The Handmaid’s Tale ★★★ London Coliseum | February 1 - 15, 2024


There is clearly an audience for Margaret Atwood's dystopian vision of America in 2195 as a misogynistic, authoritarian society. Based on a novel that is known worldwide and that has become a popular Netflix series, the operatic version of this unremittingly bleak view of the future was first performed in Copenhagen in 2000 and was premiered by the English National Opera in 2003. The current revival of the work is beautifully produced and sung, but it is not an evening for everyone. In fact, we noticed that some audience members did not return after the interval. For those who did come back, they enjoyed the continuing opportunity to appreciate Kate Lindsey's amazing mezzo-soprano voice which made it all worthwhile. Her performance as Offred, the abused handmaiden who is engaged to produce a child for the tyrannical Commander, shines through Atwood's heavy handed allegory. As Serena Joy, the Commander's wife, Avery Amereau also lit up the stage whenever she appeared. She captured the complexity of her character who is both an oppressor and one of the oppressed, bringing a strong contralto voice to her role. The use of flashbacks to tell Offred's story worked well on certain occasions, but at other points it distracted from the dramatic flow of the piece. Paul Bentley's libretto seemed overly prosaic, and at points unintentionally humorous. However, the latter might be seen as some relief to Atwood's intensely didactic tale that in many cases probably inures the audience to its message. We also appreciated Poul Ruders use of the "Amazing Grace" theme in his score to introduce a somewhat subtler note of irony into the proceedings. The issues dealt with in Atwood's work are terrifyingly present in contemporary society, but are probably more interestingly addressed elsewhere. However, The Handmaid's Tale is definitely worth taking in for its wonderfully talented cast and the quality of their singing.

Rated: ★★★

Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Zoe Martin

Want to save on tickets? See our Tips page.

When, Where, Getting there:
Map & Location: London Coliseum, St Martin's Ln, London WC2N 4ES, UK

Most Popular

St. Martin in-the-fields: Lunchtime Concerts ★★★★ FREE

Image
Maybe the best musical value in London. The lunchtime concerts at St. Martin's are always a wonderful way to escape the hustle and bustle that is London and the sensory overload that is Trafalgar Square. This is a beautiful setting with great acoustics, and a church pew hard enough to make sure you don't nod off. Reviewed by J.C.  Our score:    ☆☆☆☆  WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE: Mon & Fri: 1 pm - 1:45 pm ( occasionally Tues & Thurs)  St. Martin in-the-fields, Trafalgar Square Nearest tube: Charing Cross https://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/whats-on
Full Details »

The Forsyte Saga Parts 1 & 2 ★★★★★ Park Theatre | Oct 11 - Dec 7, 2024

Image
John Galsworthy traced the fortunes of the Forsyte family over several novels and in various short interludes. His sprawling chronicle of this upper middle class family and their tangled love lives has been the subject of both films and television series, and now it comes to the stage in an excellent adaptation by Shaun McKenna and Lin Coghlan. The story is presented as a retrospective narrated by Fleur, the daughter of Soames Forsyte, whose fraught relationship with his wife, Irene, is the main subject of Part 1. Soames, brilliantly played by Joseph Millson, is both possessed by his passions and determined to possess what he is passionate about. Whether he is being driven by his love of art or by an obsession with his wife, he is determined to "own" the objects of his desire. This compulsive behaviour is then mirrored in Part 2 by his daughter, Fleur, in her relationship with her cousin, Jon. Writers McKenna and Coghlan have ingeniously managed to maintain the central thread
Full Details »

The Other Place ★★★ National Theatre | Until November 9, 2024

Image
Alexander Zeldin's The Other Place is loosely based on Sophocles' Antigone. In this version, Annie, a troubled young woman with a history of mental illness, returns to her family for the scattering of her father's ashes. The ritual has been organised by her uncle, Chris, who has inherited, and is now renovating, the family home. Annie, unlike her sister Issy, objects to Chris' decision to deal with the patriarch's remains in the way he has chosen. A squabble ensues and secrets about Chris and Annie's relationship are revealed. With any modernisation of a classic, the danger is always that the epic nature of the original will be lost in the mundane. Here, many of Sophocles' themes, such as the tensions between law and loyalty, or the rightful, perhaps arbitrary, power of the state as opposed to an individual's sense of duty, are lost in the dynamics of a domestic drama. These larger issues absent, the question then becomes how much would we care about t
Full Details »

Waiting for Godot ★★★★★ Theatre Royal Haymarket | Sep 13 - Dec 14, 2024

Image
“There's no coming to consciousness without pain.” wrote Carl Jung, but in his masterpiece, Waiting for Godot , Samuel Beckett explores the pain that results from consciousness itself. Set in a bleak nowhere, this absurdist drama engages the most fundamental of questions, the unknowable meaning of existence. Estragon and Vladimir pass their time waiting for a revelation that always lies in the future, and in the interim they engage in a conversation that distracts them and gives temporary purpose to their lives. Their bickering and reflections cover a wide variety of topics including religion and relationships and provide a trenchant parody of human interaction. When two wayfarers pass by, these travellers provide diversion, but not company, for the duo. Pozzo and Lucky are yoked together in what seems to be a parody of the socio-political world which the two hobos, Estragon and Vladimir, exist outside of. It is noteworthy that in the second act when Pozzo and Lucky's condition
Full Details »

