Henry Waddington / Recenze

The supporting characters in the parties were splendid, with extreme and provocative behavior helping to set the context. Gastone indulged in rude gestures while Flora represented the more cynical, businesslike side of the system. The usually problematic gypsy and toreadors ballets were brilliant solved, making perfect sense in the context of the party: a parade of fetishes as the onlookers grow ever more aroused.

Mirrors and bright lights in the party scenes contrast with the tranquillity of a country garden in early Act II and the bleak feeling of a cemetery where Violetta digs her own grave in Act III. With designs ranging from fin de siècle Paris to the glitter of modern Las Vegas, Daniel Kramer in his first production as artistic director (his Tristan and Isolde predated that appointment) has deliberately disconnected the story from its customary milieu, adding to the disorientation between Violetta’s demi-monde and high society.

PROUD TO SUPPORT UKRAINIANS FIND OUT HOW WE'RE HELPING Craft beer fans can get a box of 8 beers for £8 - and it comes with extra perks Hopsmore beer club Deborah James' romantic reconciliation with husband ahead of cancer diagnosis The Verbier Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary (I/II) Medici.tv EN Vicki Michelle: 'Weeing every 30 minutes' was sign of star's 'rugby ball' sized cyst Royal Family LIVE: Harry and Meghan poised for 'damage control' as William shows 'regret' by Taboola H.M.S. Pinafore REVIEW: A mix of Gilbert's witty lyrics and Sullivan's rollicking music 3 / 5 stars Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore Having celebrated the long-awaited return to their home at London's Coliseum Theatre with Philip Glass's esoteric Satyagraha, the English National Opera has gone to the other extreme with its first ever production of Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore. Jonathan Miller once contemptuously described G&S as "UKIP set to music" and there can hardly be a better example of what he meant than Pinafore. Set aboard a ship of the Royal Navy, it pokes merciless fun at the British class structure and the supposed merits of being an Englishman, but its simplicity is relieved by Gilbert's witty lyrics and Sullivan's rollicking music. By WILLIAM HARTSTON 17:30, Wed, Nov 3, 2021 | UPDATED: 17:30, Wed, Nov 3, 2021 0Comment sectionShare on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on PinterestCopy link HMS Pinafore John Savournin (Capt. Corcoran) and his 'midshipmite' (Rufus Bateman) (Image: Marc Brenner) Sign up for FREE now and never miss the top royal stories again Enter your email address here SUBSCRIBE We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Like most G&S, Pinafore is rather outdated and needs a good director to introduce some twists that appeal to a modern audience and on past performance, Cal McCrystal had all the right credentials. With two Paddington films and the stage hit One Man, Two Guvnors under his belt, as well as numerous other successes, he has repeatedly shown his ability to lift and sustain the comic level of a show.

In short, it’s a cracking night out, and ENO is running it into December. Take your kids, take your opera-sceptic friends; take your sisters and your cousins and your aunts. Definitely don’t take the kind of bore who can’t stand wisecracking cabin boys (they’ve added one, and in fairness he’s terrific) or poop-deck jokes (McCrystal and Toby Davies are credited with ‘additional material’); who prefers to hear Gilbert’s original dialogue savoured rather than sent up; or who’s liable to grumble that McCrystal can’t hear a quiet, reflective aria without an urge to blow it sky-high with yet more knockabout.