This world premiere production created by ENO’s composer-in-residence Ryan Wigglesworth is directed by actor Rory Kinnear – but does it appeal to the critics?
The Stage: *** “From many points of view this is an admirable evening, but it seems that the play has once again eluded the operatic medium.”
WhatsOnStage: **** “Kinnear’s production brims with confidence and assured stagecraft.”
The Guardian: *** “It’s all very accomplished, but really an opera has to be something more than just setting a play to music.”
Bachtrack: **** “The clarity of the storytelling – in the staging, the vocal and orchestral writing – is impressive and it’s a work I immediately wanted to see again, which is always encouraging for a new opera.”
The Times: *** “an admirably crafted score, if you like unremitting old-fashioned atonality done with an orchestral flourish.”
Broadway World: **** “Between Kinnear’s unerring direction, Vicki Mortimer’s efficient designs and a superb cast, this classy show is everything that ENO is and should be about – a celebration of British talent at its best.”
Evening Standard: **** “Rory Kinnear shows imagination and stagecraft as he directs Ryan Wigglesworth’s immensely accomplished first opera”
British Theatre Guide: ” Sophie Bevan is radiant as Hermione; naturally buoyant and charming as the Queen, she retains just the right level of pride and self control in the face of Leontes’ impassioned accusations.”
The Telegraph: ** “The clunkiness is only emphasised by a ponderous production directed by Rory Kinnear and a surprisingly cumbersome set by the usually impeccable Vicki Mortimer.”
Time Out: **** “It’s a splendid operatic debut, the ambiguous and muted ending clearly a fault with the Bard and not the composer.”
Culture Whisper: **** ” Rory Kinnear, making his debut as a director, comes with his own impressive backstory in theatre, film and television roles, in which his intellect and humanity have always shone through.”
The FT: *** “Rory Kinnear’s production, his first, is clear-headed and solid”
London Box Office: *** “Go with less expectations and you’ll certainly have a good evening of fleet footed, if unremarkable, new opera.”
The Independent: **** “Successful, definitely – but perhaps just a tad too respectful to blaze as incandescently as it might.”
The Daily Mail: ** “Rory Kinnear, making his directorial debut, presents an eloquent enough modern-dress production, in which only Vicki Mortimer’s clunky sets sink to the level of the music.”
The Winter’s Tale continues to play at the London Coliseum until the 14th March. To book tickets visit: Discount Theatre.com, Theatre Tickets Direct.co.uk, Love Theatre.com, UK Tickets.co.uk and Theatre People.com.