Wednesday, December 19, 2012

The Opera 101 by Robert Walport

Hello everyone!Long time no see. I, to all intents and purposes, became a veritable web hermit after stopping this blog, taking a self-imposed exile from Twitter, Foursquare, Facebook and ev…

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 09:20PM
Tuesday, July 3, 2012

That's all folks... by Robert Walport

The time has finally come for me to hang up my reviewing boots. It's been a blast but life moves on and with just over 750 reviews, and their accompanying shows behind me, I've decided to gi…

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 09:53PM
Monday, June 18, 2012

La Cenerentola (Glyndebourne Opera) by Robert Walport

There's little love lost between Rossini's "La Cenerentola" and me. Undeniably packed with great tunes, the overture is a cracker, but it's a painfully mundane take on Cinderella, not exactl…

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 11:18PM
Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Cunning Little Vixen (Glyndebourne Opera) by Robert Walport

Melly Still was presumably hired to make-over Janacek's "The Cunning Little Vixen" after her gorgeous "Rusalka" of a couple of seasons ago. Alas, a similar approach has not reaped such …

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 11:54AM
Friday, June 8, 2012

Antigone by Robert Walport

Trying to make classical theatre relevant is both easy and very hard. Easy in that texts such as Sophocles's "Antigone" have a timeless quality that has sustained them for several thousand y…

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 06:40PM
Wednesday, June 6, 2012

The Sunshine Boys by Robert Walport

Danny DeVito isn't your typical piece of celebrity casting. In "The Sunshine Boys" he delivers a whirlwind of fiercely acted energy. A performance that ranks amongst the best in London, DeVi…

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 10:14PM
Monday, June 4, 2012

Caligula (English National Opera) by Robert Walport

Based on the manner in which the English National Opera marketed "Caligula" (Exhibit A: the poster above) it will come as no surprise to anyone that it really is a grisly bit of theatre. Beg…

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 10:46PM
Friday, June 1, 2012

Royal Ballet Double Bill (Ballo/La Sylphide) by Robert Walport

To find the Royal Ballet performing Balanchine during my couple of weeks in London didn't exactly fill me with joy (the NYCB producing close to wall to wall Balanchine). "La Sylphide" on the…

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 02:23PM
Thursday, May 31, 2012

What The Butler Saw by Robert Walport

To describe the latest West End "What The Butler Saw" as disappointing is a bit unfair but that was certainly the feeling I had as I left the theatre. Joe Orton's spicey 60s farce has much t…

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 04:56PM
Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Falstaff (Royal Opera) by Robert Walport

Verdi's "Falstaff" is one of the funniest operas ever written and Michael Carsen has honed in on this very fact in his new production for the Royal Opera. It's hard to complain when you're h…

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 05:26PM
Sunday, May 27, 2012

Sweeney Todd by Robert Walport

Jonathan Kent's quite impeccable new production of Stephen Sondheim's "Sweeny Todd" seems to take its tone from Michael Ball's assumption of the title role: lean, muscular and efficient. Ope…

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 06:24PM
Saturday, May 26, 2012

Watch the Throne by Robert Walport

Jay-Z and Kanye West in concert together... the mere presence of two such superstars in combination more or less ensured that "Watch The Thone" was going to be disgustingly good fun. It was …

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 06:54PM
Thursday, May 24, 2012

Two Roses for Richard III by Robert Walport

I love culturally diverse takes on Shakespeare. Dutch Tragedies and Japanese Comedies have been some of the highlights of my theatregoing life. "Two Roses for Richard III" by Companhia …

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 09:10PM

The Table by Robert Walport

One table, one puppet, three puppeteers: pure magic. I didn't really have any expectations of "The Table" by Blind Summit Theatre, but even if I did, it would have blown them out of the wate…

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 06:03PM

La clemenza di Tito (Vienna State Opera) by Robert Walport

Oh dear. After last night's "Traviata" I lived in hope that Jurgen Flimm might find something fascinating in Mozart's "La clemenza di Tito". It was not to be, Flimm's production is a terribl…

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 12:56PM
Wednesday, May 23, 2012

