As you’d except from the home of opera, Italy is full of famous, and some even great opera houses – but none surpasses the Teatro alla Scala. Built in 1776-78 with the approval of the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, the stage at La Scala has played host to many of the preeminent names in…
Category: The Stage
Swan Lake at Sadler’s Wells
The ballet performed at Sadler’s Wells by Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures company every December and January is always one of the highlights of the ballet calendar, with ballet fans, celebrities and appreciative audiences flocking to it. This year sees the re-staging of the 1995 ballet that made Bourne’s name, was seen by the masses at…
As You Like It at the Open Air Theatre
The verdict – certainly not Shakespeare as you know I, but can we be surprised by that given recent productions of Shakespeare and non-Shakespeare at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre? The play came replete with music, and while some Shakespeare plays did have songs and music to go with it, it didn’t have these.…
Sneak Peak - Swan Lake Rehearsal (Royal Opera House)
On Wednesday last week, courtesy of the recently established Young Philanthropists programme at the Royal Opera House, I had the privilege of watching a working rehearsal of the highly anticipated, new production of Swan Lake, which has been years in the planning. We were the first people, who were not staff of the Royal Opera House, to see a…
Carmen At The Royal Opera House ★★
A wonderful Russian mezzo-soprano in the role of Carmen. But a poor new production of this much-loved opera. Bizet’s Carmen is one of the most famous pieces in the operatic repertoire. According to Operabase, it was the 3rd most performed opera in 2015/16. Not only it is a powerful story based on the book by…
Julius Caesar at The Bridge Theatre ★★★★
Coming on the back of the critically acclaimed Young Marx, The Bridge Theatre has another stunning production on its hands in the shape of Julius Caesar by Nicholas Hytner. The Bridge Theatre is juxtaposed to its Victorian adversary, Tower Bridge in situation, with its recently revamped exterior, making it almost blend in with the freshly…