Theatre Trip: ENO (The Cunning Little Vixen)

THE CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN (ENO)

Coliseum Theatre

Date: 26 February (Saturday), 7:30pm

Seats: Upper Circle, Row J, 34-36

(Seen with Jess and Bri!)

This show was quite a random seeming booking. I get emails from the ENO with upcoming shows, and the idea of one composed by Janacek was intriguing. Plus we  could get tickets for £25! So we did that.

We met up for dinner beforehand, having pasta at a place in Carnaby Street. We arrived at the theatre around 7:10, which would usually be enough time. We had booked seats in the Balcony, but it was closed this evening so we got moved down to the Upper Circle. We had to line up for the new tickets (which I did while the girls went to get programs etc) and they gave me 3 new tickets. But when we got up to the seats I discovered that actually they had given us 2 seats together, and the third in a totally different row! So at 7:20 I gave them to the girls to exchange while I sorted myself out before the show actually started. Luckily we got back to the right place just in time to take our new new seats in Row J, and actually all got to sit together!

I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. The music was composed in the 1920s, which actually I recognised once we got into it, as it had simliarities to Rachmaninov, Stravinsky and Shostakovich. It was in English, which I wasn't expecting as Janacek is actually Czech, and in English it had some very communist-sounding ideas (as noticed by Bri).

The costuming was really interesting and beautiful. They brought the woodland creatures to life and used both child and adult actors to portray the passing of time really well. They also had one scrolling backdrop which shows the passage of times really well and I liked that it was the main set piece. The rest of the set was very minimal and the costumes  did most of the talking. I think my favourites were the mushrooms, all in cream while wearing mushroom hats!

The performances were all great. I recognised a few names from seeing other performances, mostly Gilbert and Sullivan shows. Unfortunately I couldn't recognise any faces with such complex costumes! But every performance was great.

The plot was really interesting. I did need to read some of the plotline to get the details, but the little vixen being caught was practically visceral and I really liked the cyclical nature of it. It also had 3 acts, which I wasn't expecting, with interval after Act 2 and a very short Act 3. We did make the mistake of getting drinks at interval which we then had to drink quite quickly before it was all over!

I like visiting the ENO a lot and I saw that there is an opera of the Handmaid's Tale in April that I would like to go and see next. But there will probably be more musicals in the meantime...