La Traviata (Vienna State Opera) by Robert Walport

After two nights of aging productions, next up was "La Traviata" in a new production by Jean-Francois Sivadier from earlier this season. As massively different from those traditional staging…

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 06:25PM

Il barbiere di Sivilia (Vienna State Opera) by Robert Walport

Fresh from the moth balls of the previous evening's "Salome", night two of my brief Vienna trip was "Il Barbiere di Sivilia" in a production that is, if you can believe it, even older. Some …

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 06:19PM
Friday, May 18, 2012

Salome (Vienna State Opera) by Robert Walport

The Vienna State Opera could easily claim to have the most diverse line-up of productions in its repertory anywhere in the world. You can be watching regietheatre at its most extreme one nig…

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 02:14PM

Babel by Robert Walport

Hmmmm. I'd like to say "Babel" is great, a big community project with its heart in the right place, but I'm afraid it isn't. In fact it isn't even good, "Babel" is absolutely terrible. Site-…

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 10:40AM
Thursday, May 17, 2012

Collaborators by Robert Walport

When John Hodge's "Collaborators" walked away with Best Play at the Oliviers it immediately sprung onto my list of must sees. Bizarrely almost everyone I had spoken to viewed it as a good no…

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 07:03PM
Wednesday, May 16, 2012

The Flying Dutchman (English National Opera) by Robert Walport

I've missed the English National Opera. For all their ups and downs they produce the sort of opera that virtually isn't seen in New York. Opera as living breathing theatre, not some sacred c…

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 07:28PM

La Fille Mal Gardee (Royal Ballet) by Robert Walport

"La Fille Mal Gardee" is a ballet that manages to surprise me every time I see it. I wear enormous rose tinted goggles regarding my trips to it as a child and yet it still reliably bowls me …

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 04:41PM
Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Misterman by Robert Walport

Back in the UK and straight back to the National Theatre. "Misterman", a one-man show written and directed by Enda Walsh and starring Cillian Murphy, was actually briefly seen in New York la…

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 05:49PM
Sunday, May 13, 2012

New York City Ballet Quad Bill (Night/Cage/Andantino/InG) by Robert Walport

I'm going to be away for almost the entirety of the New York City Ballet's (NYCB) summer season this year but I thought I'd catch a single bill before I went. An all-Robbins bill w…

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 07:14PM
Saturday, May 12, 2012

The Best Man by Robert Walport

The cast of "The Best Man" by Gore Vidal is an ideas driven piece with characters artfully constructed to score philosophical points. Though the odd moment transcends the device ridden struc…

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 05:51PM
Thursday, May 10, 2012

Billy Budd (Metropolitan Opera) by Robert Walport

When asked what my favourite opera is, I usually respond with vague platitudes about not having favourites, loving them all, etc. etc. That's pretty much true but if I had to pick one, which…

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 09:02PM
Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Nice Work If You Can Get It by Robert Walport

The Tony nominations came out and I realised that I'd seen surprisingly few of them, how on earth was I to moan about the inevitable results when I haven't seen everything! The fact that mor…

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 05:34PM
Monday, May 7, 2012

Barry Manilow by Robert Walport

If I had a life checklist, hearing Barry Manilow sing "Mandy" live would have been on it. He went one better in his current tour, which I was very lucky enough to catch at Radio City Music H…

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 06:24PM
Saturday, May 5, 2012

Leap of Faith by Robert Walport

A couple of years ago, I happened to stumble upon "Leap of Faith" during its original run in LA. The show was then overlong, sentimental and totally unambitious. It has now dragged itself to…

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 03:40PM
Thursday, May 3, 2012

The Makropulos Case (Metropolitan Opera) by Robert Walport

In a long season of 25 odd operas, the incredible dearth of 20th Century (or dare we ask even 21st Century works) at the Metropolitan Opera has been rather dispiriting ("Satyagraha" the only…

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 02:30PM
Friday, April 27, 2012

Gotterdammerung (Metropolitan Opera) by Robert Walport

The ring has come full circle and what an amazing ride it has been. I'd be lying if I said I liked everything about the Metropolitan Opera's new Ring Cycle, the production, cast and particul…

SOURCE: The Tyro Theatre Critic at 04:59PM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards