thing after another. There are moments of hilarity – the best being near the beginning when the class re-enact, in French, a scene in a French brothel . . .”

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MASS at the Bristol Old Vic Studio

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” . . . Risking excommunication, and taking audience participation into hitherto unexplored territory, Amy Mason has created a totally non-churchy ceremony for our times, modelled closely in structure on the Catholic Mass. A recent survey suggests that less than 40% of us are religious, a statistic supported at the start of the evening by the few hands raised in response to the question, ‘Do you believe in God?’ Has this absence of faith created a vacuum and, if so, what might be filling it? . . . “

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