★★★★★★ REVIEW: YOU’LL FALL HEAD OVER HEELS FOR GUYS AND DOLLS
GUYS AND DOLLS • THE NEW THEATER ★★★★★★ REVIEW: YOU'LL FALL HEAD OVER HEELS FOR GUYS AND DOLLS Det Ny Teater is a hit with audiences thanks to its lively production of the beloved Broadway classic *Guys and Dolls*. Gorgeous retro New York set design, magnificent...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW STUPID MAN: SAVED BY HELMIG’S HITS
STUPID MAN • TIVOLI ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW STUPID MAN: SAVED BY HELMIG'S HITS One had hoped that the artistic ambitions would be greater. There’s nothing wrong with a fun, well-crafted jukebox musical, but Stupid Man seems to fall short in several respects. The cast is solid,...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW OLIVIA AND THE SECRET OF THE SHADOW DANCERS: FIVE-STAR THEATER MAGIC
OLIVIA AND THE SECRET OF THE SHADOW DANCERS • ØSTRE GASVÆRK ★★★★★☆ REVIEW OLIVIA AND THE SECRET OF THE SHADOW DANCERS: FIVE-STAR THEATER MAGIC The special effects, illusions, and all the visual tricks that Østre Gasværk Teater’s impressive TheatreMax system can pull...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW DER ROSENKAVALIER : INCONVENIENT GIFT FOR COLOGNE’S NEW OPERA HOUSE
DER ROSENKAVALIER • COLOGNE ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW DER ROSENKAVALIER: INCONVENIENT GIFT FOR COLOGNE’S NEW OPERA HOUSE It took 14 years to build Cologne’s new opera house. The project was launched with an estimated cost of around 250 million euros and ended up costing over one...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW ROMEO AND JULIET IN BRUSSELS: FORGET THE FANCY CONCEPTS. PURE OPERA ENJOYMENT AT LA MONNAIE
ROMEO AND JULIET • BRUSSELS ★★★★★☆ REVIEW ROMEO AND JULIET IN BRUSSELS: FORGET THE CLEVER CONCEPTS. PURE OPERA ENJOYMENT AT LA MONNAIE Stunning set design, extravagant set pieces, sophisticated lighting design, and dazzling costumes make director Julia Burbach’s...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW MACBETH, HAMBURG: THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE
MACBETH • HAMBURG STATE OPERA ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW MACBETH, HAMBURG: THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE Season premiere at the Hamburg State Opera! Artistic Director Tobias Kratzer kicks off a new opera season with his new production of Verdi’s Macbeth. A performance that is, for the...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW WERTHER: ROMANTICISM UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
WERTHER • THE ROYAL THEATER ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW WERTHER: ROMANTICISM UNDER THE MICROSCOPE Love, duty, and obsession collide in the Royal Danish Theater’s imported production of *Werther*, in which Jacob Skov Andersen makes his debut in the title role opposite the superb...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW: MACBETH—RAW EMOTION IN A SPECTACULAR THEATER EXPERIENCE
MACBETH • COPENHAGEN ★★★★★☆ REVIEW MACBETH—RAW EMOTION IN A SPECTACULAR THEATER EXPERIENCE At the Opera, Verdi’s *Macbeth* is currently being revived in Australian director Benedict Andrews’ gritty, psychological production, featuring powerful stage imagery, strong...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW OF “LA TRAVIATA” IN BREGENZ: A COLOSSAL OPERA SPECTACLE WITH INCREDIBLE VISUAL IMPACT
LA TRAVIATA • BREGENZ ★★★★★☆ REVIEW: LA TRAVIATA IN BREGENZ: A SPECTACULAR OPERA SHOW WITH INCREDIBLE VISUAL IMPACT Damiano Michieletto is known for his audience-friendly and visually striking interpretations of opera’s greatest works. His new production of *La...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW OF TURANDOT AND AIDA: IN VERONA, THE PEOPLE HAVE TAKEN THE OPERA BACK FROM THE ELITE
TURANDOT • AIDA • ARENA DI VERONA ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW OF TURANDOT AND AIDA: IN VERONA, THE PEOPLE HAVE TAKEN OPERA BACK FROM THE ELITE The opera performed in the ancient Roman amphitheater in Verona is almost more of a tourist attraction than an actual theatrical...
