ENO brings It's a Wonderful Life to the operatic stage

Jennifer France (Mary Hatch Bailey) and Frederick Ballentine (George Bailey)

Danielle de Niese (Clara)

Danielle de Niese (Clara) and the children's ensemble

Donovan Singletary (Harry)

By Matthew Rye, 26 November 2022

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“Frederick Ballentine ... a sympathetic and multi-faceted George”

Reviewed at The London Coliseum, London on 25 November 2022

Heggie, It's a Wonderful Life

English National Opera

Nicole Paiement, Conductor

Aletta Collins, Director, Choreography

Giles Cadle, Set Designer

Gabrielle Dalton, Costume Designer

Andreas Fuchs, Lighting Designer

English National Opera Orchestra

English National Opera Chorus

Danielle de Niese, Clara

Frederick Ballentine, George Bailey

Jennifer France, Mary Hatch Bailey

Michael Mayes, Mr Potter

Ronald Samm, Uncle Billy

Gweneth-Ann Rand, Mother Bailey

Keri Fuge, Soprano Winged Angel

Zwakele Tshabalala, Tenor Winged Angel

Ossian Huskinson, Bass Winged Angel

ENO’s Mahagonny: biting, bleak, brilliantly executed satire

David Karlin, 16th February

Never has Brecht and Weill’s satire on the inhumanity of man to man been render with such utter darkness; Simon O’Neill heads up a superb cast.

*****

Taken for a ride: an energetic revival of Così fan tutte at ENO

Dominic Lowe, 6th February

English National Opera's revival of Phelim McDermott’s popular production is a blend of spectacle with some first-class singing, with Lucy Crowe emphasising her Mozartian credentials.

****1

Cocteau-esque camp: Alden’s Partenope returns to ENO

Mark Valencia, 20th November

Christopher Alden’s Olivier Award-winning production of Handel’s Partenope returns to the Coliseum, but it's the singing that earns the plaudits.

****1

Dead Man Walking at English National Opera: a superb execution

David Karlin, 1st November

Anneliese Miskimmon's ENO production of Jake Heggie and Terence McNally's tale of crime, repentance, compassion and redemption compels from start to finish.

*****

Comedy falls flat in ENO's season opening Cinderella

Mark Valencia, 27th September

Julia Burbach and her designer, Herbert Murauer, are defeated by the wide canyons of the Coliseum stage in their modern-dress Cinderella.

**111

ENO gives Thea Musgrave's Mary, Queen of Scots a worthy performance

Nick Boston, 15th February

Musgrave's powerful depiction of a powerful woman at the mercy of male manipulation receives a strong staging from at ENO.

****1

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Matthew Rye

Matthew read music at Oxford and worked in music journalism for 30 years as a writer, critic and editor. He wrote numerous programme and CD booklet notes, spent 13 years as a Daily Telegraph critic, worked at BBC Music Magazine and was reviews editor of The Strad. He also wrote for The Wagner Journal and Opera and blogged at ferneklang.blogspot.co.uk. He was general editor of 1001 Classical Recordings You Must Hear Before You Die (Cassell Illustrated, 2007) and was the author of a new series of eBooks, Masterpieces of Music (Erudition).

Life is (too) sweet: ENO brings It's a Wonderful Life to the operatic stage