Review: The Turn of the Screw, Royal Ballet And Opera

A new production by Natalie Abrahami and Michael Levine, The Turn of the Screw at the Royal Opera House haunts with eerie staging, finely judged performances, and Benjamin Britten’s still-chilling score. First performed in 1954, the opera remains as psychologically disquieting as ever.

The plot, based on Henry James’s novella of the same name, centres around an unnamed young governess (Isabelle Peters) who is hired to take care of two children, Miles (Phoenix Matthews) and Flora (Emilia Blossom Ostroumoff), at the remote country estate Bly. However, she soon learns that former employees Peter Quint (Elgan Llŷr Thomas) and Miss Jessel (Kate Royal) still haunt and corrupt the children. The governess soon becomes obsessed and does all in her power to protect her charges with the help of the housekeeper, Mrs Grose (Claire Barnett-Jones).

Michael Levine’s set design is striking: for most of the runtime, the stage is flooded in a thin layer of water, with small platforms sliding across the stage to reconfigure various props - such as doors, beds, or blackboards. The action unfolds in near-darkness, lit only by a faint, shifting source of light. Combined, these elements turn the staging into a dreamscape. Nothing seems fixed; everything can be shifted around for dramatic effect - such as when Peter Quint tempts Miles to steal the letter. At the same time, the stage becomes an inescapable nightmare for the characters, creating a palpable sense of claustrophobia in the audience.

But the inescapable nightmare is primarily spread through Thomas’s Quint. With a voice both sweet and insidious, he becomes a seductive, destabilising presence. He’s paired well with Royal’s Jessel, which features a rich register that delivers her character’s suffering perfectly. Barnett-Jones’s mezzo is beautifully powerful and captures her hapless, infuriatingly reasonable character. Matthews and Ostroumoff as the children display great talent; with splendid voices and stellar acting, they already possess a stage presence some adults never acquire. But it is Peters who steals the show with her governess, faultless and dramatically assured throughout.

Bassem Akiki at the baton guides the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House with an acute attention to the singers, complementing their performances with responsive control. Akiki shows no moments of weakness, allowing each second to breathe as required. All of this turns Abrahami’s The Turn of the Screw into a highly successful production that lingers long after its final note.

The Turn of the Screw is at the Royal Ballet and Opera until 6 April