In Spring 2014, the English National Opera commissioned and debuted an opera adaptation Sophocles' Theban plays, called Thebans. We all know the screwed up story of poor Oedipus, this was that same story, condensed and rearranged a bit.
This was a modern opera, and seemed to lack the musical phrasing otherwise notable in most famous classic operas. Not knowing enough about opera, I can only assume this was deliberate. The lack of an identifiable melody delivered an unsettled vibe, very effectively conveying the emotions of the characters and making for some seriously incredible musical moments, most notably, the confrontation between Haemon and Creon during Antigone (this specific moment is the reason I rated it 4 stars).
Speaking of Antigone, it was our group's consensus that this was by far the best act. Antigone is the third of three Theban plays, but was for some unknown reason the second act of Thebans; an unnecessary choice, but I guess it worked. This act was intense and impressive. It displayed the talents of the actors, orchestra, directing, and set design marvelously.
We were in the second row of the stalls, so the orchestra pit was visible, but not degrading to the experience. In fact, the orchestra, while relatively small, had quite the interesting assortment of instruments, to include an alto flute! That's legit! AND a contrabass bassoon? Double legit! Also, one of the bass players looked like Julianne Moore, so that's not bad either.
Overall, it's not for everyone. Out of our group of four, the two guys enjoyed it more than the two girls--and that's saying something when you consider one of the girls is starring in a stage production of Antigone in Northampton in three weeks! Still, despite the oddities of the modern opera we saw, this is clearly a spectacular group of performers and a worthy night out. read more