It's a Wonderful Life is the Christmas miracle that should save the ENO Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
, one that might also serve as a welcome introduction to the art form for younger spectators?
After this highly successful UK premiere of Jake Heggie’s 2016 take on Frank Capra’s 1946 film classic, we can say with some certainty: opera has. Heggie, together with librettist Gene Scheer, has made fine festive work of his adaptation, without shying away from any of the power and difficulty of the story.
Heggie and Scheer have reframed the narrative so that we experience it through the eyes of Clara, Angel Second Class, who hasn’t yet earned her wings. Sopranois a delight in the role, given that she is a lively actress as well as a splendid singer. We first encounter her on a swing high above the stage, as she observes desperate George Bailey as he prepares to jump from a bridge and end his life on Christmas Eve.
In the climactic scene, de Niese and Ballentine move strikingly from song to speech, before a stirring audience singalong to Auld Lang Syne. We’ll see you again for an operatic treat at Christmas 2023, Bedford Falls.
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