Retired - Not Out

Friday, 25 July 2025

The Constant Wife - Swan Theatre - Stratford-upon-Avon

A visit to Stratford to see "The Constant Wife" by Somerset Maugham at the Swan Theatre.

A straightforward journey, and then parking as usual in the Church Street Car Park. A walk through town and then, for a change, we headed across the river over the Grade II listed pedestrian Tramway Bridge.

Looking back at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre:

The Ferris wheel (bigger, apparently, than last year's) seemed fairly empty, but there were excited voices coming from the few cars that were occupied:

Looking across to the Grade I listed, and much older, Clopton Bridge:

Our first (but hopefully not our last) visit to The Boat House, where we were seated on the balcony. The views in all directions were most acceptable:

so your author was a happy bunny:

The view inside:

and back to the Tramway Bridge:

An excellent burger for me, and a rump cap steak for Amanda:

followed by my habitual chocolate ice cream, and sticky toffee pudding for Amanda:

A gentle stroll to the theatre. Looking back to The Boat House just visible on the far side of the Tramway Bridge:

It was stiflingly hot in Stratford, so I was pleased to arrive at the Theatre in plenty of time for a restorative ginger beer in the Swan Bar.

We took our seats in the blessedly cool Swan Theatre. In one of the reviews listed below, the critic reflects on "how they would fit a proscenium arch stage drawing room set on a thrust stage, but they do", and I agreed with his assessment that the deceptively simple set was one of the best seen in recent years:

Portions of the rear of the set were semi-opaque, allowing us to see characters appearing in shadow on staircases before they entered the drawing room. During a flashback scene, sections of wallpaper seemed miraculously to half-peel off the walls, the previously brown-painted door into the room transformed into a semi-sanded blue, and parts of the floor covering, as if by magic, pulled back to reveal an ornate tile floor beneath - all, taken together, indicating a room in a state of being decorated.

Obligatory selfie:

And so to the play. We throughly enjoyed it - I would happily go to see it again before the end of the run, but in the few remaining performances there are only a handful of standing-only tickets still available. Rose Leslie (of "Game of Thrones" and "married to Kit Harrington" fame - neither means much to me) was excellent as Constance Middleton, the titular "Constant Wife", and was supported by a uniformly excellent cast.

Maugham's original text had been tweaked by the writer Laura Wade, and the mark of how well she had done this was the difficulty we had in 'seeing the joins'. That said, one obvious - and deliciously funny - change occurred at the beginning of the second act, with Constance and her long-time admirer Bernard trying to leave the house to go to the theatre to see a play called "The Constant Wife"... With the couple having been considerably delayed in their attempts to leave by events occurring at the end of Act 1, one character helpfully noted that they should have no difficulty in catching up, because so many such plays begin their second act with one of the characters providing a helpful summary of what has happened thus far - at which point Constance's sister (played by Amy Morgan) launched into a frantic tour-de-force summary of what had happened in the first act that we had just seen that was so well delivered the whole house broke into spontaneous applause at the end of it.

More detailed reviews are listed below, and a number give further useful insights.

A straightforward run home, reflecting on a most enjoyable outing.

Reviews

Elemental Theatre Company

Elementary Whatson

Muddy Stilletos

Partially Obstructed View

Thursday, 26 June 2025

Carmen - Royal Opera House, London

Off to London again, only about 37 hours after we got home from our previous visit. This time we're going to see Carmen at the Royal Opera House. The original plan had been to go down to see Brad Mehldau at the Barbican and then to stay over for three nights, making use of the middle day for sightseeing and shopping; however, when we saw how hot it was going to be we cancelled our hotel reservation and changed our train bookings.

A straightforward run down on the 15.04, and then by underground to Covent Garden. A leisurely stroll around the outside of the Piazza and then down Southampton Street towards the Strand, where we found ourselves a few minutes early for our 17.00 reservation at The Real Greek. No matter; we continued our stroll, taking in the nearby sights and, in particular, Baldwins Stanley Gibbons, the coin and stamp dealers. Even at my age the name always makes me giggle, reminding me as it does of Bill Oddy, "I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again" and specifically the track on the 1973 Soft Machine album "Six" entitled "Stanley Stamp's Gibbon Album (for B.O.)"...

A 16.55 we entered the front door of the (by now clearly empty) restaurant to be met by a frazzled-looking young waitress who announced in somewhat broken English, "I am very sorry - we have an issue. We are closed". Having established that she had no idea how long this situation might last we stepped back out onto the Strand and regrouped.

