Opera wouldn’t be influential if it wasn’t for the role of the ‘diva’ (Italian for ‘goddess’) or ‘prima donna’. Its voices, the magnificent sopranos, tender contraltos, and mellifluous mezzo-sopranos are huge driving forces that foster…
Q & A – Jennifer Marsden: Creator of…
Jennifer Marsden, the creator of Knights of the Rose, is a qualified barrister, yet she has always been interested in theatre. She began writing Knights of the Rose over eight years ago. Here she shares her…
Macbeth: The Royal Opera House (2018)
A dramatic opera set in a dark place [fivestar] There is no joy in the world of the Macbeths: no sense of love for family or nation. Just a deep-seated desire for power and domination.…
Q & A: Michael Levine – Set and…
Canadian costume and set designer Michael Levine has worked in a variety of prestigious theatres and opera houses internationally for more than three decades. He created the original set designs for Robert Carsen's production of Benjamin…
ENO: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2018)
[fourstar] Long for the days of Summer's innocence Lucky number three. Three ravishing productions have been performed at the London Coliseum from the English National Opera’s (ENO) Spring 2018 programme. It seems that the quality…
Bridge Theatre: Julius Caesar (2018)
[fivestar] Remember last year when theatres in America were receiving hate mail for producing shows written by Shakespeare? It was from the backlash of audience reactions to New York Public Theatre’s production of Julius Caesar.…
7 Star Arts – Sweet Harmony
Totally last minute! I got word from Fran (@Crosseyedpiano) about 7 Star Arts's concert taking place not too far from me. It was their Sweet Harmony concert which focused on the genius of Shakespeare through…
The Winter’s Tale – Cheek by Jowl
☆☆☆☆ Shakespeare wrote many plays - 38 to be exact - and only now can I confess that I've seen his psychological, semi-comedic drama, The Winter's Tale. That may sound pretty shocking for a theatre…
Grassroots’ Othello warrants a position in the West…
There are so many things to learn from Shakespeare. But Grassroots’ Siobhan Daly alludes to one of the most important lessons – the human soul and its fragility – in her production of Othello at…
Rebekah Fortune – Orangutan productions – Othello (2014)
(Written 2014/01/19) You are presented with a film noir smoky bar, where an American singer (Rudina Hatipi) in black, wearing a large feather head dress sings the words, ‘be good to your man,’ to piano jazz, in…