OPERA fans made the trip to Islington last week for the opening night of The English Touring Opera’s performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Sadler’s Wells.
The Islington theatre stepped in to provide a temporary home for the opera company’s first night after the funding and redevelopment stricken Hackney Empire, the company’s usual opening venue, went dark in January.
The rococo opulence of the costumes worn by the players in Britten’s adaptation of the Shakespeare classic was a reminder of the Victorian pomp of the Hackney Empire, and also a great contrast to the modern ambience of Sadlers Wells.
A spokesman for the English Touring Opera said: “From the audience’s perspective coming over from Hackney isn’t too much of a problem, supporters don’t mind making the trip.
“It’s one of 16 venues we’re going to this season so we’re used to moving from one place to another. It was the biggest show this season, and we sold it out, which is just under 1,500 seats. In contrast, we’re going to much smaller places, and our production team are used to overcoming these difficulties.
“We got good feedback from audience members and the critics and we’d love to go back to Saddlers Wells, but we have heard that there is no space next year.
The English Touring Opera, which is showcasing three different productions – Don Pasquale, The Marriage of Figaro and A Midsummer Night’s Dream – this season, performs in Exeter this week.
Image credit – Richard Hubert Smith
