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BOOK AHEAD: TERRY GILLIAM’S FAUST AT THE COLISEUM
If you’re looking for a chance to get your operatic juices flowing, then Terry Gilliam’s new production of Berlioz’s The Damnation of Faust for the ENO should do it. Co-produced with Antwerp’s De Vlaamse Opera, the show looks to be a must-book. Based on a translation of Goethe’s dramatic poem, it was conceived as first an oratorio, then an opera, and finally a “dramatic legend”. Berlioz’s story examines the idea of temptation, and the lengths a man will go to for love, through the always-fascinating tale of Faust’s temptation by the devilish Mephistopheles. Opens 6 May 2011 (10 performances).
www.eno.org.
AS YOU LIKE IT AT KINGSTON’S ROSE
The Rose in Kingston is a real boon for locals. Sometime, it’s even worth making the trip for those who live outside of the leafy suburb. If the unique charm of locally-produced, lowish budget Shakespeare is appealing to you, then the Rose’s current performance of As You Like It is one such occasion. www.rosetheatrekingston.org