★★★★★★ REVIEW: THE JOURNEY TO REIMS: KOSKY SHINES WITH A HYPERACTIVE ENSEMBLE BONANZA
THE JOURNEY TO REIMS • SALZBURG OPERA FESTIVAL ★★★★★★ REVIEW: THE TRIP TO REIMS: KOSKY SHINES WITH A HYPERACTIVE ENSEMBLE BONANZA Barry Kosky’s production of Rossini’s madcap operatic farce has been called the Salzburg Festival’s answer to the Duracell bunny. The...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW: ARIADNE AUS NAXOS IN SALZBURG: BOOING ON MARS
ARIADNE ON NAXOS • SALZBURG OPERA FESTIVAL ★★★★★☆ REVIEW: ARIADNE FROM NAXOS IN SALZBURG: BOOING ON MARS German director Ersan Mondtag makes his debut at the Salzburg Festival with a festive, daring, and utterly unrestrained reinterpretation of Richard Strauss’s...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW: FRANCIS OF ASSISI IN SALZBURG: AN OPERA AS A MONUMENTAL AVANT-GARDE INSTALLATION
FRANCIS OF ASSISI • SALZBURG OPERA FESTIVAL ★★★★★☆ Photo: Monika Rittershaus REVIEW: FRANCIS OF ASSISI IN SALZBURG: OPERA AS A MONUMENTAL AVANT-GARDE INSTALLATION The Salzburg Festival did not become the world’s leading opera festival by pandering to traditionalists....
★★★☆☆☆ REVIEW OF WAGNER’S “THE RING OF THE NIBELUNGS”: A SPECTACULAR BAYREUTH FLOP MAY BE A GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE.
RING 10010110 • BAYREUTH ★★★☆☆☆ REVIEW OF WAGNER'S "THE RING": A SPECTACULAR BAYREUTH FLOP MAY BE A GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE. The intention is strong and incredibly bold. For its 150th anniversary, the Bayreuth Festival has chosen to reinvent the past and take a bold...
★★★☆☆☆ REVIEW: CARMEN SALZBURG: THE DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE YEAR
CARMEN • SALZBURG OPERA FESTIVAL ★★★☆☆☆ REVIEW: CARMEN IN SALZBURG: THIS YEAR'S DISAPPOINTMENT "Carmen," featuring international star Asmik Grigorian in her long-awaited debut in the title role, was one of the most highly anticipated performances at this year’s...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW: RIENZI: BAYREUTH CONFRONTS THE GHOST OF NAZISM
RIENZI • BAYREUTH ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW: RIENZI—BAYREUTH CONFRONTS THE GHOST OF NAZISM Rienzi is one of Wagner’s very early works and is often described as something of a curiosity. It is a sort of early work by an artist who had not yet fully developed his craft—the same...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW OF COSI FAN TUTTE IN SALZBURG: A HOT ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE IN MOZART’S DATING EXPERIMENT
COSI FAN TUTTE • SALZBURG OPERA FESTIVAL ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW: COSI FAN TUTTE IN SALZBURG: STELLAR ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE IN MOZART'S DATING EXPERIMENT Seeing Mozart in Salzburg may not be the most sophisticated choice for a critic. But when Christof Loy’s acclaimed “corona”...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW: *THE FLYING DUTCHMAN* AS A TRAUMATIZED SUBURBAN AVENGER IN BAYREUTH
THE FLYING DUTCHMAN • BAYREUTH ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW: "THE FLYING DUTCHMAN" AS A TRAUMATIZED SUBURBAN AVENGER IN BAYREUTH The Bayreuth audience is a patient lot. They wait on a waiting list for years, pay a small fortune for tickets, and show up with an almost religious...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW: MR. BROUČEK’S EXCURSIONS: THE LITTLE OPERA THAT MIGHT STEAL THE SHOW IN BREGENZ
MR. BROUČEK'S EXCURSIONS • BREGENZ ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW: MR. BROUČEK'S EXCURSIONS: THE LITTLE OPERA THAT MIGHT STEAL THE SHOW IN BREGENZ Leoš Janáček’s *The Excursions of Mr. Brouček* is one of the opera genre’s rare oddities. An operatic comedy brimming with beer, dreams,...
