Baroque meets jukebox musical: The Beggar’s Opera

By David Smythe, 17 August 2018

Loading, please wait...

See full listing

Reviewed at King's Theatre, Edinburgh, Edinburgh on 16 August 2018

Gay, The Beggar's Opera

William Christie, Conductor

Robert Carsen, Director

James Brandily, Set Designer

Petra Reinhardt, Costume Designer

Robert Burt, Mr Peachum

Beverley Klein, Mrs Peachum

Olivia Brereton, Lucy Lockit

Kate Batter, Polly Peachum

Benjamin Purkiss, Macheath

Les Arts Florissants

Handel’s Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno returns to Rome

Pia Maltri, 7th April

Robert Carsen’s staging of Handel's oratorio arrives, via Salzburg, in the city where Handel composed it in 1707.

****1

A sensational Kátya Kabanová in Brno shows Janáček at his very best

Dominic Lowe, 3rd March

A revival of Robert Carsen's production at the Janáček Festival Preview benefits from an excellent cast and exemplary playing from the house ensemble.

*****

The game of love: Robert Carsen’s new Così fan tutte at La Scala

Laura Servidei, 8th November

Alexander Soddy leads a great cast in a clever, supremely entertaining new production in Milan.

****1

Canadian Opera's Orfeo returns elegant, restrained and very satisfying

John Gilks, 9th October

The restrained beauty of Robert Carsen’s production of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice is matched by musical elegance in its revival current revival at the Four Seasons Centre.

*****

Eugene Onegin revival fails to find the magic spark in Toronto

John Gilks, 2nd May

Robert Carsen’s 1997 production of Eugene Onegin has aged remarkably well but the latest Canadian Opera Company revival of it doesn’t quite recapture its magic.

***11

To the Moon and back: Janáček’s Mr Brouček visits Berlin

Elena Luporini, 16th March

Robert Carsen's new production of Janáček’s The Excursions of Mr Brouček for the Staatsoper Unter den Linden scores a well-deserved success thanks to a stellar – or rather, lunar – conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.

*****

More reviews...

David Smythe

David the farmer was drawn into music through choirs, orchestras, taking part in and directing 'serious' opera as a student. Passionate about live classical music, particularly chamber opera, unusual pieces and events and giving the next generation the tools to engage with the classical world.

Baroque meets jukebox musical in a wryly topical Beggar’s Opera at EIF