Reviews Archive
Sasha Regan’s All-Male “The Mikado”- Wilton’s Music Hall Graces Alley, Shadwell London E1 8JB. 4**** Clare Colvin
All-Male Gilbert and Sullivan operetta scores in fun-filled evening
Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi - Opera Holland Park, London W8; Clare Colvin 3***
Classic revenge drama with an Oxford twist
The Dead City (Die tote Stadt) by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. English National Opera: The Coliseum, London WC2. 4****. Clare Colvin.
Brilliantly directed staging of Korngold’s 1920s cult classic opera on exploration of loss
Akhnaten by Philip Glass. English National Opera, The Coliseum, London WC2. 4**** Clare Colvin
Visionary staging of Philip Glass’s Egyptian classic
Rusalka by Antonin Dvorák. Royal Opera House WC2. To 7 March. 3*** Clare Colvin.
Watery end to a wood spirit’s dream
Fedora by Umberto Giordano Metropolitan Opera New York Cinema season 2022-23: 4**** Clare Colvin
Popcorn with opera as the mighty Metropolitan New York comes to local cinema.
Least Like the Other by Brian Irvine. Irish National Opera at Linbury Theatre, Royal Opera House London to 19 Jan 2023 . 4**** Clare Colvin
Compelling tale of political conformity’s sacrificial victim
The Human Voice composed by Francis Poulenc/Libretto by Jean Cocteau; English translation by Joseph Machlis. Charing Cross Theatre, The Arches, Villiers Street WC2. 4****. Clare Colvin
‘Classic tale of woman on the edge of a nervous breakdown’
It’s a Wonderful Life by Jake Heggie; Libretto by Gene Scheer 4**** English National Opera, The Coliseum, London WC2 to 10 December 2022. Clare Colvin.
Heart-warming sentiment on the side of the angels in opera adaptation of classic Christmas film.
Alcina by George Frideric Handel Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London WC2 4**** Clare Colvin
Pantomime of earthly delights in Handel’s late baroque extravaganza
The Yeomen of the Guard by W.S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan The Coliseum, London WC2 3*** Clare Colvin
Lively performances by beleaguered ENO with a topsy-turvy mingling of “serious” and comic
La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini - Glyndebourne to 29 October then touring to 26 November 2022. 4**** - Clare Colvin
A Gothic touch to Puccini’s tragic tale of young love facing hard reality
Tosca by Giacomo Puccini. English National Opera, the Colliseum, St Martin's Lane, London WC2 to 4 November 2022. 4****. Clare Colvin.
A gripping melodrama passionatelt sung and stylishly directed.
Aida by Giuseppe Verdi. Royal Opera House, London WC2 to 12 October 2022. 3 ***. Clare Colvin
Sober triumphs for world war Aida
Sober triumphs for World War Aida.
Margot la Rouge by Frederick Delius & Le Villi by Giacomo Puccini. Double bill. Holland Park Opera, London W 2 to 6 August 2022. 4****. Clare Colvin.
Double helping of Gothic gore.
Little Women by Mark Adamo. Opera Holland Park, London W8 in repertoire to 5 August 2022. 3***. Clare Colvin
Louisa May Alcott's classic saga on the joys and sorrows of sisterhood.
The Excursions of Mr Brouček by Leoš Janáček 4**** Grange Park Opera, Horsley, Surrey. Clare Colvin
Surrealism and satire mingle in rare Janáček comedy
Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi Libretto by Alessandro Striggio 4**** Garsington Opera, Wormsley estate, Stokenchurch. Clare Colvin
A universal tale of love and loss
The Wreckers by Ethel Smyth 4****Glyndebourne Opera Festival, Lewes, East Sussex. Clare Colvin
Stormy weather in dark tale of tragic love triangle
My Fair Lady by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe 4**** The Coliseum, St Martin's Lane, London WC2 to 27 August 2022. Clare Colvin
A star is born in new generation of My Fair Lady