Tag Archives: Grimeborn

Music: Arcola Participation Queer Collective, after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Libretto: Leo Doulton, after Lorenzo da Ponte Director: Leo Doulton Reviewer: Scott Matthewman Arcola’s annual Grimeborn season fills a unique space – a fringe festival for opera in a world where most fringe arts festivals concentrate on theatre or comedy. Every year, it throws up surprising takes on beloved classics, sitting ...

Music: Gillian Whitehead (Hotspur), Arnold Schoenberg (Pierrot Lunaire) Libretto: Fleur Adcock (Hotspur), Albert Giraud (Pierrot Lunaire) Reviewer: Scott Matthewman At first glance, the two one-act pieces presented by formidAbility and Signdance Collective International, and performed as part of the Arcola’s 2019 Grimeborn opera season, do not have much in common with one another. The first, Hotspur, relates the story of ...

Writer: Samuel Barber, Peter Reynolds and Jacques Offenbach Director: Paula Chitty Reviewer: Miriam Sallon Owing to the fact that three operettas are performed within an hour, it seems unfair to ask that any of them pack a real punch- there just isn’t time. That being said, there is plenty of time for light entertainment and a little comedy. And with ...

Music: Johann Strauss II, adapted by Leo Geyer Libretto: Joanna Turner Director: Joanna Turner Reviewer: Scott Matthewman Even the most ardent operagoer would admit that, while the genre has a reputation for productions’ long-running times, they aren’t exactly packed with plotting. Hence Baseless Fabric Theatre’s modern-day adaptation of Strauss’ comic operetta Die Fledermaus, playing for two nights as part of ...

Book, music and lyrics: Alexander S Bermange Director: Matthew Gould Reviewer: Ian Foster [rating:3] The Grimeborn Festival is now in its sixth year of providing a very East London take on opera at the Arcola Theatre in Dalston, but wrapping up the programme this year is a new piece of musical theatre – 13 Days by Alexander S Bermange. A ...