Socially distanced audiences have been treated to some light relief at Glyndebourne for Offenbach's Mesdames de la Halle adapted as In The Market For Love, directed by Stephen Langridge.
Hugh Canning (The Times) explains in more detail:
The production is packed with Covid-related gags, Rose’s Police Inspector, with a team of security guards, instructing the audience on elf-and-safety measures. There’s a huge dispenser of hand sanitiser on a pedestal centre-stage, and the lovers are swathed in bubble wrap for their duet. All good, ultra-hygienic fun.
Fiona Maddocks (The Guardian) describes Langridge's production as "deft", with audiences being happy to be back inside the theatre again.
With boisterous direction, and the whole cast romping cheerfully over Offenbach’s bouncy galops and flirtatious waltz songs, it’s surely the most fun any of us will have in the opera house for the foreseeable future. Richard Bratby (The Spectator)
The production will finish with two final performances on 24 and 25 October. More information can be found here.
Looking forwards, Stephen Langridge continues his four-season production of Wagner's Ring Cycle at Gothenburg Opera with Siegfried, premiering on 29 November 2020. Find out more about Stephen Langridge here.
Photo credit: Glyndebourne Productions/Richard Hubert Smith
