London Coliseum – The Theatre Playbook

Mary, Queen of Scots makes royal debut with English National Opera

Thea Musgrave’s rarely performed Mary, Queen of Scots is set to make its debut in London with the English National Opera (ENO) next month.

The ENO will stage two performances at the London Coliseum on February 15 and February 18, coproduced by San Francisco Opera.

The opera follows the story of Mary I of Scotland, her tragic life and efforts to protect her country and faith. Betrayal is front and centre, as Mary is caught between her drunken husband, plotting half-brother and fickle lover. Faced with malice from every side, she turns to her Protestant cousin, Elizabeth I.

The director and designer is Stewart Laing (La bohème), with Joana Carneiro (The Handmaid’s Tale) conducting.

American soprano Heidi Stober makes her ENO debut in the title role of Queen Mary, with British tenor John Findon as Earl of Bothwell, Mary’s fickle lover, and British baritone Alex Otterburn as Mary’s half-brother, James Stewart.

English tenor Rupert Charlesworth plays Mary’s drunken spouse, Lord Darnley, with British bass Barnaby Rea as David Riccio, Mary’s private secretary and confidante, and English bass-baritone Darren Jeffrey as Scottish statesman Cardinal Beaton.

British bass Alastair Miles is Lord Gordon, Trinidadian tenor Ronald Samm plays the Earl of Ruthven, and British/Irish baritone Jolyon Loy takes the part of Earl of Morton.

The Four Marys (Mary Seaton, Beaton, Livingstone, Fleming), known for being Queen Mary’s ladies-in-waiting, are played by British soprano Jenny Stafford, Scottish soprano Monica McGhee, and British mezzo-sopranos Felicity Buckland and Siân Griffiths, respectively.

DM Wood is the lighting designer and Alex McCabe is the choreographer.

Tickets: https://www.eno.org/whats-on/mary-queen-of-scots/

English National Opera gets hitched (again) to The Marriage of Figaro

English National Opera will present Joe Hill-Gibbins’ acclaimed production of The Marriage of Figaro at the London Coliseum this February.

The seven performances between February 5-22 mark the first revival of Hill Gibbins’ take of Mozart’s comic opera, which is described as a bold, contemporary staging.

It also marks the show’s return to the Coliseum after opening for one performance in March 2020 before the Covid pandemic shut all theatres.#

The comedic story is set in a single crazy day – the wedding of Figaro and Susanna. A whirlwind of mistaken identities, deception and general mayhem, the couple try to elude their employer – a philandering and promiscuous Count – teaching him a lesson in fidelity he’ll never forget.

It was originally based on La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro, preceded by Il barbiere di Siviglia, both by Pierre Beaumarchais. This opera is a sequel of The Barber of Seville, composed by Gioachino Rossini.

Directed by Hill-Gibbins, conductor Ainārs Rubiķis makes his ENO debut and leads the orchestra. Tess Jackson conducts on Wednesday, February 12.

In the titular role of Figaro is British bass-baritone David Ireland. He will be joined by British soprano Mary Bevan as Susanna.

Dr Bartolo will be performed by Welsh bass-baritone Neal Davies, Welsh soprano Rebecca Evans returns to ENO in the role of Marcellina and Polish mezzo-soprano Hanna Hipp reprises her role from March 2020 as Cherubino.

Ireland-based Australian tenor Hubert Francis performs the roles of Don Basilio/Don Curzio. British soprano Nardus Williams is Countess Almaviva. Performing alongside her as Count Almaviva, American baritone Cody Quattlebaum makes his house debut.

Completing the cast is Canadian bass Trevor Eliot Bowes performing as Antonio, and Irish soprano Ava Dodd as Barbarina.

Johannes Schütz is the set designer, Astrid Klein is the costume designer, Matthew Richardson is the lighting designer, Jenny Ogilvie is the associate director and movement director, and the translation is by Jeremy Sams.

