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A little less conversation: After Sex @Arcolatheatre

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According to research, millennials in rich countries are having sex less these days. But they were prepared to talk more about it. So, it is no surprise to see a story about what happens when a series of no-strings-attached encounters start to become attachments. And the conversations arising from it. Such is the premise of After Sex, Siofra Dromgoole’s two-hander of the conversations afterwards. It’s not particularly sexy or erotic, and the snappy pacing and short scenes sometimes make you wish they stayed longer to finish the conversation. Nevertheless, it is still a funny and, at times, bittersweet picture of single lives in the big city. It’s currently playing at the Arcola Theatre .  He is bi and works for her in an office job. She is neither ready for a commitment nor to let the office know what’s happening. He isn’t prepared to tell his mum there’s someone special in his life. He doesn’t speak to his dad, so his mum is his world. It’s a perfect relationship/arrangement. Or so it

Belters and bohemians: Opera Locos @Sadlers_wells


At the start of the Opera Locos performance, the announcement says that they really are singing. You could be forgiven for wondering that, given the amplification turns up the backing track and the voices so loud that you can't always tell what's real. But this is a mostly harmless and slightly eccentric blend of opera classics fused with the occasional pop classic. However, recognising the pop tunes would help if you were over a certain age. The most recent of them dates back twenty years. It's currently playing at the Peacock Theatre. 

Five performers play out a variety of archetype opera characters. There's the worn-out tenor (Jesús Álvarez), the macho baritone (Enrique Sánchez-Ramos), the eccentric counter-tenor (Michaël Kone), the dreamy soprano (María Rey-Joly) and the wild mezzo-soprano (Mayca Teba). Since my singing days, I haven't recognised these types of performers. However, once, I recall a conductor saying he wanted no mezzo-sopranos singing with the sopranos as he wanted the sound virginal. So maybe they got the wild bit right for the mezzo-soprano. 


Anyway, through a series of sketches, scenes, and audience participation, there are tales of love for music. There's even a little story around the love of a fan for a tenor whose star has faded. And another about the baritone trying to give singing lessons to the counter-tenor in a more "macho" style. 

Be warned that as this is opera, suicide is a subject matter, and as this is a comic show, there is also audience participation, especially if you are in the front row. 

The concept of the show, created by the Yllana company, is to explore the comic potential of opera and make it more accessible. You must still be familiar with the various operas; otherwise, you might be bewildered by their origins. But the mash-ups with the more modern songs suggest the line from aria to pop is potentially a continuous one. If only the songs were more recent and the sound was a bit clearer so you could hear the singers. 

Created and directed by YLLANA, Opera Locos is at the Peacock Theatre until 11 May. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️


Photos: production photos supplied

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