Tonight:
9°c
NEW: Some fares could fall by more than a third when Oyster is extended to every national rail station in London, it has emerged
More...
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
A cut above: David Parry's witty translation of the Barber of Seville hits home with a little help from his young, multinational cast
Pimlico Opera is best known for taking opera into prisons, but its production of Rossini's The Barber of Seville is a low-budget, high-energy show for the road.
It is staged by Ptolemy Christie, member of the family behind Glyndebourne, who has to get by with rather fewer resources than Glyndebourne offers.
That poses problems, not all of which are solved, although the set (by George Souglides and Emma Ryott) makes a virtue out of economy.
The orchestra, too, may be skeletal, but it has a pleasingly rustic chamber quality, despite the drafted-in, over-amplified electric keyboards.
Christie sets the action at a moment that wanders between the 1950s and the 1970s, which may offer no particular benefit, but does little harm.
What is more damaging is that Christie treats The Barber as if it is a Brian Rix farce, with much standing on the furniture, so it is often hard to escape the feeling of being shouted at.
Yet the young, multi-national cast makes sure that David Parry's witty translation hits home. James McOran-Campbell's Figaro is a larger-than-life fixer, while Serena Kay plays Rosina as both minx and coquette: exactly what Rossini had in mind.
Info: 01962 868600
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
