Text by Bertolt Brecht in collaboration with Elisabeth HauptmanMusic by Kurt WeillDirected by Barrie Kosky Musical Direction by Adam Benzwi ★★★★★ Premiering in 1928, choke-holding the genre into a new way of looking, The Threepenny Opera still possesses that overnight sensational approach it had all those decades ago. Berlocj Brecht and Elisabeth Hauptmann’s operatic still, in ways, is a game … Continue reading The Threepenny Opera – Festival Theatre
Written by Isobel McArthur Directed by Gareth Nicholls ★★★★★ In looking at the grandeur of opera and an addictive fixation on the nostalgic, Isobel McArthur stumbles into an entirely new genre-hybrid: romantic farce, part operatic, and part supernatural mystery. For much of our stay at the hotel, it feels pleasant, if pedestrian. Giddy but not … Continue reading The Grand Old Opera House Hotel – Traverse Theatre
https://youtu.be/1ydKle2a-Vk Composed by Georges Bizet Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, Directed by John Fulljames ★★★★ Madama Butterfly to Carmen. Sixty years championing Opera within Scotland. Facing financial and global challenges, Scottish Opera remains a force in the cultural zeitgeist of the nation. With the influx of younger audiences and economic accessibility for others, Scottish Opera continues to be … Continue reading Scottish Opera: Carmen – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh
Libretto & Music by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan Directed by Fraser Grant Choreography and Assistant Direction by Sally Franks Musical Direction by Kathleen Davie ★★★★ Edinburgh University Savoy Opera Group reimagine the well-known and loved Gilbert & Sullivan classic H.M.S Pinafore as a light-hearted comedic cabaret. The cast, crew and musicians take the audience on a … Continue reading H.M.S. Pinafore – Bedlam Theatre
https://youtu.be/cg8GdNDf7Nc Composed by Giacomo Puccini Directed by Sir David McVicar Conducted by Stuart Stratford ★★★★★ The idea of remaining faithful to the artist's intentions is, for some producers, not always the first thing on their mind in staging a lengthy or composite collection of works. For Puccini, there was no other way to demonstrate the … Continue reading Il Trittico – Festival Theatre
Musical Direction and Conduction by Stuart Stratford ★★★★ When the pomp and visage of opera rein in, and the lavish nature of sets, costumes and lighting make way for the humbleness of the heart of it all: the music, something quite remarkable can happen. And that’s precisely what occurred at the Usher Hall on Saturday, … Continue reading The Verdi Collection – Usher Hall
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics by Tim Rice Directed by Izzy Ponsford ★★★ Locating the humanity, the extremes within the psychology of biblical figures, Jesus Christ Superstar breathes an intentional juxtaposition into politics, the church, misplaced adoration, and now gender composites. One of the most successful, indeed complicated, sung-through western musicals – Andrew Lloyd Webber and … Continue reading Jesus Christ Superstar – Churchill Theatre
https://youtu.be/4LidSTvY5OM Libretto by David Henry Hwang Direction & Choreography by Deborah Colker Conducted by Stuart Stratford ★★★★★ Deborah Colker for Scottish Opera has rightened a dichotomy: for nearly two decades, Osvaldo Golijov was the emergence of a postmodernist complexity within the classical world – and his ability to merge Latin American music with the potentials … Continue reading Ainadamar – Festival Theatre
Despite the intensity and richness of the festival seasons across Edinburgh (and yes, there are others beyond August) there is always room for something to shake the status quo and demonstrate a sliver of uniqueness, an alternative angle, or to provide accessibility. With the progressive manoeuvre towards additional (and different) festivals in the city, StagEHd, … Continue reading StagEHd – RoundUp
Libretto by W. S. Gilbert Music by Arthur Sullivan Artistic Direction by Alan Borthwick Musical Direction by David Lyle ★★★ There’ll be no parlay amongst these pirates, as The Edinburgh Gilbert and Sullivan Society take to the high seas to land their production of The Pirates of Penzance safely into the King's Theatre. But with tongue-twisters and … Continue reading Pirates of Penzance – King’s theatre
