The Barber of Seville - The Apollo

It feels a little strange to be reviewing a production that you can't go and see. The truth is, The Ukrainian National Opera swung into town last week and have, no doubt, swung on to bigger and better things by now, and if you missed them you missed a treat.

Barber of Seville is one of those light operas that you either love (because of the glorious music) or hate (because of the daft plot). In fact, my companion studied her programme intently before declaring, "this story's as bad as G and S". But the excellent standard of acting jollied things along a bit, and even roused the odd laugh in very odd moments of surreal cross-dressing shenanigans. Laugh? Laugh?! - I nearly split my sides! Ok, so I don't like the story much.

The music however is wonderful, and the company certainly did the demanding score justice. From the dreamy velvety tones of the soprano, to the gloriously thundering bass, the cast did put in energetic performances of a much better quality than you usually find in touring opera, receiving well deserved applause for virtuosic solos. Seriously impressive.

So there you have it. I saw a really good show, and you've probably missed it. Ha ha. But worry not, Producer Ellen Kent is returning to the Playhouse in September with a lavish production of Verdi's Aida, which, if it's half as good as Barber of Seville, should be worth £10!

Katherine Knowles 25.05.02