Gay Pride and No Prejudice ★★★ The Union Theatre | Oct 8 - Nov 2, 2024

Image
Imagine Pride and Prejudice 's Mr Darcy, now in his 70s and happily settled with his partner in quiet domestic bliss. But, who is that partner? This is the frame for Gay Pride and No Prejudice which is the latest riff on the enduring Austen classic. Unfortunately, the title of this updating of the story rather gives away any surprise. In this version of the tale, Darcy accepts that he is gay, and he is enamoured of Bingley who seems determined to see his future in a conventionally heterosexual union with Jane Bennet. Here, Darcy and Elizabeth's sparring, at least on his side, is not motivated by sexual tension, and they actually come together over shared values around feminism and equality. David Kerby-Kendall's story certainly works on some levels, but the comedy of manners bleeds into farce, and some of the rather bawdy humour and explicit sexual discussion seems out of place in Austen's world. In general, there is an unevenness of tone that is jarring throughout, an
Full Details »

The Tattooer ★★★ Charing Cross Theatre | October 14 - 26, 2024

Image
It is difficult to know what to make of The Tattooer . The Programme Notes indicate that it is based on a famous Japanese story by Junichiro Tanizaki which recounts the obsession of a tattoo artist, Seikichi, to "carve his soul onto the skin of a beautiful woman." Apparently tattoos, while popular in Japan, are not meant for public display, so the relationship between the artist and the subject is a particularly intimate one, as is that with anyone to whom a tattoo is revealed. The audience here is thus being invited into a very private reality which seems to involve questions about the relationship between the artist and his work and the spiritual and erotic power dynamics that exist between the partners in the creative process. Questions are also apparently being raised about the distinctions between seeing, vision and insight. Unfortunately, it all remains rather unclear, possibly because of the very nature of the theatrical experience itself. Unlike with a novel which all
Full Details »

Silk Roads ★★★★★ The British Museum | Sep 26, 2024 - Feb 23, 2025

Image
Two concepts that might seem to be hallmarks of our current era, connectivity and multiculturalism, are put into a fascinating historical context by this unforgettable exhibition. Silk Roads focuses on the extraordinary connections that existed among Asia, Africa and Europe in the period from about 500 to 1000 CE. The show has five divisions moving from Japan to Ireland, and it demonstrates the amazingly rich and varied interaction of different cultures during the period. A sweeping movement of goods, people, ideas and belief systems leads to a cross-fertilisation which is astonishing, but often insufficiently appreciated. With more than 300 objects and texts from almost thirty lenders, this is a stunning overview that takes the visitor on a journey which provides glimpses into the Nara period in Japan and the Tang dynasty of China. It then goes on to explore the lesser known civilisations of the Sogdians and Aksumites among others, before focussing on the Byzantine empire and the sch
Full Details »

The Fear of 13 ★★★★ Donmar Warehouse | Oct 4 - Nov 30, 2024

Image
Based on a true story about a miscarriage of justice in Pennsylvania that occurred in 1982, the story of Nick Yarris is a harrowing indictment of the legal and penal systems. Convicted of a murder which he did not commit, Yarris is a victim of a mendacity, incompetence and brutality that is simply appalling. He spends 22 years in prison awaiting his death until he is finally exonerated by DNA evidence that is only produced when he has at last resigned himself to being executed. The strength of this work is the masterful direction of Justin Martin and a set of powerful performances led by Adrien Brody as Yarris. Despite the fact that most of the story is narrated and the question of Yarris' guilt or innocence is never really much in doubt, the audience is held enthralled by the recounting and depiction of his tribulations. Director Martin ensures that the pace never flags as he moves his players around the stage and constantly refocuses the point of interest, while Brody is simply m
Full Details »

23.5 Hours ★★★★ Park Theatre | Sep 4 - Oct 5, 2024

Image
Popular teacher, Tom, is accused and convicted of having sexual relations with a 15 year old student. Carey Crim's play shows the devastating consequences of that event not only for him, but for his family and friends. While they alternate between support for his protestations of innocence and suspicion that he is actually a sexual predator, they also become victims of what has happened. Their limbo of unknowing strains relations, and the abuse and suspicion of the community becomes a penalty for Tom's defenders as well as the accused. His punishment does not end after he has served his time in prison, but equally, neither does theirs. While painting a powerful portrait of the personal toll taken on all connected to such an occurrence, 23.5 Hours also raises many serious social questions: the distinction between due legal process and justice, the differing definitions and notions of the age of consent, the balance between a community's need to protect itself and its concom
Full Details »

The Turn of the Screw ★★★★★ London Coliseum | October 11 - 31, 2024

Image
Henry James' eerie story of an unnamed governess who takes up residence at a country manor in order to look after two strange children virtually abandoned by their guardian is full of uncertainty and ambiguity. The line between what is real and what the governess imagines elusively flickers as she recounts her story. Translating this complex novella to the stage while retaining its atmosphere is no small task, and by necessity, composer Benjamin Britten makes the possible ghosts or mere hallucinations real presences. In this production, Isabella Bywater neatly restores the original's elusiveness by setting the piece in a hospital while projecting the country house and the governess' experience onto it. Did any of these events happen or is it all the expression of a fevered imagination? Britten's score brilliantly evokes the spooky world the governess inhabits and his use of nursery songs and school lessons is ingeniously woven into the musical script which questions bot
Full Details »

The City Life Magazine | Reviews & Ratings