A coproduction with Oper Wuppertal, The Marriage of Figaro opens on Wednesday, February 5 for seven performances: February 5, 7, 12, 14, 17, 20. Tickets: www.eno.org

London Coliseum set to welcome Studio Ghibli stage adaptation Spirited Away

Tickets are set to go on sale for Spirited Away, which opens at the London Coliseum next year.

Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away, created by legendary animator and director Hayao Miyazaki, has been re-imagined for the stage by Toho Theatrical Department and Olivier and Tony Award-winning director John Caird (Les Misérables).

It tells the enchanting tale of Chihiro who while traveling to a new home with her family, stumbles into a world of fantastic spirits ruled over by the sorceress Yubaba. When her parents are turned into pigs and she is put to work in a magical bathhouse, Chihiro must use her wits to survive in this strange new place, find a way to free her parents, and return to the normal world.

Following a sell-out tour of Japan in 2022, the original Japanese cast including Kanna Hashimoto and Mone Kamishiraishi, who play Chihiro, will perform this spectacular production for a strictly limited London season, marking the production’s European premiere.

The show will be presented in the original Japanese, with English captions, and brought to life with a live orchestra playing the film score by Joe Hisaishi, arranged by Brad Haak (Mary Poppins), set design by Jon Bausor (Bat Out of Hell), imaginative puppets designed by Toby Olié (Pinocchio), choreography by Shigehiro Ide and costumes by Sachiko Nakahara.

It is adapted by John Caird, co-adapted by Maoko Imai, associate music supervision, orchestrations and ableton programming by Conor Keelan, lighting design by Jiro Katsushiba, sound design by Koichi Yamamoto, costume design by Sachiko Nakahara, hair and make-up design by Hiroaki Miyauchi and projection design by Satoshi Kuriyama.

The stage manager is Takashi Hoji, assistant to the director is Maoko Imai, associate director is Makoto Nagai, co-producer is Iain Gillie and the producer is Haruka Ogi.

From Toho Co and PW Productions, Spirited Away opens at the London Coliseum on April 30, 2024 and runs until July 20, 2024.

A 48-hour priority booking period will begin for those who have signed up at www.spiritedawayuk.com from 10am on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, followed by a general on sale from Thursday, September 7 2023 at 10am, with tickets available from £30.

The Mongol Khan sets UK creative team for London Coliseum run

The Mongol Khan, which tells an epic historical story through music, theatre, dance and puppetry, has unveiled the creative team for its UK shows ahead of its London Coliseum run this November.

Working alongside Mongolian director Hero Baatar are playwright Timberlake Wertenbaker (Our Country’s Good), who will adapt a new translation by historian and Mongolian history expert John Man.

Nick Barnes (Life of Pi, The Lorax) will design and create new puppets specifically for the UK production including a fire-breathing dragon. Mike Roberston (Charlie & The Chocolate Factory) joins the team to redesign the lighting for the vast Coliseum stage and David Gregory (King John) is the sound designer.

Mongolia 2,000 years ago. A brutal succession battle threatens the very stability of the Empire. As the great Khan struggles to maintain his supremacy, a plot hatches that will forever alter the balance of power.

This epic production, featuring more than 70 performers, has run for more than 100 performances in Mongolia. Based on historical events, the show explores Mongolian culture and history through music, dance, dialogue and puppetry, with elaborate sets and costumes, all inspired by traditional nomadic culture and tradition.

The Mongol Khan was written in 1998 by renowned Mongolian writer and poet Lkhagvasuren Bavuu and was revived in April 2022 at the Mongolian State Academic Theatre of Drama, directed by Baatar.

The production has taken inspiration from historical events, archaeological findings, traditional nomadic dances, and the music of the ancient Hun culture of Central Asia from the Hunnu Empire period, and is produced by Hero Entertainment, Wild Yak Productions and Maktub Productions.

Arriving to mark the 60th annivesary of Anglo-Mongolian relations, performances will run from November 17-December 3.

Tickets: www.themongolkhan.com