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No country for old women: Old Ladies - at Finborough Theatre

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The day after seeing The Old Ladies at the Finborough Theatre , I was describing the play to someone in great detail: about three old ladies who lived in a rickety house in southern England in 1935. Based on Hugh Walpole’s novel and adapted by Rodney Ackland, it is the sort of story with enough believability, humour and mild thriller to stick in your mind. Perhaps it is the lure of this dark, forboding tale of a life without money, to be alone and to be old, that makes you feel attracted to this poverty porn. But then again, given the state of the world, the cost of living, an ageing population, or just the fact that it’s a dog-eat-dog world, it might as well be an every little old lady-for-herself, too. It’s a well-acted and staged piece that moves at a brisk pace, so there isn’t much time to think about it too much. And in the intimate (or should that be claustrophobic?) space of the Finborough, there’s nowhere to avert your eyes. Even if you wanted to.  The scene is a grim Cathe...

Opera: The Emperor of Atlantis

Tuesday evening was an opportunity to catch the first preview of The Emperor of Atlantis (otherwise known as Der Kaiser von Atlantis) by Viktor Ullmann. The production is the first from the recently formed Dioneo Opera Company, which is focusing on contemporary and lesser-known works. Based on this production, their future looks very promising.


Continuing the trend in London of imaginative productions with incredibly talented, energetic (loud) young performers, this production of the chamber opera is emotional and gripping. It is nicely staged with some fine singing. Unlike other small-scale opera productions where there was simply a piano accompaniment, there is the Dioneo Players under the direction of John Murton, emphasising the dramatic musical expression of the work. Or maybe as I was sitting above them, I could feel the full dramatic force...

The piece was written by Czech-Jewish composer, Viktor Ullmann in 1943 in the Nazi concentration camp of Terezin. The story approaches the Holocaust from an absurdist perspective building to a haunting, redemptive chorale. It was never performed there as the Nazi's saw the similarities between the emperor and Hitler and banned the piece. Shortly afterwards the composer and librettist were sent to their deaths in Auschwitz. The manuscript survived and had its first performance in 1975. Watching the piece is like discovering a new eyewitness account of a well-known atrocity as it alternates between despair and optimism.

Their very short initial run at the Cello Factory in Waterloo (an unexpected place for an opera) followed by a run later in the year to the Arcola Theatre in August. It will no doubt benefit from a space suited to theatre, but Waterloo location has other benefits, such as being in central London with a great little pub The White Heart opposite.

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