WAR HORSE

Olivier

31.12.o8

Back to the National for a second look at War Horse, based on Morpurgo's novel.

Some tweaking since last year – the French girl is no longer a puppet, the naïve hand-held ombres chinoises have been replaced by more sophisticated projection, and Major Nicholls no longer reappears as a “ghost”, but the breathtakingly lifelike Joey and Topthorn are as good as ever, and John Tams 's music is in the excellent hands of folk singerTim van Eyken .

The human cast struggle to match the impact of the equine performers. But Patrick O'Kane as the “good German” Muller was outstanding, Bronagh Gallagher was a convincing wife and mother, and Kit Harington had some moving moments as the boy Albert. Not forgetting, of course, Finn Caldwell's scene-stealing goose.

This superb production, directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, combining a huge cast with masterly lighting and brilliant music, remains a worthy successor to His Dark Materials and Coram Boy. A South Bank sell-out for two seasons, it transfers at the end of March to the New London in Drury Lane.

Before the New Year's Eve matinee, early revellers danced in the Lyttleton foyer to Los Mareados playing Piazzolla.

CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS

Stondon Singers at Blackmore

23.12.08

In the atmospheric setting of the Priory Church in Blackmore, the Stondon Singers began their Celebration with a 16^th century German Resonet in Laudibus. By Leonhard Paminger, a composer unknown to me, and many others, I guess. Turns out he was Austrian, Protestant and a friend of Luther.

This rare gem is typical of the Stondons' style. Their carefully constructed programme – Anticipation, Nativity, Visitors to the Stable – was a satisfying mix of old and new, familiar and less familiar. So a robustly scored gallery carol from Dorset followed a brand new setting – by the Singers' founding-father Frank Webb – of The Ox He Openeth Wide The Door.

This excellent choir goes back 40 years, and they specialize in older repertoire, notably “local boy” William Byrd, who was represented here in a Vigilate and and the Magi's Vidimus Stellam.

King's Men Ord and Willcocks, Pearsall's In Dulci Jubilo, Mathias' Sir Christemas: these were the familiar pieces, and of course there were congregational carols for us all to sing.

Guest conductor, getting the very best from his singers, was Stephen Lloyd, who introduced the music with an engaging blend of erudition and mischief, and the organist was Stephen King, who gave us an impressive romantic Fantasia on Veni Emmanuel, the carol we had just sung ...

THE HAUNTED COMMODE

Eastern Angles Christmas Show

Recession-busting drama at the Sir John Mills this year, with no less than five for the price of one.

On lonely Hadesworth station, four travellers and the sinister station master are stranded. They decide to tell their spooky stories to pass the night ...

Tracy Elster, Simon Nock, Nicholas Agnew and Louise Shuttleworth in The Haunted Commode at the Sir John Mills Theatre, IpswichPhoto: Mike Kwasniak

Julian Herries' 2008 offering is well up to the high standard set in previous years, with another set of catchy songs from Pat Whymark. Endlessly inventive – the funny names, the twists of the plot – with the gleeful double entendres, the breakneck pace and the lightning changes, and the use of effective minimal detail – just the carriage door, just the handlebars, just a few horses from the carousel. And the faultlessly structured storyline, character and in-jokes. The creepy cannibals twins were especially memorable. Come to think of it, this is the third show this Christmas where children were killed for food - Hansel und Gretel, Saint Nicolas and now Lavinia's story ...

Hard to isolate elements for particular praise, but the palm-tree business was comedy perfection, and Ankh-er-Saweh's dog managed to sustain a routine well past its best-before date and into the audience sing-along.

With a wicked glint in his eye, Julian led an enthusiastic cast of five, playing Lord Floppington, Tootes and Gunter Lunchfarter, to silly name just three. Louise Shuttleworth was Madame Chambourcy, Tracy Elster Lady Wetsam-Daly, Nicholas Agnew Sister Bridget [and the dog] and Simon Nock Mr Crackers the children's entertainer/escaped lunatic. And, in the unique spirit of Eastern Angles, everyone pitched in to play an instrument – coconuts and triangle obbligato – shift the props and work the audience. Pure theatrical magic, playing in Ipswich and Woodbridge till January 24^th.

FAMILY CHRISTMAS CONCERT

at Chelmsford Cathedral

19.12.08

A varied selection box of musical delights raised money for the Mayor's charities just before Christmas.

BBC Essex star Dave Monk kept the programme moving, and managed to bridge some pretty wide cultural gulfs. For instance, Philip Cashian's contemporary piece Landscape, was followed by Kay Starr's unforgettable The Man With The Bag.

Sasha Valeri Millwood – the Cashian pianist – also gave us Bach and Chopin, as well as two finger-breaking virtuoso pieces: a Kabalevsky prelude and Fireworks from Debussy. Another award-winning young musician, Sophie Biebuyck, used her bright, warm soprano to excellent effect in extracts from The Messiah, and closed the concert with a simple but effective arrangement of Stille Nacht, backed by the very impressive chamber choir Bra-vissima.

Conducted by Julia Wilson-James, these dozen ladies started the evening with Frosty the Snowman, and ended the first half with the last two numbers from Britten's Ceremony of Carols, disappearing out to the vestry in candlelit procession.

We also heard about the Christmas Truce of 1914, and Conrad's Christmas Guest. Tricia Etherton's Theatretrain – who sang The Man with the Bag – had several more upbeat festive numbers for us; then, just before the mince pies and mulled wine, provided by event sponsors Cosmopolitan and Russell's Restaurant, everyone joined in one last chorus - We Wish You a Merry Christmas. I'll drink to that !

Sophie Biebuyck

HANSEL AND GRETEL

Royal Opera House

14 December 2008

Hand jive and high fives – these seemed a very contemporary pair of kids, even more than the costume and set would suggest. The DDR sprang to mind, though the father remains an artisan, even if his brooms were clearly not traditional, and his shopping from Spar pointed to a contemporary, almost affluent, society.

This new production, by Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier, ditched much of the magic for the grotesque, the kitsch and the glitzy. The dream sequence, with its traumeichhörnchenengel creatures, was strangely effective though, with the Sandman’s sandwich the longed-for gift.

The children were excellently sung by Kirschlager and Damrau, with plenty of lively characterization, and the Witch was a welcome appearance by Anja Silja, whose scary soprano probably didn’t need gimmicks like the boobs and the Zimmer frame – and why wasn’t that turned to barley-sugar, I wonder ?

Another legend as the Father, Thomas Allen in good voice, even when drunk and frisky on the bed with Elizabeth Connell as a depressed Mother.

The music, under the loving baton of Colin Davis, survived this wayward, cheap-looking makeover unscathed, though it still puzzles me why the notes, and indeed the words, are sacrosanct, but directors feel the need to impose their world-view on the audience, many of them in this case youngsters seeing their first ever opera. It's no secret that E H wrote the earliest version of this opera to entertain his own children. And yet the directors are on record as saying that this is not entertainment, and it is not for children, but about them ...

also posted to the ROH facebook page