Morning:
13°c
London faces a wave of bus and Tube strikes that could cause chaos for millions of passengers as unions walkout over pay and conditions
More...
An awesome and ridiculous film that leaves you thrilled beyond the point of your natural endurance
2012
Theatre
The show has suddenly become quite wonderful, and the galvanising factor is the terrific stage debut of Melanie C
Blood Brothers
Music
The British pop music industry may be eating itself but if Muse are the pick of what it can offer the world in 2010 then British music is in rude health indeed
Muse
I was smitten by both Gilberts enormous luxuriant moustache and the intelligence and nuance of this highly entertaining play
I totally recommend Babbo to anyone who is looking for really good and traditional Italian food
Always been a fan but never seen them live. I was ecstatic to be part of this epic event. WOW!
London,
Kieron Quirke's rating
Reader rating
Dark times: Joana Seara as Gretel, and Catherine Hopper as Hansel
Some operas feel the pinch worse than others. Opera Holland Park’s austere wartime Hansel and Gretel is decent enough in the end but could do with the sort of magical touches only big bucks provide.
Stephen Barlow’s production owes more to CS Lewis than the Brothers Grimm. The titular siblings are a pair of well-contrasted wartime schoolkids. Joana Seara’s Gretel is all sugar and spice, and there’s more than a whiff of puppy dog’s tail about Catherine Hopper’s Hansel.
The set is conceptual and monochrome: a lovely sylvan print, and a massive door that’s an entrance to the kids’ home, the woods, everything. Engelbert Humperdinck’s opera is an inconsistent confection.
The second act (gingerbread house, the witch) is scrummy but the first act (arguments with mother, purposeless wanderings in the woods) is all exposition — a slow laying out of ingredients that relies on humour and supernatural gimmicks to stay alive.
So the gimmicks need to hit home, and here trick after trick underwhelms. The monochrome background persists. We get a Tommy Sandman and Red Cross Dew Fairy, magical beings who visit the children while lost in the woods — consistent with the concept but far from enchanting.
The magical pageant at the first half’s close is a parade of comedy penguins and low-budget angels, provided by well-drilled schoolchildren. Mr Cowell has made it clear that for kiddy kitsch the gloves are off, so here it is: it looked sweet, but not wondrous.
It was saved though, by Peter Selwyn’s reduced orchestra, which really shines in the interludes. The children’s goodnight hymn was likewise beautifully handled, tuned to Seara’s rather quiet lead line.
A shame Selwyn’s comic timing isn’t so strong — it’s a real hindrance in the endless scenes with the kids at play, which must come out funny or annoying.
Colour comes to the production in the second half with Anne Mason’s lime-green vision of a witch. A fluorescent Miss Hannigan, she’s the shot in the arm we need. From her entrance onwards, all is fine. At her death, a D-Day street party brings Barlow’s conceit to a joyous conclusion.
From dark times, we have emerged secure. It’s a lovely feeling but the dark times were drab, and that’s not a balance peacetime audiences need tolerate.
www.operahollandpark.com
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
