Akhnaten, London Coliseum - ★★★★☆ - Until March 7, 2019


Philip Glass' wonderfully strange and hypnotic opera has some sensationally beautiful moments, the choral singing and orchestral colouring are particularly amazing. It looks terrific with ravishing costumes and several scenes of great spectacle on three floors of set. Every movement and gesture is phenomenally slow and must require tremendous concentration. However for me, the show is not without difficulties: I don't like the use of the narrator, his were the only words in English but remained largely impenetrable; the frequent juggling, although historically accurate, can irritate as one is tempted to watch for the inevitable dropped ball. To be brutally honest, the whole thing can occasionally feel somewhat pretentious. However, the wonderful parts far outweigh the problems. Anthony Roth Costanzo is amazing as Akhnaten, totally committed to the role including the nudity. His counter-tenor voice pins one's ears back. The trio with Nefertiti and Tey is gorgeous as is the love duet. Phelim McDermott's production has incredible flashes of imagination. I've never seen a battle with bows and arrows carried out so thrillingly on stage. Much to my surprise, I loved it and would rush to experience it all over again.

 Reviewed by D.S.J.

  Our Score:  ☆☆☆☆★ 

Want to save on tickets? See our Tips page.

 WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE:
Running until March 7, 2019
Thu & Sat: 7:30 pm. Sat March 2: 6:30 pm
London Coliseum
Nearest tube: Covent Garden
https://www.eno.org/whats-on/akhnaten/
Map & Location: St Martin's Ln, London WC2N 4ES, UK

Latest Reviews

Angela's Ashes - The Musical, Fairfield Halls - ★★★★★ - Until October 5, 2019

Image
Irish history is often a history of degradation and suffering, but that pain is not only expressed but frequently transformed through the use of music and language. Indeed, Ireland is renowned for the poignancy and prowess of its artistic expression. Frank McCourt's personal journey mirrors the story of his country. It is a dark, unremitting saga that he transcribed into his classic biographical and cathartic work. The musical, Angela's Ashes, strives to take this bleak childhood reality to another level through the agency of music, and this is a powerful and professional production. The heartbreaking story has some rueful humour, but it is the strength of the cast and the haunting nature of the music that win through and bring a redemptive power to this sad tale. Paul Hurt's script captures the spirit of an event full book and successfully brings it to the theatre, while Adam's Howell's music and lyrics are the backbone of this stage version. All of the cast are s…
Full Details »

A Life Twice Given, Upstairs at the Gatehouse - ★★★★★ - Until October 6, 2019

Image
Absolutely superb performances make this disturbing play quite outstanding. In these incredibly uncertain days the prospect of cloning humans is far too close for comfort, but here, in Gail Louw's adaptation of David Daniel's book, it is sensitively used to tragic effect. If less well performed and directed (by John Burrows) it could be mawkish. Indeed, the performances leapt off the stage.As the tragic father Johnny Neal really took flight; it is a complex character with lots of words and contrasting emotions. Johnny was stunningly good. He is matched all along the way by Natalia Campbell's mother who gets compelled into situations she is extremely unhappy with. Both actors conveyed the passing years most convincingly. Twenty-year-old Damian Reyes-Fox played the son from childhood to student doctor. In his big scene at the end he really performed brilliantly. The audience was held totally rapt throughout; this is a tribute to the faultless delivery and tremendous rapport …
Full Details »

Now & Then, Above The Stag Theatre - ★★★★ - Until October 6, 2019

Image
Ronnie Larsen's innovative work presents the romance and optimism of youth as it fades into the disappointments and compromises of middle-age and finally evolves into the serenity and acceptance that can be old age. Reality tests what dreams can be achieved and what infatuations are truly love. This is a beautiful tracing of the arc of a relationship that lasts over time, and it is refreshing to see a play which deals with the complexity of how partners can both undermine and nurture each other. We are given pictures of Greg and Daniel at three stages of their lives and director Harry Blumenau does a terrific job of maintaining consistency of character. Freddie Woodyatt as Greg 1 is an excellent embodiment of puppy-like infatuation with a strong dose of practicality and some self-knowledge. Dylan Wynford captures the almost taciturn and deeply ambitious musician that is young Daniel. Rhys Taylor beautifully suggests how middle-aged Greg has remained upbeat but has come to accept t…
Full Details »

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Union Theatre - ★★★★ - Until October 26, 2019

Image
Can a big Broadway musical work in a small space? It certainly does in this terrific production at The Union Theatre. All the energy and big production numbers are here! Anita Loos' wonderfully silly story of the archetypal gold digger, Lorelei Lee, and her friend, Dorothy Shaw, is beautifully re-told in a way that is faithful to the original. We were delighted that the period of the piece was respected, and songs like "Keeping Cool with Coolidge" and all its 1920's references were not spoiled by updating. Indeed, this is a production that captures the era and is unapologetically light and fun. As the girls flirt their way to Europe and take Paris by storm the great one-liners fly and the unforgettable songs, like "Just a Kiss Apart" keep on coming. Overall, the large cast is excellent with the perfect timing required to bring off a good farce. For us the stand out was Eleanor Lakin as Dorothy. She did a great job in the superb production number "I Lov…
Full Details »

The Watsons, Menier Chocolate Factory - ★★★★★ - Until November 16, 2019

Image
Fascination with Jane Austen has spawned an industry. Some writers complete her unfinished works and others write more books about characters in the completed novels. Laura Wade's contribution to this genre is a play about Austen's unfinished work, The Watsons, but this fascinating riff on that work becomes 'Jane Austen meets Luigi Pirandello' – and perhaps, Jorge Luis Borges. The play becomes a humorous and beguiling look at the art of writing and the relation of an author to their characters. The insecurity and self-awareness of contemporary authors stands in stark contrast to the authority that Austen had even as she described situations that, particularly for women, were restrictive and precarious. Her voice rang with a certainty and control born of an ironic yet humane perspective and it may be this that attracts present writers to her as they face existential nightmares and questions about their own craft and creative process. Ultimately this is a play about wr…
Full Details »

BIG: The Musical, The Dominion Theatre - ★★★★ - Until November 2, 2019

Image
BIG takes us back to the musicals of another time. It fills the stage with some great production numbers: dazzling choreography and belt-it-out singing. This is a lush and over the top show that brings back warm memories of the original film and introduces new life to the great piano dancing sequence. The story is a basic riff on the old adage "be careful what you wish for." When Josh Baskin's wish comes true, he becomes a thirteen year old boy trapped in an adult body. While this can have some advantages like getting a job at a toy company, it also comes with complications, some of which were a little awkward for the audience as well, like the love story with Susan. While all of the cast is strong and the singing and dancing of young Josh and his friends were quite wonderful, the evening belonged to Jay McGuiness as Big Josh. His energy and enthusiasm were infectious. Kimberley Walsh showed real star power as Susan, lost until Josh gives her his compass ring. We also t…
Full Details »

Brooklyn The Musical, Greenwich Theatre - ★★★★ - Until October 19, 2019

Image
Brooklyn uses a play within a play structure having five street performers present the story of an eponymous Parisian entertainer, coming to New York and becoming caught up in a rivalry with Paradice, a local singer. She is simultaneously searching for her American father whom she has never met. The story is billed as "a sidewalk fairytale" but there is also a more challenging side with commentary about the various social problems that are faced in American society. Paradice is the villain of the piece but she is very much a product of her environment and, in fact, is seeking love as much as the heroine. The fairytale confirms love can grow and be found in even the harsh streets of New York. The production has a strong cast with Hiba Elchikhe as Brooklyn and Emily-Mae as Paradice belting out some powerful songs and also crooning some touching lyrics. John Addison was very credible as Taylor Collins, the absent father and another victim of the social ills of America. Sabrina …
Full Details »

Faith, Hope and Charity, National Theatre - ★★★★★ - Until October 12, 2019

Image
Alexander Zeldin has written a play that deals with an important social issue, but he has avoided the trap of turning it into a polemic. We are introduced to a cast of characters who become real people and whom we deeply care about. These are individuals and not simply representations of a social issue. Cecilia Noble as Hazel, the core of this community who finally finds her voice, gives us a brilliantly convincing performance. Nick Holder as Mason, who tries to bring together the disparate and desperate and to teach them to sing together with a clear and positive message, is also excellent. Alan Williams as the forgetful and insightful Bernard plays off beautifully against Corey Peterson's personification of aimless youthful energy. Susan Lynch and and Bobby Stallwood are completely believable as the mother and son almost rearing one another. Two of the characters who are absent from this group are Faith and Charity, but despite the ever-mounting challenges for the rest, as Hazel…
Full Details »

Orpheus and Eurydice, The Coliseum - ★★★★ - Until November 19, 2019

Image
Gluck's heartbreaking 1762 opera is given a time-unspecific production by Wayne McGregor using three singers and fourteen dancers on the vast Coliseum stage to great effect. The chorus sang very impressively from the pit amidst the superb orchestra under Harry Bicket who gave a beautifully nuanced performance. At the outset, it was announced that Alice Coote (Orpheus) had not fully recovered from an infection. She may have husbanded her vocal resources, but it still sounded superb, especially in the final act. "I have lost my Eurydice" was gloriously sad and the climactic scenes rightly broke the audience's heart. Sarah Tynan (Eurydice), always impresses and she sang beautifully with gorgeous tone. Soraya Mafi was also outstanding as Love. Overall this was a musically glorious evening! We weren't totally convinced by the concept, the costumes seemed sometimes unflattering, and there were some first-night blips in the lighting in Act One, but the final scenes loo…
Full Details »

Ghost Stories, Ambassadors Theatre - ★★★★ - Until January 4, 2020

Image
Do you believe in ghosts? Have you ever had a supernatural experience? No? Well this may be your opportunity. Ghost Stories is designed to make you re-examine your beliefs about the supernatural. This is a fun and scary experience which gives you a chance to participate in the stories of others' encounters with the world beyond while having a lot of laughs along the way. We get an academic's rational approach framing three tales which could make your hair stand on end and then a truly shocking climax to this trip into the unknown. Writers Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman have crafted a clever script which keeps the audience totally enthralled and off balance. There's no way you can guess what is to come. The cast do a fine job of luring us into the horrors of their worlds and strike just the right balance of credibility and credulity. Simon Lipkin does a convincing job as the professorial ghost buster, Professor Goodman and Garry Cooper creates a completely believable night wa…
Full Details »

The City Life Magazine. Reviews and Ratings.