Recalling from an earlier visit that there was another small branch on Long Acre we quickly marched the 500+ m back to it, only to be told most apologetically that they had no unreserved tables. A number of options were quickly entertained and dismissed. One alternative venue was soon abandoned as we saw a party of 40+ schoolchildren ahead of us being shown to the upper floor; we mentally calculated how long it would take for them to be served before us and moved on...

Finally, I recalled that there was a branch of Bodeans nearby, and we were more than a little relieved to be shown (quite generously, given the time) to a booth that could have accommodated 6 at a pinch:

The menu has changed a little since we last visited their branch in Soho a few years ago, but we soon selected a cheeseburger, fries and a side order of Vinegar 'Slaw for me, and a Chopped Salad (hold the blue cheese) for Amanda:

Virtuously forgoing sweets we then made our way to the Opera House, where we sat at a table in the Foyer, enjoying drinks and people watching before making our way to our seats:

And so – what of the opera?

My Mum's 1939 copy of the “Complete Opera Book“ by Gustave Kobbé tells me that Carmen, by Georges Bizet, was first performed at the Opéra Comique in Paris on March 3rd 1875.

Kobbé and other sources make clear that the audience reaction to that performance was distinctly mixed. The first act received applause and even curtain calls, but by the end of Act II the audience reaction was significantly muted, and for Acts III and IV, practically non-existent. This hostile reception seems to be due to the themes (this was a forerunner of what would become known as verismo – realistic opera that deals with real lives and raw emotions), and the opera appears to have been simply too shocking for the Opéra-Comique's genteel audience. Tragically, Bizet died of a heart attack just three months after the premiere, believing the opera to be a failure, whereas it has since gone on to become the third most-performed opera in the world, with more than 16,800 performances of more than 1600 distinct productions since that time.

We only had to listen to the audience members speaking in the foyer, and then around us, to realise that there were a significant number of native French speakers in the House. Against that background, expectations were quite high. How sad, then, that I felt a little underwhelmed by the whole experience. I lack the critical skills and knowledge to offer a truly informed review, so what follows is simply my gut reaction.

Since the start of the revival of his production earlier in the year, the principal roles have been sung by two distinct casts, and tonight Carmen was being sung by the Russian mezzo-soprano, Anna Goryachova. It saddens me to say that I was not convinced by her performance – vocally, I thought she was disappointing, and I also felt that she lacked the physicality needed for us to believe that she had not one but two suitors effectively twisted around her little finger. Unfortunately, the reviews below all relate to the earlier spring run, featuring the alternate cast. However, comments relating to the production (as opposed to the individual artists) are valid, and I agreed with some of the less enthusiastic ones. Common to both casts, the playing of Don José's childhood sweetheart Micaëla as a cross between Ugly Betty and Amy Farrah Fowler from The Big Bang Theory seemed somewhat cruelly bizarre.

So – overall I was left with two conflicting emotions; on the one hand I would be disappointed to sit through another production of Carmen on a par with this, while at the same time I would love to see one that really met my hopes and expectations. Only time will tell which one comes about…

Of course, I could not finish this account without a few comments on the audience. It being the end of June, and well into the tourist season, the audience appeared to have more than its fair share of first-timers and those wishing merely to take in a “reet good show“. The constant clapping at the end of the majority of the arias quickly palled – but not as quickly as the yakking from the couple behind us. Oh dear – only two years in, and I'm becoming an opera snob. Ah well, plus ça change as Bizet might have said…

Out, and a brisk walk to Covent Garden Underground station. We arrived at St Pancras with plenty of time to purchase refreshments and to sit and people-watch until it was time for boarding.

She nearly made it all the way, but around 15 minutes out from Leicester she was gone:

A straightforward run home, arriving at 01.45, and home and in bed by around 02.15.

Reviews

Tuesday, 24 June 2025

Brad Mehldau - Barbican Hall

We're off to see one of my favourite jazz pianists, Brad Mehldau, at the Barbican. This will be our first visit to the Barbican since the man-bun debacle; it will also be, by my count, the 9th time we will have seen Mehldau in a trio format - the last time was at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival last year.

A straightforward run on the 15.12, and then a couple of stops on the tube. We arrived to find that the Barbican was hosting a two-day conference - Cannabis Europa London 2025 and the normally spacious building was packed out. We made our way through the crowd and out to sit in the sun and people-watch. Every second that I spent observing the conference attendees I thanked God for the fact that I'm retired and now never have to feign interest in, or enthusiasm for, anything ever again.

