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New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Theatre
A smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion
Cock
Restaurants
Kitchen W8 is a bargain for this area, if such sophistication is what you crave
Kitchen W8
Too long and drawn out but very entertaining with excellent special effects
This is a peculiar play and does not work for me. Some of it is very funny but there are real flaws
Alex has a strong powerful voice and was faultless, she is far better now than she was on the X-Factor
London,
Evening Standard rating
Reader rating
Dir: Francesca Zambello.
Cast: The Royal Opera, Maria Bjornson (des), Charles Mackerras (cond), Antonio Pappano (cond, Sep 27 & 30, Oct 2), David Syrus (cond, Oct 4), Simon Keenlyside (Don Giovanni), Mariusz Kwiecien (Don Giovanni, Sep 27 & 30, Oct 2 & 4), Marina Poplavskaya, Patrizia Ciofi (Donna Anna), Joyce DiDonato, Emma Bell (Donna Elvira), Kyle Ketelsen, Lorenzo Regazzo (Leporello), Robert Gleadow, Alex Esposito (Masetto), Miah Persson, Rebecca Evans (Zerlina), Eric Halfvarson (Commendatore), Ramon Vargas, Robert Murray, Ian Bostridge (Don Ottavio)
Description: Francesca Zambello's lavish staging of Mozart's tale of dissolution and retribution, with Simon Keenlyside as the philandering Don (Mariusz Kwiecien, Sep 27 & 30, Oct 2 & 4). Sung in Italian with English surtitles.
High jinks: Jonathan Miller's production of Don Pasquale is a pain in the neck
There must be a seat in the Royal Opera House from which Jonathan Miller's doll's house staging of Donizetti's Don Pasquale looks perfect. It is not the top-price front stalls.
Dr Miller may be shocking the bourgeoisie by giving that privilege to those in the gods. For the rest of us, it's an evening of neck-craning. As with looking at fan vaulting in churches, the principle is fine but eventually gravity and physical frailty force your eyes down to ground level.
The problem, evident when this 2004 production was new, is that in Isabella Bywater's period townhouse design, too much of the action happens in the upper storeys. You find yourself staring at an empty stage with glorious singing coming from somewhere up aloft.
Indeed this was a strong cast all round, conducted with Italianate lilt and panache by Bruno Campanella, and with fine playing.
Eric Cutler as the drippy, droopy hero Ernesto sang with the right degree of reedy finesse, his Poor Me (I am paraphrasing) aria accompanied by a darkly melancholy solo trumpet. Alessandro Corbelli's lugubrious Don Pasquale had crisp humour, especiallyin his duet with the Malatestaof Christopher Maltman, who looked unrecognisable beneath gruesome make-up but transformed his superb rich baritone into an instrument of bantamweight agility for Donizetti's acrobatic vocal writing.
Miller's scheme, presumably, was to emphasise the mechanical and clockwork in Donizetti's poised score, a version of the traditional old fool duped by young lovers story. But the net result is like speeded-up weather persons forever emerging and disappearing from their box.
Garsington's recent witty production had blown the cover on this kind of version by investing the characters with un-toytown, down-to-earth, humanity. Reduced to dolls, even when graced by a fine musical performance, they lack heart
In rep until 22 July (020 7304 4000).
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
