★★★★☆Mercy, love, duty, courtesy – these are the virtuous values of the Puritan community in which Richard Jones sets his new production of Handel’s spellbinding 1735 opera. Their way is “The Only Path”, proclaims the wholesome image adorning the stage curtain. Until, that is, the sorceress Alcina rocks up, unleashing magic and mayhem. Her values? Love, for sure, but also pleasure, seduction, joy and sex.
For all its downsides – chiefly, being turned into an animal when Alcina gets bored – life on her enchanted island looks heaps more fun than that of the downtrodden Puritans, kept in line by Jose Coca Loza’s stern Atlante. It’s a place of sensuality and amusement. Luxurious ruched curtains, colourfully lit, form a moveable backdrop as the scenes
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