Just before 17.45 we made our way up to the first floor and the Barbican Bar & Grill (now a concession run by Searcys).

The views from our table:

Pappardelle with ox-cheek ragu & Parmesan for Amanda, and a BBG Hereford beef burger with cheese & bacon, fries and Amazonian wild chilli mayonnaise for yours truly:

Both were most acceptable. Attempting to be good, we decided against sweets and made our way to find a couple of seats to people-watch and wait for the doors to the hall to open.

Recalling the events of our last visit, I had taken care to ensure that we had seats in the front row of the balcony, thereby avoiding the possibility of being disturbed by children, man-buns or accompanying embonpoints. Most acceptable:

Happy bunnies:

The first time we saw Mehldau was at the Royal Festival Hall in November 2002, as part of the London Jazz Festival. I remember the gig - not so much for the music, as for the fact that bad weather on the continent meant that the support band, headed by saxophonist Chris Potter, were delayed in transit and arrived late. This meant that Mehldau - who should have been head-lining - played first, and it was inevitably a bit of an anti-climax to end the evening with Potter's band (who were, actually, excellent).

On that first occasion, Mehldau was accompanied by the trio he had formed in 1995, consisting of himself, Larry Grenadier on bass, and Jorge Rossy on drums. The next time we saw Mehldau was at the Barbican in October 2008. and by that time Rossy had been replaced by Jeff Ballard, who remained in the band until 2024. It was this version of the trio that we had seen most over the years. While almost any gig that Mehldau plays is virtually assured of an A grade, for me the presence of Ballard had always lifted it a further notch to A+. This is no slight to Rossy - merely that Ballard's playing always seemed to me to spur the others on the levels not often seen. Thus, it was interesting at Cheltenham last year to see the "new trio" of Mehldau, Rossy and newcomer, 27-year-old Felix Moseholm playing together. That gig was, predictably, superb - but didn't quite induce the state of rapture that the earlier trio had done on a number of occasions.

And so to tonight's gig, also featuring the "new trio". Another fantastic evening of inventive, lyrical playing, with each member of the trio contributing equally, and another solid A grade performance. And yet... I still miss Ballard and the way that he could shift gears so easily as the earlier trio progressed, almost imperceptibly slowly, from a gentle, hesitant expression of a familiar melody to a driving, insistent, samba-esque rhythm over the course of ten minutes or more. I'm nit-picking; I would gladly have sat through this gig again immediately after it finished.

The trio take their bows at the end of the concert:

Out, and a brisk walk to Barbican Underground Station. We arrived back at St Pancras with plenty of time to pick up refreshments and then sit and people-watch until our train left at 23.35.

Back in Leicester by 01.45 and home and in bed by 02.15.

Setlist (not complete, and in no particular order)

Estate
Satellite
Convalescent
Between the Bars
Schloss Elmau
A Walk in the Park
At a Loss

Review

The Line of Best Fit

Wednesday, 11 June 2025

Cosi fan tutte - Nevill Holt Opera

Nevill Holt is a hamlet located about 6 miles northeast of Market Harborough; the dominant historic building in the village is Nevill Holt Hall - Grade I listed, and constructed before 1300. In 2000, the Hall was purchased by Carphone Warehouse co-founder (and major Conservative party donor) David Ross, who later commissioned a 400-seat opera house to be built in the stable block.

In 2013, Nevill Holt Opera was launched as an independent opera festival - founded by Wasfi Kani and Michael Moody, and strongly supported and patronised by Ross. What began as an annual event featuring a headline opera production as well as an open-air exhibition of contemporary British sculpture, has now morphed into the much more wide-ranging "arts and culture" Nevill Holt Festival which, it must be said, is not our usual milieu.

In 1917, the preacher, suffragist and campaigner for the ordination of women, Agnes Maude Royden, described the Church of England as "the Conservative Party at prayer". In a similar vein, one might almost describe the Nevill Holt Festival as "the Conservative party at play"; amongst the many offerings during the festival were talks by Johnny Mercer (former Tory MP) and Rachel Johnson (former Tory PM's sister), Boris Johnson (former Tory PM), Sarah Vine (Daily Mail columnist and former wife of former Tory MP Michael ("I think the people of this country have had enough of experts") Gove and Jeffrey Archer (former Tory MP and convict). In addition to that glittering line up there were further talks by other such luminaries as Trinny Woodall and "Aggers & Tuffers". I think I can safely say that I would rather have spent an evening having all my body hair removed with a cheese grater than being forced to sit through any of these talks - but, each to their own...