★★★☆☆☆ REVIEW REQUIEM: BURIED ALIVE IN AIX-EN-PROVENCE
REQUIEM • AIX-EN-PROVENCE FESTIVAL ★★★☆☆☆ REVIEW REQUIEM: BURIED ALIVE IN AIX-EN-PROVENCE There are performances where, after five minutes, you find yourself wondering whether you’re in the hands of a genius who’s hard to decipher – or whether you’ve simply ended up...
★★★★★★ REVIEW THE WOMAN WITHOUT A SHADOW: STRAUSS MASTERCLASS – KOSKY TRIUMPHS IN AIX.
THE WOMAN WITHOUT A SHADOW • AIX-EN-PROVENCE FESTIVAL ★★★★★★ REVIEW THE WOMAN WITHOUT A SHADOW: STRAUSS MASTERCLASS – KOSKY TRIUMPHS IN AIX. There’s a buzz in Aix-en-Provence. Opera director Barrie Kosky and star conductor Klaus Mäkelä have thrown themselves into...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW OF MACBETH IN MUNICH: ASMIK GRIGORIAN SAVES A TIRED REVIVAL
MACBETH • THE MUNICH OPERA FESTIVAL ★★★★☆☆ Photo: Geoffroy Schied REVIEW OF MACBETH IN MUNICH: ASMIK GRIGORIAN SAVES A TIRED REVIVAL After three days of powerful opera experiences, Verdi’s Macbeth comes across as a somewhat odd interlude at the Munich Opera Festival....
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW THE VALKYRIE MUNICH: MUSICAL TRIUMPH IN LUKEWARM STAGING
THE VALKYRIE • MUNICH OPERA FESTIVAL ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW THE VALKYRIE MUNICH: MUSICAL TRIUMPH IN LUKEWARM STAGING The eagerly awaited continuation of Tobias Kratzer’s Ring interpretation has arrived at this year’s Munich Opera Festival with The Valkyrie. The experience is…...
★★★★★★ REVIEW TURANDOT, MUNICH: A VISUAL FEAST OF EXCEPTIONAL CALIBRE
TURANDOT • MUNICH OPERA FESTIVAL ★★★★★★ Photo: Wilfried Hösl REVIEW TURANDOT, MUNICH: A VISUAL FEAST OF EXCEPTIONAL CALIBRE Opera as a feast for the senses. Opera as a cornucopia of images, movement, technology and imagination. Such is the Bavarian State Opera’s...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW: OF ONE BLOOD, MUNICH: RAW, SENSUAL AND DRAMATICALLY ELECTRIFYING
OF ONE BLOOD • MUNICH OPERA FESTIVAL ★★★★★☆ REVIEW: OF ONE BLOOD, MUNICH: RAW, SENSUAL AND DRAMATICALLY ELECTRIFYING A stunning, sci-fi-esque set design opens the Bavarian State Opera’s world premiere of Brett Dean’s Of One Blood at this year’s Munich Opera Festival:...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW TURANDOT: PUCCINI REBOOTED IN VALENCIA
TURANDOT • PALAU DES ARTS VALENCIA ★★★★★☆ REVIEW TURANDOT: PUCCINI REBOOTED IN VALENCIA Puccini meets Wagner in this exceptionally powerful production of Turandot at Valencia’s unique opera house, staged in a sombre, almost Hunger Games-like universe, largely stripped...
