An Opera Of The Handmaid’s Tale Is Coming To London
One of the most acclaimed television shows in recent years is coming to the stage this year in opera form. The dystopian sensation that was adapted from Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale will be staged by the English National Opera this April.
This will be a new production of the opera that was first staged in 2000, fifteen years after the release of the book, and staged by the ENO in 2003. If you don’t know much about the Hulu TV series or its original source material, the story takes place some where around the year 2005, in an alternate timeline where the United States government has been overthrown by a radical political group who install a new regime over the land, which becomes known as the Republic of Gilead. A totalitarian state is formed, women’s rights are eroded, and the book’s story follows a woman named Offred, who is forced to navigate this frightening new world. A sequel to the novel, The Testaments, was released in 2019, though this production will only adapt the first.
If you’re a fan of the TV series and novel, but have never been to the opera, then this is a great way to be introduced to the medium, with a story you’re already familiar with. The show adapts the events of Atwood’s original novel, and spans 2 hours 45 minutes, peformed in English and with subtitles above the stage. You’ll be immersed in the dystopian world of Gilead, and as you might expect, the entire show is sung through. The soundtrack is minimalist and menacing, and actors wear the iconic red robes now symbolic of the themes of the book and series. Remember that considering the bleak and dark plot of the book, the opera has a suggested 15+ age for audience members.
While the television series beginning in 2017 and starring Elizabeth Moss has become hugely popular and brought the novel further into the mainstream, it’s not the first adaptation of the story of June Osborne/Offred. There was a film made in the 1990s, and several radio and stage adaptations, but the most acclaimed of these outside the Hulu series is this opera version. The original production was Danish and originally ran in Copenhagen before moving to other cities including London, and is now being revived after the success of the TV series, and following a 2019 production in Boston.
The opera, unlike the novel, features time jumps back and forth, with flashbacks to Offred’s past life before she is forced to become a Handmaid. It also begins and ends in the period of the book’s epilogue (spoilers!) and is framed as an historical account. The atmosphere will be surreal and eerie, with those red cloaks filling and score inspired by medieval chanting creating a tense mood. The visceral performance is set to be as thought provoking and emotive as Atwood’s original work, and will undoubtedly sweep you up in the story.
The visceral performance is set to be as thought provoking and emotive as Atwood’s original work…
The show is being directed by the English National Opera’s artistic director Annilese Miskimmon, and the cast includes acclaimed mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey as Offred, Susan Bickley as her mother and Emma Bell as Aunt Lydia. The original run of the opera received acclaim for critics, with The Independent in 2003 saying that “The Handmaid’s Tale is the triumph that English National Opera badly needs right now”, so if that’s anything to go by, it will be a great show.
The Handmaid’s Tale by the ENO is a chance to see the world Atwood created in a new light, and fans of the series will find a lot to like in this production. For those who don’t know the series, it’s still sure to be an incredible three hours of theatre. Tickets start at only £10-12 too, so it won’t cost you an arm and a leg for a truly unique night at the opera and being able to experience the hugely acclaimed novel on stage. Be sure to grab tickets quickly though, as the show only has a limited run and will no doubt sell out quickly considering the success of the TV show.
THE HANDMAID’S TALE BY THE ENGLISH NATIONAL OPERA OPENS ON 4th APRIL 2022. PURCHASE TICKETS HERE
