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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. New Production. Running time 2 hours 50 minutes.

Cast/Performers

Simon Keenlyside (Billy Budd), John Tomlinson (Claggart), Timothy Robinson (Captain Vere), Ashley Holland (Mr Redburn), Pavlo Hunka (Mr Flint), Brindley Sherratt (Lieutenant Ratcliffe), Adrian Thompson (Red Whiskers), Toby Stafford-Allen (Donald), Gwynne Howell (Dansker), James Edwards (Novice), Richard Coxon (Squeak), Nicholas Folwell (Bosun), Andrew Rees (Maintop), William Berger (The Novice's Friend)

Creatives/Company

Author: Britten
Corporate Sponsor(s): Sky, Artsworld
Producer: Welsh National Opera
Director: Neil Armfield
Conductor: Andrew Litton
Design: Brian Thomson
Costume: Carl Friedrich Oberle
Lighting: Nigel Levings

Billy Budd

Billy Budd (Opera or Operetta) production archive for QTIX code T1992441350. Details of all Billy Budd archived productions can be found under the QTIX code: S1877

Archive Listings

3 Dec 05
  to
17 Dec 05
London Coliseum
West End, Greater London
Performance Details => Venue archive

Reviews

No UKTW or User reviews available.
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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.

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