Review

TITLE Greek VENUE: LBTBY CHRIS ROBINS

TOURING contemporary opera company, Music Theatre Wales, have been nominated for an Outstanding Achievement prize at tomorrow’s Theatre Awards UK.

They deserve to win. Michael McCarthy’s production of Mark Anthony Turnage’s chamber opera, Greek, is a triumph which, incidentally, is perfect for the LBT: the only north of England date on the tour.

The work was premièred in Munich in 1988 and within 18 months had been seen on BBC TV, at the Edinburgh Festival and in London.

No wonder – it is a brilliant explosive mix of succinct and earthy Chaucerian poetry, physical theatre, violence and comedy.

Turnage uses uncompromising rhythms for the violent scenes but – for the most part – lyricism with references to Stravinsky and Britten.

His pungent orchestrations show his command of jazz idioms and also an underlying touch of Shostakovich.

With a huge armoury of musical effects and colours Turnage gradually engages our sympathy for his initially brutish central character, Eddy.

Greek is the Oedipus myth as based on a Steven Berkoff play set in London’s East End during the Thatcher years. Eddy claws his way out via murder and riot – not to mention police brutality – to find love and security before truth leads to his inevitable downfall.

The 18-piece ensemble of solo instrumentalists, onstage à la Stravinsky’s Soldier’s Tale, drove the story faultlessly under the baton of Michael Rafferty.

The cast of four – Marcus Farnsworth as Eddy, and Sally Silver, Louise Winter and Gwion Thomas who shared all the other roles – were superb.