Theatre: Curtain Calls
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.It grieves me so say it, but Peter Stein's WNO production of Peter Grimes was dreadful. This is one of the unquestionable masterpieces of 20th-century theatre and Stein's musico-dramatic skills are beyond reproach - his Falstaff and Otello have gone down in the history books - so how come he failed to breathe dramatic life into this great work? There were moments of such laziness that I began to doubt if he had been in rehearsals.
By contrast, Richard Jones's magnificent interpretation of Hansel and Gretel for the same company was not only genuinely thrilling, it was an object lesson in direction. The detail, wit and depth of everyone's work was astonishingly imaginative and absolutely wedded to the piece.
It would be unfair to expect Broomhill Opera to hit the same inspirational levels with The Silver Lake. Despite the best intentions of translator Rory Bremner (above), Kurt Weill's opera/ musical remains a fascinating mess. Musically terrific, thanks to excellent work from conductor Charles Hazlewood, dramatically it is almost a non-starter. Thank God for the hilarious Buffy Davis who picked everything up at the top of Act Two and never let it go. Everyone else looked marooned and helpless as, scene by scene, endless dramatic or comic potential seemed to have eluded the grasp of director Gordon Anderson.
Wilton's Music Hall, London E1 (0171-420 0000) to 18 Apr
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments