Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Royal Opera)

On paper the cast of the Royal Opera's "Il Barbiere di Sibiglia" makes me melt a little with joy. Of course that could mean squat on stage. As it happens it did mean something, it meant an evening of some of the finest singing I've ever come across. The production has its moments and some witty shades of Gilbert and Sullivan but at times comes across a little bland; it hardly matters though when the cast are this good.

When Juan Diego-Florez sang at Covent Garden earlier in the season I thought his voice rather small for the space, as Almaviva he proves a force to be reckoned with. He has a delightful insouciance, a beautiful, silky voice; his rapid-fire coloratura brought the house down. The sustained applause after "Cessa di più resistere" demanded an encore that sadly never came. He had a worthy foil in the brilliant Joyce DiDonato. She slipped after her frankly incredible "Una voce poco fa" but soldiered on with a walking stick (and then a crutch after the interval). The line about foot cramp can never before have received such pearls of laughter. Warm and sexy, in a cast of brilliance DiDonato still shone like the gem she is. To back up this lead pair were the almost ridiculously well cast Alessandro Corbelli and Ferruccio Ferlanetto. As a double act they were beyond brilliant. Corbelli's Bartolo wasn't the despicable villain but more a misguided fool and he played the physical comedy for all it was worth. He's also one of the finest exponents of buffo style patter arias and the speed of his mouth was astounding. Furlanetto, who I'm much more used to hearing in weighty Verdi parts, showed himself a versatile singer in the comic role of Basilio. "La calunnia è un venticello" could scarcely be sung better and he managed it balancing on a chair. His confusion at being described ill was pitched perfectly. Weak link I'm afraid was the late replacement Pietro Spagnoli who would have been quite decent in the average cast but sounded exposed amongst this lot. Plenty of charm but a rather light voice that seldom excited. Changhan Lim kicked things off with a well sung Fiorello and further strength came from Jennifer Rhys-Davies touching, witty Berta.

The production has some seriously impressive moments and the almost prison-like environment has its strengths. Doors appear from sliding panels and Rosina's balcony is more like a little cage but the dull colour palette grows just that - a little dull. The Pirates of Penzance style policemen are an absolute hoot as is much of the carefully rehearsed slapstick (mainly from the two senior singers). The end of Act I is an incredible bit of engineering (very expensive I imagine) but it's also a bit messy taking the libretto a tad too literally. All in all, much of the action is meticulously dealt with but ultimately the sets are just a little grey for their own good.

An awesome night I won't soon forget. Between Florez, DiDonato, Corbelli and Furlanetto this was a cast that won't soon be bested. After a spirited account of the overture which went down a storm there were some minor disagreements between stage and pit but overall it was another fine effort from Antonio Pappano and the Royal Opera House orchestra. There are still a few tickets left and if I were you I'd do anything to get my grubby mitts on them. Fifty years down the line I suspect I'll be telling my grandchildren about this one.

Forbidden Broadway

Theatre about theatre always irritates me slightly but "Forbidden Broadway" is sufficiently knowing that despite misgivings I had a tremendous time. This is a show that is clearly aimed at suckers like me who have seen virtually every musical they lampoon but it's broad enough to appeal beyond that sphere. That said, if you don't care for Broadway style musicals, you won't care for this. It might be a satire, but it relies rather heavily on the joys of the material it rips into.

Essentially a series of one-joke sketches; it's a remarkably hit heavy show. A few scenes fall flat, one-note Eliza was an old joke some time ago (although impressive performed here), but the consistency with which the company hit their targets is fantastic (they do pick very easy targets though, musicals camp? Really?? Never heard that before). The opening number about internet chat gives a marvellous name check to fellow bloggers the West End Whingers (although this was perhaps a niche too far for the rather senior audience who didn't laugh) and takes Chicago to a totally different level. Few shows avoid at least minor mentions; both Cameron Mackintosh and Andrew Lloyd-Webber get extended features. Funniest section for me was the Les Mis spoof, a continuous whirl of rotating actors. Spring Awakening gets a witty ribbing but, considering how few people saw it, not many seemed to find this very funny. The knives really come out in regards to people more than shows, Sarah Brightman gets some harsh treatment (which she deserves) and Elton John's moment in the excruciatingly funny Billy Elliot sketch is a treat (although gay jokes about Elton John aren't exactly mindbendingly original).

It's all done on a very small scale albeit with a rapid stream of amazing costumes. Four actors split the lines with all the music delivered by a solo pianist. At the piano, Joel Fram the music director, seemed to be having a great time and it the constant enthusiasm from the whole cast that really made things fly. Of the four actors, Anna-Jane Casey proved the standout, matching a terrific voice with some very limber dancing.

This isn't the most intelligent show ever, the humour, whilst very funny, is bitchy and shallow, not a patch on the much more interesting "[Title of Show]". You've got to like musicals but the quality of the cast, especially vocally, means there is much to enjoy even if you don't get all the knowing references (zillions of them, so you're bound to get some). I never entirely got over my minor gripes about the inherent smugness of the whole exercise but it's a fun evening with more than enough gusto to fill the running time. A niche show, but a very good one.

L'Amour de Loin (English National Opera)

I might just be a soppy romantic but "L'Amour de Loin", struck a chord with me like few other contemporary operas. Its libretto is of the sort that usually sends me straight to sleep and the production is heavily directed with lots of extras to the core opera. Somehow the ethereal music and surprisingly reverent production charmed their way into my heart.

The staging, by Daniele Finzi Pasca, should be distracting, lots of flying and acrobatics which would usually amount to little more than flashy gimmicks. Here the arty talk in the programme about temporal planes proves surprisingly accurate. The soaring figures, doubling the singers, support the narrative and themes rather than getting in the way. The incredible designs are beautiful and entirely in tune with the text. Cloth is used in a truly spectacular manner, simple yet endlessly effective. The opening of the second half is eye-popping in all the right ways. As opera productions go, this is one of the most theatrically aware I've ever seen. Only the shadow puppets struck me as a directorial imposition too far, they reminded me oddly of the Blue Man Group and distracted far more than they illuminated. I'm not even sure what was happening in them although a figure appeared to vomit something at one point. The opera itself is a wonderful creation with a sweeping score by Kaija Saariaho, filled with sounds of the swelling sea and packed with haunting dissonance. The vocal writing does not seek to test the human voice to its limits like so much contemporary opera but instead serves to enhance the characters and emotions. The libretto, even in translation, is not obtusely poetic but movingly so. The combination of text and song takes the whole work to an entirely brilliant level.

The casting is top notch. Roderick Williams lost in the world but for his unseen love, offered the finest diction I've ever heard in this house (all three singers were outstandingly audible). The music doesn't stretch the voice, the parts are presumably gifts for decent singers and Williams produced a very lovely sound. Joan Rodgers produced some piercing notes that ripped straight to the heart, seldom have singers managed such total performances; her prayer at the conclusion was wonderfully portrayed. Faith Sherman was not so to my tastes vocally, I disliked (although this was no doubt deliberate) her shifting into near speech during some low passages, but it was still robust singing and she provided the solidity between the two more magical lovers.

I'm completely enamoured of this work and very sad that I won't be able to catch any further performances (as I'm abroad and it has a very short run). The tickets are incredibly cheap (which may partly account for the terrible behaviour from some in the audience, sniggering from behind me and the lady to my left actually started snoring before she received a vicious elbow from me) and it isn't sold out. Perhaps not to all tastes, this certainly isn't "La Boheme", I found myself relating to it in a very peculiar way and as a result became ensnared early on. The English National Opera have had great success with newer works this season, "Dr Atomic" was well worth hearing and this will stick with me for a long time. An amazing production of a remarkable opera. A must see.

Sutra

I was totally blown away when I saw "Sutra" in its first run last year and whilst repeat viewing inevitably removes some of the novelty it remains a startlingly brilliant piece, balancing spectacle with intelligence. I'll keep this short since my opinions have little changed since my first viewing, but a little more praise is more than deserved for this incredible collaboration.

The simple design proves a serious winner. Anthony Gormley's boxes have nothing particularly special about them but through the ingenious hands of Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui they become the most adaptable scenery imaginable. The show is highly abstract yet it's easy to read ideas in the movement, it makes for an insightful evening without seeming pretentious or over-clever. The monks are, of course, incredible athletes but it's the stillness they bring to the work that makes the biggest impression. The small boy quickly won the audience's heart. Cherkaoui doesn't try to upstage the monks, he mostly operates in the background. His lithe figure is never the less truly remarkable and an effective contrast with the more physical kung fu.

A fascinating creation that has the depth to withstand many more viewings. A truly borderless piece that should have an effect on anyone who sees it from whatever background. A thought provoking work that has enough spice from the amazing monks to appeal on many levels. Worth catching this run if you can, hopefully it'll be back at some point in the future.

The Fairy Queen (Glyndebourne Opera)

If you're going to stage Purcell's "The Fairy Queen" this is probably the way to do it. A riot of colour and excess the visuals make it difficult to grow bored. That said, everything else about this work wanted to put me straight to sleep. What little music there is (depressingly little in the first half and slightly more in the second), is very attractive and at times quite emotional but it hardly makes slogging through three hours of mutilated Shakespeare all that pleasant. I've never seen the mechanicals' play done better but otherwise this is such broad strokes drama that it wouldn't nearly pass muster outside of an opera house.

I've never claimed to love Baroque music but it's pleasant enough and with the Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightment you could hardly hear it played better. It's just as a total work this is bizarrely poor stuff. The (badly) edited Shakespeare dominates the running time. The large cast of actors give it a fair go but ultimately they're spouting a very poor script and whilst the bawdy mechanicals do fine, the young lovers just come across as silly. When the masques eventually feature they have limited connection to the drama serving only to scupper what momentum had been developing. Individually they are simply terrific, gosh "The Plaint" is wonderful, but it doesn't build towards a cohesive evening and despite the slick production I was still left completely bewildered. After a first half with only a tiny amount of music and far too much faux-Shakespeare, the second ties up the story relatively quickly and then just moves into more extended music which was infinitely preferable. Every image you could imagine is tossed on stage to eye-popping effect. The point still eludes me but it was impressive.

It's very much a company piece with lots of major acting and singing roles. Lucy Crowe is a standout; her lovely voice soars in the small Glyndebourne opera house. Carolyn Sampson who excels in the moving Plaint was a consistant presence. Few others really shone although it was a pretty decent company performance with only some weak diction and slight vocal wobbles disappointing. The actors did their best although the whole piece had a slight cut-price Royal Shakespeare Company feel, with lots of loud declaiming to little effect. The audience lapped up some of the jokes like they'd never heard "A Midsummer Night's Dream" before. Only the mechanicals strike theatrical gold. The play within the play is absolute hoot, a rolling melon one of the funniest gags I've come across in awhile. Desmond Barrit's coarse but effective Bottom the highlight of the evening.

I really don't get this. It's lovely music and the opulent production is brilliantly excessive but it never amounts to anything. A competent young cast of actors and singers battle their way through with smiles on their faces but the script just never really worked. Structurally bizarre, I spent each extented play section waiting for the next, all too brief, masque. A good number in the audience loved this so I'm clearly missing something; I've just no idea what.

Un Ballo in Maschera (Royal Opera)

"Un Ballo in Maschera" has just about every Opera convention you could want and the Royal Opera's production does little to bring it into the modern opera house. Massive sets, stock opera gestures and a Negro witch who to all intents and purposes is a gypsy. This feeling of period staging isn't helped by the excessively loud warblings of Angela Marambio (who looks almost comically like a classical dramatic soprano). It's a strongish cast vocally, but dramatically this is comic stuff. Lots of murder, deceit and magic making for a merry night at the opera.

