| Tell us about your event | Putting on a show?
Staging an exhibition?
Performing on a street corner?
Want to send in a review?
Whatever you're doing, we want to hear from you.
So get in touch by emailing brightonfestival@bbc.co.uk |
It’s not everyday one goes to the opera only to be faced by a gun toting, six foot tall nose with a fine tenor vibrato, but that is exactly what happened to me last night at the Theatre Royal, when I went to take a look at The Opera Group’s performance of Shostakovich’s first opera, The Nose. Based on a short story by Nikolai Gogol, the opera follows the absurd and darkly humorous tale of a Russian army major, Kavalyov, who awakes one morning and finds that his nose has completely disappeared from his face. In his shock and dismay he sets off to find his missing part, only to discover that the rebellious nose is pompously parading around the local cathedral dressed flamboyantly as a local state councilor. When confronted by the major, he denies all connection and escapes again much to the distress of our poor noseless major. The scenario becomes more and more frantic, the orchestra more discordant and the 9 strong cast more energetic in their attempts to uncover this phenomenon and tame the renegade nose. Bellowing basses and hollering prima donnas all the way, Shostakovich’s avant garde composition really emulates the chaos of the story and also pokes fun at more traditional opera stories. It was a delight to watch and I found myself feeling bemused and totally enthralled by what was going on. The audience was in stitches at this slightly slapstick scene and I certainly left with a smile…and a discreet scratch of my nose. A magnificent performance all round. | 
