Page 48 - FINAL_Theatre of Sound Coverage Book
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1 November 2021
Founded by director and writer Daisy Evans and conductor, musical director, arranger and producer
Stephen Higgins, innovative opera company Theatre of Sound launches this month with a brand new
immersive production of Bluebeard’s Castle (1918) by Béla Bartók.
Usually presented as a Gothic horror story centred on an abusive relationship, this new, fully staged
presentation reimagines the piece as a love story between a long-married couple – Duke Bluebeard
and Judith – coming to terms with living with dementia. Instead of hiding Bluebeard’s terrible secrets,
locked castle doors become locked-in memories in Judith’s mind.
Performances will take place at Stone Nest, a stunning former Welsh chapel in the heart of London’s
West End, from 4-14 November. Sung in English in a newly commissioned translation, the production
features a stellar cast of singers, with sopranos Susan Bullock and Gweneth Ann Rand sharing the role
of Judith, and bass-baritone Gerald Finley and baritone Michael Mayes that of Duke Bluebeard.
The production is directed by Evans, Higgins and their creative team. Higgins conducts players from
the London Sinfonietta in a new chamber orchestration.
