Laura Kressly

Classical opera is known for a scale and extravagance that can feel irrelevant to the present and only accessible to the upper echelons of society. Some opera companies have been trying to change this through streamlining and updating opera so it has wider appeal. This opera by Huang Ro draws on the ancient and contemporary, and European and East Asian traditions, to create a distinctly current production.

Tom has early onset dementia so he struggles with his short-term memory and is prone to getting confused. His daughter Sophie is trying to help him get dressed for his birthday party, but he gets muddled up over which jacket and tie he’s meant to wear. When he puts on the wrong one that’s tucked at the back of his clothes rail, his mind whisks him away to his past. The ensemble cast use physical theatre and some spoken text to depict key moments from Tom’s life.

People looking to connect with nature and live at a slower pace can be prone to romanticising life on a farm without realising just how much work it is. This non-verbal, physical theatre piece by Belgian theatre collective FC Bergman depicts the brutality of working the land and raising livestock in stark relief. Based on the ancient Greek didactic poem of the same title, the performance is an impressive, epic rumination on humanity’s quest to conquer nature and how it fights back.