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[title]Guess what? ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ is back this April! Created by Danish composer Poul Ruders and librettist Paul Bentley, the opera adaptation of Atwood’s book first premiered back in 2000 in Copenhagen. It arrived at the ENO just three years later in a production directed by Phyllida Lloyd. This is an entirely new staging, so even if you did catch it in 2003, expect this one to look very different.
The cast is what we’re most excited about. The tale’s heroine, Offred, who is sadly separated from her husband and child and forced to become a childbearing servant, is performed by Kate Lindsey. Kate has sung for some pretty world-famous companies across the globe, including New York’s Metropolitan Opera, the Vienna State Opera and London’s own Royal Opera. Joined by the hugely talented Susan Bickley as her mother and John Findon as Nick, the show won’t disappoint.
And if you’re wondering about the music, it’s heavily inspired by minimalism… with some medieval chanting thrown in, as well as the works of Alban Berg. Ruders also draws on other musical genres, like gospel music.
Overall, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ tells a thought-provoking story magnifying the issues of state control and the fragility of freedom, as Offred wrestles with the daily terror of her reality.
“So how do I win?” We hear you ask. Just enter your details below to be in with a chance to win one of three pairs of tickets for a showing on either April 6 or 8 at the London Coliseum.
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