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Johnny Depp has become, in his young middle age, like a star of the movies’ golden period
Public Enemies
Music
this was a triumph of eye-popping production and exhausting choreography
Madonna
Theatre
If his smug stage persona is tricky to warm to, his skill, and the snappiness of Andy Nyman’s direction, are spot-on
Derren Brown
If you are feeling totally fed up with your lot at the moment with the economic squeeze - go see this film
I thought this was an excellent, powerful production. The staging and acting were superb, it is well worth going to see
Absolutely AMAZING show that went like a train for three hours solid and didn't waiver once!
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.
