putting it mildly
Tim Ashley in the Guardian Unlimited writes:
When Hansel and Gretel are out of the house, their parents (Thomas Allen and Elizabeth Connell) prepare to have sex on one of the children’s beds, and we recognise the potential for deeply inappropriate behaviour lurking behind this family’s facade.
And speaking of deeply inappropriate behaviour, is Anja Silja starring in “The Katia Ricciarelli Story?”
As for the old Pountney production, I remember at a dress rehearsal when the dream sequence occurred, rendered as 1950′s local figures from a sort of TV neverland – a cinema usherette, a baker, Mr Plod the policeman all in radiant white a then very current avant-garde director, protege of Berkoff, and the epitome of self-styled ‘cool’ (all quiff and doc martens) broke down and blubbed like a baby.
As well he might, it was pure magic I recall.
The finest Witch of her day was Our Own Sheila Rex.
I didn’t know Mrs Slocombe and Kevin Spacey had so much in common.
It’s a grotesque tale and Jones’ superb production brilliantly captured that, so I wholeheartedly agree with Regie Goodfornought. But there again Jones is used to directing operas for intelligent audiences, so it’s not surprising the Met audience didn’t get it. Oh and the new Royal Opera production isn’t in the same league but at least the withces’ scene kept the kids in the audience quiet!
A lady in an apron and pearls has to symbolize June Cleaver, who is an American cultural Icon.
And to think that for 115 years no-one actually new what the piece was all about! Thank God Mr. Jones came along to show us all. (Including us sunny and oblivious American morons.)
Well said Regie Goodfornought
And boy is the new Royal Opera production dull
dcrazmo- do you believe, then, that it is impossible for a work of great art to take on new resonance as time passes?
And I don’t quite know what you’d have a director do. You seem in your post at 16 to be criticising Jones for attempting to shed light on the worl.
That should be ‘work’ of course. Damn my fat fingers.
Oh, I love the crazy paving of threadery – where else but HERE would you get a connection between the ENO Hansel and Gretel, Mrs Slocombe (and her pussy) and Kevin Spacey?
Inevitably of course the ‘I must be a stupid American not to understand an imported Brit’s ideas’ comment has to crop up, too: that IS off-piste.