London.

AMERICANA.

King’s Head Theatre 115 Upper Street Islington N1 1QN.
Runs 1hr 20 min One interval.
Review: William Russell 26 February.

Surreal and splendid.
Open Door Opera bring music to places it may not otherwise reach, and this recital of American spiritual, art and folk songs from the 20th Century, with songs by Gershwin, Copeland, Glass, Cage and Ives, staged in the King’s Head Theatre – now a home for fringe opera – is hugely entertaining.

It is also not what you would expect from a recital by a soprano accompanied by a pianist and a ’cellist. The evening opens with a brief video clip of a trunk arriving at an airport and being lost. The joke is too good to spoil, but enough to say that on stage there is also a trunk whose purpose is not quite clear. In fact it turns out to be a dressing-up box for soprano Rebecca Dale.

She starts off in a black dress with a red and white striped pinny and ends up in her underslip with a miner’s lamp clipped to her brow – the only light in the room – still singing away. In between times she changes frequently into some odd bits and pieces. It is all very funny peculiar and delightful, and director Lewis Reynolds has come up with some bright ideas.

Ms Dale sings well, she is accompanied perfectly by Sarah Latto on the piano and in the second half they are joined by Daniel Edwards on the ’cello. The songs are nicely chosen, and as an event show it could not be bettered. As for that trunk. Well, where there is a trunk there is always a body.

Vocalist: Rebecca Dale.
Pianist: Sarah Latto.
’Cellist: Daniel Edwards.

Director: Lewis Edwards.

2012-02-28 02:44:26