Mario Martone's production doesn't do much wrong, the Boston setting is unpopular in some quarters but I can't say I'm much fussed, but it doesn't really do much right either. This doesn't have to be a deeply political piece (I'm not even sure it can be), the interest, in this production at least, is on broad strokes characters getting into a pickle and killing each other (deep and meaningful it ain't). Big, stagey sets are what the production delivers although it's not till the titular ball that a true wow moment arrives. The angled mirror is hardly a new trick but it's used spectacularly. Disappointingly though, whilst the sets never dominate the action (strong designs that remain in the background) the singers fail to make much impact largely due to weak direction. Arm waving and eye brow raising will only get one so far and quite why the action is so static I'll never know. Only in Act III do the characters finally start to navigate the stage, the name drawing scene tautly directed.

Some blame for the poor acting must fall on the singers. Marambio has a potent soprano, often used effectively, but she wails her way through the high stuff and little was delivered piano. Her shifting emotions should be a cornerstone but they weren't readily apparent, she existed in her own little operatic world, there were few sparks with the two men in her life. Ramón Vargas has a beautiful tenor and understands his music, phrasing with real detail and care, but was at times underwhelming, a heavier instrument wouldn't harm the role. He had a little more success than Marambio in the acting department but too often fell back frowns. Dalibor Jenis gave a strong, weighty performance but subtlety didn't enter the equation. Plenty more frowning from him. For entertainment Elena Manistina's Ulrica would be hard to beat. All beady eyes and stick waving glee, she had a throaty set of bottom notes that sent chills down my spine. Anna Christy made a witty house debut with her scene-stealing Oscar. As the rest of the cast looked miserable she joyously bounced around, her impressive coloratura the icing on the cake.

I enjoyed this a lot but not for any of the reasons that Verdi aficionados would be pleased by. A frolic through opera stereotypes with sumptuous music, finely played under Maurizio Benini, and some loud, one-dimensional singing. There's clearly more to this piece but Martone's production reveals little of it. Great fun but rather forgettable.

Giulio Cesare (Glyndebourne Opera)

Baroque opera isn't, at least at this point in my life, something I particularly enjoy. Epic in length and emotionally unsatisfactory, there's a finite number of da capo airs I can cope with in a single sitting before wanting to top myself. Glyndebourne's "Giulio Cesare" almost defies these problems with David McVicar's exquistely balanced production that brings a great deal of wit to the table, but it still has its longueurs and doesn't exactly bring one to tears.

The production updates matters to the time of the British Empire and brings in a terrific Bollywood flavour mixed with some amusing British stiff-upper-lip. This allows for some tremendous song and dance routines often delivered by the amazing performer (if not singer) Danielle de Niese. She makes a real impact as she whips around the stage displaying some serious dancing skills but was far less impressive when static. She's unbelievably fit, stopping the show with her dancing in the fantastic "Da tempeste il legno infranto", but her breath control is distinctly average, her big aria at the conclusion of Act II limply sung, with iffy phrasing and far too many breaths. Next to the impeccable Sarah Connolly she sounded only more exposed. Connolly has a voice of some dignity and grace, commanding the stage like few others. Much less flashy than de Niese but in many ways far more watchable. Even greater dignity comes from the appealing voice of Patricia Bardon. I can't say I was ever truly moved, but Bardon's Cornelia was the closest thing to real emotion on stage. Paired with the pure voice of Stéphanie D’oustrac, they produced a couple of radiant duets. None of the men were outstanding vocalists but all surprised in their own ways. Rachid Ben Abdeslam delivered a hilariously camp performance that almost stole scenes away from de Niese and Christophe Dumaux's acrobatics in Act III were quite remarkable.

The clean, bright lines of McVicar's production, dominated by bold pillars and a mesmerising rolling sea, are a triumph. The cast are all tightly integrated with dancers and chorus almost indistinguishable thanks to their collective commitment to the drama. The cast whilst hardly the finest bunch of singers ever to grace Handelian opera all throw themselves into the setting with glee and with Connolly and Bardon always around the corner there were plenty of vocal delights. By the end of Act III, I was tiring of the work but it's a testament to the production that it took that long. If Baroque epics are your bag I can't imagine a more entertaining production and even if they're not, this is the sort of afternoon that might make you rethink your opinions.