My Mother Told Me Not to Stare previews this weekend at Darlington Arts Centre before it heads off on national tour.Read what the Journal Culture Magazine had to say here - http://www.journallive.co.uk/culture-newcastle/2012/05/29/opera-for-youngsters-is-sure-to-keep-them-riveted-61634-31066942/
We saw 'My Mother...' at Pegasus, Oxford. I was very impressed with the credibility the performances gave to the characters, and Bobby's subterranean quest particularly was presented with absolute conviction. His desperation was palpable. I worried at the beginning, though, whether there wasn't a bit too much exposition of the where and the who and so on. Production design enabled the play also to be seen as grotesque spectacle - the masks were very effective, and the model of Upper Crumble in its globe was a work of art in itself. The display of foetus-like shadows in jars increased the creepiness quotient several times. Given that the play was advertised as for 8+ I was surprised at the music - much of it a sort of modern academic, but it worked and the singing was first class.
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