Two funerals and a bedding at the Linbury Theatre

Madeline Robinson (Masha), Ellen Pearson (Irina) and Jingwen Cai (Olga) with Hannah Edmunds (Maid)

Giorgi Guliashvili (Leslie) and Hannah Edmunds (Margery)

Ellen Pearson (Julia) and Sam Hird (Mark)

Hannah Edmunds (Maid)

By Eleanor Knight, 03 May 2026

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“Peggy Wu and Talia Stern proves themselves a dream team”

Reviewed at Royal Opera House: Linbury Theatre, London on 1 May 2026

Maconchy, The Departure

Bray, Making Arrangements

Langer, Four Sisters

The Royal Opera

Peggy Wu, Conductor

Talia Stern, Director

Britten Sinfonia

Sam Hird, Mark, Hewson, Krumpelblatt

Ellen Pearson, Julia, Irina

Hannah Edmunds, Margery, Maid

Jingwen Cai, Maid, Olga

Giorgi Guliashvili, Leslie

Madeline Robinson, Masha

The Turn of the Screw at RBO Linbury: Darkness and denial

Eleanor Knight, 26th March

Natalie Abrahami’s mesmerising new production of Britten’s ghostly tale of sexual abuse is very dark indeed.

*****

A riveting Rigoletto revival at the Royal Opera House

Dominic Lowe, 25th March

Sir Mark Elder celebrates 50 years at Covent Garden by returning to his first opera there in 1976 – Verdi's Rigoletto – in a revival of Oliver Mears' excellent 2021 production.

****1

Siegfried at the RBO: Kosky and Pappano surprise and delight

David Karlin, 17th March

A revelatory orchestral performance and a cast led by Andreas Schager, Christopher Maltman and Elisabeth Strid make this a Siegfried for the record books.

*****

Terfel’s craggy Boris Godunov returns to Covent Garden

Mark Pullinger, 29th January

The second revival of Richard Jones' staging of Mussorgsky's original 1869 version of Boris Godunov once again stars the Welsh knight.

****1

Ermonela Jaho returns in triumph to The Royal Opera’s Traviata

Mark Valencia, 8th January

Richard Eyre’s 32-year-old production is rarely out of The Royal Opera’s repertoire for more than a few months at a time, but this particular revival proves very special.

*****

Turandot drowned in an orchestral tsunami at The Royal Opera

David Karlin, 15th December

Andrei Șerban’s 40 year old take on Puccini's tale of the ice princess largely stands the test of time, but Netrebko and Eyvazov are short of their best form.

***11

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Eleanor Knight

Eleanor is a writer and librettist. Her work has appeared in all kinds of places from the Royal Opera House to the foot tunnels beneath the Elephant and Castle roundabout, and she has written arts reviews and features for British papers and magazines. Having begun her working life in theatre, she switched to publishing and later taught creative writing at the University of Brighton and Birkbeck. Currently based in the Netherlands, she teaches at the University of Utrecht. Eleanor plays violin and sings, though not usually at the same time, and has recently taken up speed-skating.

Two funerals and a bedding: a contemporary triple bill in the Linbury Theatre