21 May 2020. La Traviata from ROH

This fabulous recording of Verdi's opera is the Richard Eyre ROH production, conducted by Antonio Pappano who seemed to enjoy it as much as the audience. The lead roles of Violetta and Alfredo were taken by Renee fleming and Joseph Calleja and sung and played brilliantly by them. All in all, a fairly dotty story but a real bonus to ameliorate lockdown. Thanks ROH!!

19 May 2020. Midnight your Time from the Donmar.

This is the first play I've seen produced under the strictures of Covd - consisting entirely of the video messages of a mother to her daughter, and lasting about thirty minutes. It cleverly told the story of the interfering mother whose, daughter had decided to communicate via the father, much to the mother's hurt and frustration. The mother, played brilliantly by Diana Quick, never really got it - that her controlling interference was pushing away her daughter further and further away.
There is not a great deal more to say - save that the play by Adam Brace and directed by Michael Longhurst seemed to capture most accurately the syndrome which it was addressing. Half an hour seemed about right as all that was to be said was said. 

30 April 2020. Die Entführung aus dem Serail from Glyndebourne

This production of a Mozart opera of which I was unaware transferred well and easily to the television. Full of pegs for the singers to display their talents, the plot is extremely simple - The young Spanish noblewoman Konstanze has been abducted by pirates together with her English maid Blonde, and Pedrillo, valet to her betrothed, Belmonte. Landing on the shores of Turkey, they have been sold as slaves to Pasha Selim. Originally a Spanish subject himself, he has become a ‘renegade’, a convert and prospered in Turkey. He has fallen in love with Konstanze. Pedrillo has smuggled letters out to his master and Belmonte has sailed from Spain to try to rescue them. The opera consists of scenes of Selim trying to woo (but never force himself upon) Konstanze while the hate figure, the overseer Osmin tries to bed Blonde, who is Pedrillo's girlfriend. Meanwhile, a rescue is planned with Osmin tricked into drinking spike wine by Pedrillo so that an escape can be effected. This succeeds but then fails and the escapees are thrown back on the mercy of Selim. In a feel good ending he spares them, despite Belmonte letting slip that his father was Selim's arch enemy.
This does not tax the brain, either in following the plot or thinking about it. However, it does definitely make for a relaxing couple of hours and Glyndebourne's production feels rich and lavish.  

14 April. Jane Eyre from National Theatre.

This excellent staging of the Jane Eyre story came courtesy of the National Theatre, It resulted from a collaboration between the NT and the Bristol Old Vic under the direction of Sally Cookson. To be honest, romantic fiction is not what I'd normally read, even if it is a classic but this staging of the story was both rivetting and ingenious in its use of a minimalist set and the way the story was brought to life. Injected with dashes of comedy (e.g., the playing of Rochester's dog by an actor), the play moved at a dashing pace with excellent acting by Nadia Clifford who played Jane and Tim Delap who was Rochester.

12 April 2020. It's true; it's true; it's true: Artemisia's Trial by Breach Theatre via National Gallery

The recording of this staging of a dramatisation of the 1612 trial of Agostino Tassi for the rape of the young painter Artemisia Gentileschi came via the National Gallery Website. Based on surviving court transcripts, Breach Theatre’s award-winning show brought the trial vividly to life with the all too familiar attempts at denouncing Artmisia as actually consenting to and enjoying the relationship with Tassi.
It was a very inventive staging that was also upsetting in its depiction of the betryal of trust by Tassi who was Artimisia's tutor and a friend of her father. Lasting only 75 minutes, it was an absorbing piece that will hopefully remain available on YouTube as it definitely bears re-viewing.

10 April 2020. Cyprus Avenue from Royal Court

This is an extremely clever play, managing to be alternatingly funny and harrowing. It is not for the faint hearted, being the tale of an Irish 'loyalist' who descends into a psychotic world where he sees the image of Gerry Adams in his grand-daughter and decides it is his duty to erase this menace from the world.
The acting by Stephen Rea was brilliant and this play definitely merits more than one viewing. For now that can be achieved via YouTube

2 April 2020. One man, two guvnors from National Theatre

This play benefited from fantastic acting, particularly from James Corden, and from the quality of production with a wonderful set etc. It is essentially a farce and so fundamentally either you like that sort of thing or you don't. However, even if you fall into the latter camp, the production and acting made it a rewarding way to spend a Covid evening.
At the outset, it is all slightly confusing, being the tale of a man who serves two people related by one having killed the brother of the other who is also the former's girlfriend. She seems perfectly happy with the killing and is now posing as her dead brother in order to collect a dowry from the father of the dead brother's girlfriend. It was really quite useful to have this as a stream rather than live theatre in order to consolidate the situation in my mind.
The first half involved James Corden apparently involving members of the audience and this worked very well. However, this technique was dropped in the second half which became a more conventional playing out of the contorted situation and its eventual resolution. To be honest, I found the second half lost my concentration a bit but, all in all, thank you National Theatre for putting this on as a contribution to the lockdown.