Seduced by Strindberg - Music - Arts - Evening Standard
       

Seduced by Strindberg

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Sex, class, power, guilt: the age-old themes. But they drive Philippe Boesmans's opera Julie as grippingly as they do the Strindberg play on which it is based. The central character of both is the semi-liberated daughter of the master of the household who seduces the valet but cannot live with the consequences.

Strindberg engages our sympathy for her plight and Boesmans is similarly successful in rounding out his characters. Julie, sung here by Arlene Rolph, alluring both vocally and physically, is a sensual femme fatale, broken by her self-degradation. Andrew Rupp, strongly cast in the role of Jean, the valet, is trapped in a web of sexual infatuation and social disapproval, while Emma Gane is excellent as his fiancée Christine.

Simon Banham's simple but effective set consists of only two side walls, opening at the rear to accommodate the fine MTW Ensemble. In the hands of Michael Rafferty the score's busy textures and lyrical interspersions reflect the drama's psychological complexity and shifting emotional nuances. Julie is on its way to Durham, Sheffield, Cardiff and Birmingham.

www.musictheatrewales.org.uk

Music Theatre Wales: Julie
Linbury Studio

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