Review: THE GRAPES OF WRATH, National Theatre
The piece is heavy in topic and method, but Carrie Cracknell’s quiet direction smooths out the nearly three hours of running time. It’s by any means not an easy-breezy show to experience, but it sinks into your soul in a way that only an epic does. The problem is that it’s so, so slow.
Mezzo-Soprano Aigul Akhmetshina Signs to Decca Classics
Mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina Signs to Decca Classics. Despite facing rejection at early auditions, where she was told she lacked the right voice and appearance, at the age of 27 Aigul has already etched her name in history as the youngest artist ever to take on the title role of Bizet's Carmen at the Royal Opera House in London.
Review: When Akhmetshina's CARMEN Is On Stage at The Met, Don't Fence Her In
Sometimes you hear a singer who embodies a role so completely that it’s hard to imagine her in anything else. That’s how I felt about the wonderful mezzo Aigul Akhmetshina, who’s singing the title role in the Met’s new production of Bizet’s CARMEN, which I saw at its second performance. Her portrayal was as full-bodied as her voice and she sizzled, filling up the stage as much as one can imagine. It’s little surprise that she’s considered the Carmen of the moment, having appeared in seven other productions (with two to come).
Review: PORTIA COUGHLAN, Almeida Theatre
Marina Carr’s award-winning play returns to London directed by Carrie Cracknell and starring Conversations with Friends starlet Alison Oliver (who trod the same boards earlier this year in Women, Beware the Devil). A compelling analysis of toxic dysfunction and female pain, Portia Coughlan is a jarring family drama shackled by tragedy. It propels Oliver into theatre stardom.