No matter. We just go for the opera, and after last year's most enjoyable performance of "The Magic Flute", we headed off to see this year's Northern Opera production of "Cosi fan tutte".

The stage:

Two elderly members of the audience:

A major feature of the operas at Nevill Holt is that the interval is 90 minutes long, affording the great and the good the opportunity (on this particular occasion) to chow down on a prix fixe menu of:

Tomato salad, vierge vinaigrette, burrata, fresh herbs

Poached salmon, fennel cassoulet, aioli

Ratatouille, sauce pistou, salade verte

Éclair au chocolat

for just £65 per head (drinks extra) - and for the not so great and good to wander around the grounds.

The entrance to the opera house with the "Pimms and ice cream" concession beach hut in the middle distance and a view out over the valley in the far distance:

Clearly not amongst the great and the good:

Given David Ross's political leanings, one must assume that this copy of the famous EdStone leaning against the outside wall of the opera house is intended to be ironic (or perhaps even sarcastic):

Two further views out over the Leicestershire countryside:

The main residence occupied by Ross and family. In front were six neon "installations" by Chila Burman, the headline artist for the 2025 Festival:

Visible on the lawn is Burman's mixed media Ice Cream Van (topped by a (yes - you guessed it) neon tiger:

Does my bum look big in this?

Directly in front of the opera house is this version of "Still Water" by Nic Fiddian-Green:

The Chapel to the side of the main house:

Two audience members sated by their repast of cakes, tea and coffee:

purchased from the tiny Northern Cobbler van to the left of the main dining marquee:

The Pimms concession doing a roaring trade:

At my insistence we paid another visit to the statue of Bryn Terfel (as Wotan from Wagner's Ring Cycle) located next to the opera house:

"You're a big lad, Bryn - but what I lack in stature I make

up for in agility, so I'm pretty sure I could take you..."

A further stroll around the grounds, including a quick stop in the Waterstones concession marquee, where large numbers of signed copies of Boris Johnson's account of his time in politics, "Unleashed", were somewhat forlornly stacked on and under display tables. Expect to see them heavily discounted in branches of The Works any day now...

Back inside for Act 2:

So, what of the opera? The production - directed by Cecilia Stinton and conducted (from the fortepiano) by Chris Hopkins - explored a reimagined version of the opera, with a focus on shifting perspectives. It featured a number of "theatrical boxes", suggesting the notion of an "opera-within-an-opera", where the characters themselves are also singers in an opera. While it was an interesting idea in principle, I'm not entirely convinced that it worked. None of the characters (whether "in the opera" or "in the opera within the opera") ever appeared out of period costume, thereby suggesting a period setting for both. On the other hand, those same characters were, on occasion, seen drinking from modern vacuum mugs, and the models used by the characters in the opera to plan the staging of the opera within the opera were illuminated by electric Anglepoise lamps. Confused? We were.

The plot - two men test their fiancées' fidelity by disguising themselves and courting each other's lover – is just the type of thing that drives Amanda to distraction – she hates any kind of humour that relies on mistaken identities and mis-understandings (it's probably a good job that she's a little too young to have ever experienced a Brian Rix farce 'in the flesh'). Fortunately, she tolerates Cosi because she likes the music...

In this production (as always) following deception, switched identities and manipulation, the women succumb, thereby raising questions about love and trust. In the versions we have seen before, forgiveness has always ultimately prevailed, with the original couples reunited with each other. Recently, however, I read that, on occasion, the swapped pairings are shown to prevail.

It came as something of a surprise, then, for this production to walk a third line – as the lights dropped to signal the end of the opera, the two women were embracing (and thereby reinforcing their commitment to sisterhood), while the men stood alone and somewhat disconsolate on opposite sides of the stage, some way from each of their former lovers – an interestingly indeterminate, if (for me) vaguely unsatisfying, conclusion.

Beyond that, the performances were uniformly excellent; the reviews below offer more informed perspectives (with the exception of the one in The Stage, whose author was clearly having a bad night and claimed that "This may be the only production of this work that I've seen in which I didn't laugh once").

Reviews

musicOMH

Seen and Heard International