The English National Opera brings Verdi’s opera of duty, love and betrayal to the stage, directed by Phelim McDermott. Here, Love London Love Culture rounds up the reviews:
The Guardian: *** “There are some musical unevennesses as well, though the evening is blessed by a remarkable central performance from the American soprano Latonia Moore in the title role.”
The Stage: **** “Sometimes this Aida is so visually arresting that it’s hard to know where to look next: a benchmark for a spectacle if there ever was one.”
www.markronan.com: “This production, though slightly overloaded with ideas, will doubtless be a keeper, and I loved the dance with silks.”
WhatsOnStage: *** “Whatever else this pageant-infused opera demands, it’s a living, breathing heart. We need to see and feel the ardour that sends its central trio hurtling towards a horrific conclusion, but here instead we’re treated to a night of style over substance.”
Bachtrack: **** “this credible new production is a considerable success”
Evening Standard: *** “Despite the inertness on stage, Keri-Lynn Wilson conducted with enormous flair and empathy.”
The Times: ** “Drably staged, slackly conducted, patchily sung, this new production is just what the doctor didn’t order to open English National Opera’s new season.”
The Telegraph: *** “The director Phelim McDermott and his designers Tom Pye and Kevin Pollard have signally failed to make the stiff classical drama come alive or even coherent.”
The FT: *** “in this evening of mixed visual standards it is the ritualistic elements that work best.”
Express: **** “All in all, a great evening’s entertainment combining powerful music that we have often heard before with an eye-catchingly dramatic new production.”
Culture Whisper: *** “Tom Pye’s grand set, Bruno Poet’s rich lighting and Basil Twist’s silk effects all heave ho strenuously: it feels, however, as though everyone is trying just a bit too hard. The last word in glamour is nonchalant, surely, not look-at-me.”
Lark Reviews: “Keri-Lynn Wilson conducted with considerable panache, her sensitivity towards the introspective scenes particularly impressive, and her sense of the sweep of the narrative always under control.”
MusicOMH: **** “Whatever one thinks of the Rhodes glitz, this ENO production is a basically straightforward presentation of Verdi’s opera, dramatically a little clunky but very convincing musically.”
Aida continues to play at the London Coliseum until the 2nd December. To book tickets visit: Love London Love Culture, See Tickets.com, Ticketmaster.co.uk, Discount Theatre.com, Last Minute.com, Theatre Tickets Direct.co.uk, Theatre People.com and Love Theatre.com.