In the face of the horrors of invasion it is natural to be fascinated by the destructiveness of war and to immerse ourselves in military and political strategies. It is also natural to feel helpless and angry at the destruction of human lives, of cities and freedoms, and from a distance to barrack for one side and against the other. We attribute blame and praise, weigh causes and justifications, and divide the world into friends and enemies. By Andrew Hamilton
Covent Garden unleashes its beating heart, plus April’s best classical concerts and opera
5/5
Britain s piano wunderkind delivered a musically huge programme from the empty Barbican, his face impassive but his performance magical
12 April 2021 • 3:09pm
Rich in irony: The Seven Deadly Sins
Credit: Ellie Kurttz/ROH
Seven Deadly Sins/Mahagonny Songspiel, Royal Opera House
★★★★★
On Friday night, while many performances were cancelled following the death of Prince Philip, the Royal Opera House, went ahead with the streamed premiere of two satirical works by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill.
While some might feel that the company’s decision was disrespectful, I think the ROH did the right thing. Not only did they offer an on-screen tribute and a minute’s silence, I reckon the Duke of Edinburgh, who was well-known for finding opera a tremendous bore, might have enjoyed the theatrical flair of these shows and the hit songs.
Updated
Not about Heroes
Not about Heroes by Stephen MacDonald, will play at the Alexandra Theatre in February and will be one of the first productions to open at the Regis Centre since the pandemic forced it to close, along with theatres up and down the country, in March last year.
Despite the title of the play, the production team are on the look-out for photographs of World War One heroes, preferably a head and shoulders image taken in portrait, that can be scanned into digital images and used in the production, as well as part of the set.
Michael Gattrell, part of the production team behind the project, said: “Not about Heroes is a beautiful, bold drama about the poetic and personal lives of two of the finest poets from the First World War, Wilfrid Owen and Siegfried Sassoon.