Ad not shown

Details

Britten's operas often focus on the way particular worlds deal with an outsider. The outsider in Billy Budd is a young man, press-ganged into naval service on the HMS Idomitable around 1797. His story is told in an opera-length flashback by the ship's captain, Edward Fairfax Vere, who is racked by guilt over Billy's fate. Billy's optimism, good-heartedness and trusting nature wins over all but the most venal of the downtrodden crew. He's keen for promotion, but his charisma and beauty cause the evil master-at-arms, John Claggart (who resembles Iago in Shakespeare's Othello), to plot his destruction. Billy's fatal flaw is that, under pressure, he suffers from a crippling stutter. When Claggart falsely accuses him of fomenting mutiny, in front of a sceptical Vere, Billy cannot find the words to defend himself and strikes Claggart dead. At the subsequent court-martial, Vere must follow the letter of the Articles of War and Billy is condemned to death. Typically, just before his execution, Billy cries out in praise of Vere. Now a very old man, Vere concludes that Billy's blessing has, in fact, saved him.

Creatives/Company

Author: Britten

What's On By Year ...

Archive listings for Billy Budd (2019)

Work type: Opera or Operetta.

T01076966108

Sung in English with surtitlesProducer Royal Opera. Producer Teatro Real Madrid. Producer Opera di Roma. Conductor Ivor Bolton. Director Deborah Warner. Design Michael Levine. Costume Chloe Obolensky. Lighting Jean Kalman. Choreographer Kim Brandstrup.
23 Apr 19 to 10 May 19Royal Opera House, West End :: V377
listing details L01234980694

Reviews

No UKTW or User reviews available.
Ad not shown
CORONAVIRUS: All venues in the UK were shut down on March 16, 2020, and the restrictions were finally lifted on July 19, 2021. It is important to mention that the UK Theatre Web archive listings (iUKTDb) from March 2020 to July 2021 might not be accurate due to the lack of information regarding rescheduled and cancelled shows.

Mastodon X - Twitter © Dynamic Listing Ltd, UK. 1995-2024