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Midway between the book and the TV series, however, Atwood’s book was turned into an opera by the Danish composer Poul Ruders which the English National Opera performed in 2003. This is the first time it has returned since then, and with the world disfigured successively by Global Warming, Donald Trump, Covid-19 and war, it may seem more relevant than ever.
Indeed, if you go to the theatre in search of relevance, this could be exactly what you want, but for those of us who want to be entertained or at least distracted from the troubles of the world, this is an evening of unremitting grimness.
The country now known as Gilead in which it is set is a brutal military dictatorship in which women of child-bearing age are relegated to the lowest level of society, responsible only for growing the population back to its previous levels.
The story centres on the misery of the heroine Offred, who longs to escape but does not know who she can trust and must therefore endure subjugation, child-abduction and rape, all of which are displayed on stage.
This is disturbing enough in a novel, but its starkness increases in a theatrical treatment and the director Annilese Miskimmon resists any temptation to lighten the emotional burden. That is, of course, true to the depressing spirit of the original, but it is still disturbing.
On the other hand, Ruders’ tuneless clunky music is totally appropriate and played with vigorous commitment by the always excellent ENO orchestra, and the singing, especially that of American mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsay as Offred, is impressively powerful.
My three-star assessment, of course, is a complete cop-out. I actually thought that the performers deserved four stars but the opera itself and the direction were closer to two stars.
Personally, I didn’t enjoy it at all.
The ENO’s opera season at the Coliseum is now over but returns at the end of August with Puccini’s La Boheme, with Tosca to follow in September.
Information about these and other future productions may be found at www.eno.org or 020 7845 9300
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