★★★★★★ REVIEW: ROMEO & JULIET, MADRID: AN ABSOLUTELY FORMIDABLE OPERA SHOW
ROMEO & JULIE •TEATRO REAL MADRID ★★★★★★ REVIEW: ROMEO & JULIET, MADRID: AN ABSOLUTELY FORMIDABLE OPERA SHOW A truly magnificent performance at the Teatro Real in Madrid: an opera evening on a grand scale, which ranks among the season’s highlights both vocally...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW DSCH: A SENSORY BOMBARDMENT OF SHOSTAKOVICH
DSCH • CPH STAGE ★★★★★☆ REVIEW DSCH: A SENSORY BOMBARDMENT OF SHOSTAKOVICH The theatrical concert DSCH, which has been performed twice at the Royal Theatre’s Old Stage as part of CPH Stage, is a visual and musical bombardment of gems from Shostakovich’s treasure...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW CRONIQUES: CONTEMPORARY DANCE MARINATED IN BRUTAL VIOLENCE AND MYTHICAL PUNISHMENT
CRONIQUES • COPENHAGEN DANCES ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW CRONIQUES: CONTEMPORARY DANCE MARINATED IN BRUTAL VIOLENCE AND MYTHICAL PUNISHMENT Peeping Tom has arrived at Østre Gasværk with *Chroniques*—a fast-paced, dark, and visually intense performance in which the space’s raw,...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW: PELLÉAS AND MÉLISANDE – A VISUAL CASTELLUCCI SPECTACLE AT LA SCALA
PELLÉAS AND MÉLISANDE • LA SCALA MILANO ★★★★★☆ REVIEW: PELLÉAS AND MÉLISANDE – A VISUAL CASTELLUCCI SPECTACLE AT LA SCALA The controversial Italian director Romeo Castellucci walks a fine line between inclusion and exclusion in his spectacular, deeply symbolist, and...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW: NUREYEV BERLIN: A DAZZELING TOP OF THE LEAGUE BALLET THEATRE
NUREJEW • DEUTSCHE OPER ★★★★★☆ REVIEW: NUREYEV BERLIN: A DAZZELING TOP OF THE LEAGUE BALLET THEATRE The acclaimed Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov is known for his daring, often politically charged opera productions, but his talent readily crosses genres. Right...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW WUNDERKAMMER BERLIN: MARCOS MORAU TRIUMPH
WUNDERKAMMER• BERLIN SCHILLER THEATER ★★★★★☆ REVIEW: WUNDERKAMMER BERLIN: MARCOS MORAU TRIUMPH Spanish super-choreographer Marcos Morau is currently in Berlin with WUNDERKAMMER—a new hit with audiences, even those who don’t usually call themselves dance enthusiasts. A...
★★★★☆☆ REVIEW THE TURN OF THE SCREW BERLIN: DEMYSTIFIED NIGHTMARE
THE TURN OF THE SCREW • STAATSOPER UNTER DEN LINDEN ★★★★☆☆ REVIEW THE TURN OF THE SCREW BERLIN: DEMYSTIFIED NIGHTMARE Where the Royal Opera House let Benjamin Britten’s The Turn of the Screw drift into a dark, hallucinatory pool of doubt, paranoia, and unease, Claus...
★★★★★★ REVIEW AIDA IN BERLIN: OPERA BURNING WITH RELEVANCE
AIDA • BERLIN ★★★★★★ REVIEW AIDA IN BERLIN: OPERA BURNING WITH RELEVANCE Calixto Bieito takes the thesis theater to its purest form in his production of Aida*at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden. A production that, since its premiere in 2023, has drawn both boos and...
★★★★★☆ REVIEW THE DEATH OF KLINGHOFFER, FLORENCE: A RARE, BOLD AND INTENSE OPERA EXPERIENCE
THE DEATH OF KLINGHOFFER • FLORENCE ★★★★★☆ Foto: Michele Monasta REVIEW THE DEATH OF KLINGHOFFER, FLORENCE: A RARE, BOLD AND INTENSE OPERA EXPERIENCE The Maggio Musicale Fiorentino opera festival opened with a rare and bold production of John Adams’s notorious...
