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Eye-popping Delight
Smetana's 'The Bartered Bride'
impresses MIKE WHEELER
Opera North's acclaimed production of Smetana's The Bartered Bride was first seen in 1998; this revival was a welcome opportunity to revisit it, or for first-timers (like me) to catch up (Theatre Royal, Nottingham, UK, 25 November 2014).
Director Daniel Slater placed the action in the communist-era Czechoslovakia of the early seventies. The setting throughout was a low outdoor stage, and this being an official holiday the opening chorus was a rehearsal for the officially optimistic song, with everyone wearing their best fixed grin...
Copyright © 6 December 2014
Mike Wheeler,
Derby UK
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