A few years ago, the London Coliseum was having as much drama offstage as on; huge funding cuts, high-profile exits, and even strikes from the chorus made it a venue in turmoil. Today, the home of the English National Opera still isn't quite as secure in its status as the Royal Opera House, London's other leading opera venue. But under new boss Daniel Kramer's regime, it's considerably cooler.
The American-born Kramer cut his teeth on the theatre scene as well as in European opera houses, and it shows in a programme that mixes returning opera classics and edgier experiments. There have been ambitious new commissions, and link-ups with contemporary artists like Anish Kapoor. ENO is also increasingly staging work outside its home at the Coliseum, and has put its considerable mite behind musical collabs with London theatres like The Gate, Wilton's Music Hall, and Regent's Park Open Air Theatre.
But you'll still find the traditional bread-and-butter of the ENO's line-up in the Coliseum's vast 2,359-seat auditorium, which drips with gilt and Classical-inspired statues, and has four tiers of balconied seating under a lavish domed ceiling. Built as a grand music hall in 1904 by the renowned architect Frank Matcham, was restored to its former glory in 2004 as part of an £80 million restoration.
Unlike at the Royal Opera House, all works here are performed in English, making it an accessible intro the world of opera. Stalls seats are often formidably expensive, but there are some real bargains to be found in the vertiginous heights of the gallery.
English National Ballet presents a brand new production of ‘Nutcracker’ this winter. Choreographed by ENB’s artistic director Aaron S. Watkin, and Olivier Award-winner Arielle Smith, this show opens in a sweet shop in Edwardian London. Clara will be played by a number of different ENB principals, including Erina Takahashi and Ivana Bueno.
F Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novella about the dark side of the American Dream has been endlessly adapted for the stage and that’s kicked into overdrive now that the US copyright has expired – there are two big US musical adaptations, with Florence Welch’s Gatsby: An American Myth circling Broadway and Jason Howland, Nathan Tysen and Kait Kerrigan’s The Great Gatsby already there. And now it’s coming here: barely a year after it opened on the Great White Way, The Great Gatsby will transfer to London, playing the limited summer season at the huge London Coliseum. Both the speed of the transfer and the limited nature of the run are slightly odd for a new Broadway show, and one wonders if it’s somehow trying to queer the pitch for a Gatsby: An American Myth transfer. Whatever the case, if it’s a big enough hit it will inevitably move elsewhere – reviews from Broadway suggest a stylish but not exactly profound take on the classic story that follows narrator Nick Carraway’s entaglement with enigmatic millionaire Jay Gatsby. Marc Bruni directs the transferring production.
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