A blade too dull: Kosky directs Sweeney Todd at Komische Oper

Dagmar Manzel (Mrs Lovett) and Christopher Purves (Sweeney Todd)

Christopher Purves (Sweeney Todd) and ensemble

Alma Sadé (Johanna) and Hubert Zapiór (Anthony)

Christopher Purves (Sweeney Todd) and Dagmar Manzel (Mrs Lovett)

By Elena Luporini, 19 November 2024

Loading, please wait...

See full listing

Reviewed at Schillertheater: Großer Saal, Berlin on 17 November 2024

Sondheim, Sweeney Todd

Komische Oper Berlin

James Gaffigan, Conductor

Barrie Kosky, Director

Katrin Lea Tag, Set Designer, Costume Designer

Olaf Freese, Lighting Designer

Orchester der Komischen Oper Berlin

Christopher Purves, Sweeney Todd

Dagmar Manzel, Mrs Lovett

Hubert Zapiór, Anthony Hope

Alma Sadé, Johanna Baker

Tom Schimon, Tobias Ragg

Jens Larsen, Judge Turpin

James Kryshak, Beadle Bamford

Sigalit Feig, Beggar Woman

Ivan Turšić, Adolfo Pirelli

Chor der Komischen Oper Berlin

David Cavelius, Choirmaster / chorus director

Handel’s Belshazzar at Komische Oper Berlin

Zenaida des Aubris, 28th March

The Baroque confectionery of Herbert Fritsch's production of Handel's oratorio belies a serious core which is all too close to today's headlines.

****1

Barrie Kosky directs a ferocious new Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk

Zenaida des Aubris, 31st January

Shostakovich's opera is laid bare in Berlin, to devastating effect, with a distinguished cast led by Ambur Braid.

****1

Masks and obsessions: Evgeny Titov’s Salome at Komische Oper Berlin

Zenaida des Aubris, 22nd November

Salome is faceless and the Dance of the Seven Veils becomes a sardonic commentary on seduction in Komische Oper Berlin's austere new staging.

****1

Opulent minimalism: Kosky directs a new staging of Akhnaten

Zenaida des Aubris, 23rd March

Barrie Kosky's new production of Philip Glass' Akhnaten for Komische Oper at the Schillertheater removes any egyptological references.

****1

Kirill Serebrennikov’s Marriage of Figaro challenges Edinburgh

David Smythe, 16th August

Komische Oper Berlin's The Marriage of Figaro is staged at the Edinburgh International Festival with a strong cast headed by Penny Sofroniadou and Peter Kellner.

****1

Kosky's Eine Frau, die weiß, was sie will at Komische Oper

Elena Luporini, 22nd March

It takes two to tango... but what about vaudeville? A rerun of Barrie Kosky's production of Oscar Straus' Eine Frau, die weiß, was sie will owes most of its charm to the two leads.

***11

More reviews...

Elena Luporini

After completing their Master's degree in Musicology in Rome, Elena has now moved to Berlin to dedicate themselves to more things musical. With a publication on Béla Bartók and a seminar at the Humboldt-Universität underway, their interests mostly veer toward 20th-century opera, with some forays into queer musicology. Some of their latest undertakings also include oboe lessons, stencil-making and tea-making.

A blade too dull: Kosky directs Sweeney Todd at Komische Oper Berlin