• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
    • First Time Here?
    • Archive
    • London Blogs
  • Blog
  • Travel
    • London Theater Tickets
    • Shopping
    • Tips
    • Tours
    • Transport
    • Maps
    • Parks
    • Resources
    • Restaurants
    • Top 10 London
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Buildings
    • Food
    • London Books
    • Movies
    • Museums
    • Music
    • Pubs
  • Londonism
    • Reviews
    • Fun London
    • Iconic London
    • Life in London
    • London Realities
    • Moving to London
    • Politics
  • The Tube
  • London History
    • Great London Buildings
    • Great Londoners
  • Contact
  • Guidebooks
    • 101 London Travel Tips – Guidebook
    • 101 Free Things to do in London

Londontopia

The Website for People Who Love London

You are here: Home / Culture / Theatre / London Theatre Reviews: The Moderate Soprano Starring Nancy Carroll and Roger Allam – Review

London Theatre Reviews: The Moderate Soprano Starring Nancy Carroll and Roger Allam – Review

Jun 1, 2018 By Jonathan

I’m a big fan of the British actor Roger Allam so when a press release came across my inbox earlier this year announcing that he was performing in a play on the West End this spring, my interest was immediately piqued. Especially since I was currently in the middle of binge-watching Endeavour. The play in question was The Moderate Soprano. And as fate would have it, I would be in the UK covering the Royal Wedding and going to the play would be a great way to end the trip. Spoiler: It was.

I promptly bought a ticket for my final night in England and forgot about it and Royal Wedding fever took over the world. As the day approached, I considered not going to the play. By the final day of my trip, I was exhausted. I just wanted to stay in my flat in Windsor and relax before going home. But I can relax at home, I reasoned. So, I mustered the troops to go into London, visited a brilliant exhibition (review coming soon), saw a film, ate a great dinner, said goodbye to my bad headache and decided that yes, I was going to endure the West End crowds to attend this play.

I’m very glad I did.

That’s probably more backstory than you wanted.

Now, to the play itself.

The Moderate Soprano is about the founding of the opera festival at Glyndebourne. For those that have no idea what this is, eccentric English gentleman John Christie loved opera. So much that he married a soprano and founded an Opera festival in his back garden that’s now a key part of the British summer ‘season.’ But back in the 1930’s, it was the vision of a man who many thought was quite mad. Why on Earth would anyone want to leave London to attend an opera in someone’s back garden?

One of the first examples of the phrase “if you build it, they will come.”

The play itself is about these early days as John sought help from key figures in early 20th century European opera to help bring his vision to fruition. The interesting bit is that this is right before World War II and there was a ready supply of operatic refugees who, for one reason or another, had to leave Nazi Germany. So, the play takes on a resonance in the modern day with its message of the cultural contribution that refugees can make in a time of war.

The play was put on at the Duke of York’s Theatre, a fine little theater I’ve been to before. The theater itself was only half full, so to make it look fuller, they moved everyone to closer seats – my previous seat at the back substantially improved when they moved me forward 15 rows. I had a clear view of the stage and could see the sweat on the actor’s brows. The set decoration of the play was simple and clever. There was not much ostentation here. All the better to enjoy the talents of the cast without distraction.

The cast was marvelous. Roger Allam was as wonderful as I expected him to be, though it was a bit weird to see him with a bald head. The real star of the show is Nancy Carroll as John Christie’s wife Audrey Mildmay. She’s a tragic character and the actress portrays her perfectly as the play spans across multiple time periods. The rest of the cast is great as well. The best thing I can say about the play is that everyone involved was professional and the play was perfect.

It was written by David Hare, noted British playwright. Ironically I’d recently seen his recent TV production starring Carey Mulligan on Netflix called Collateral (which dealt with similar subject matter – refugees fleeing war). It was a bit weird to watch a play by the same writer so soon after watching a 4-part TV show. But then I’m not particularly familiar with Hare’s work in theater.

The play was both fascinating and funny. There’s much British snobbery on display and then its amped up with European snobbery about British culture. Fans of classical music and opera will love this play and will certainly love the jokes at its expense. Especially the cracks at Mozart and the British ability to perform opera properly (before Glyndebourne, it was not good). If you’re not familiar with the names and sounds of opera and classical music, you might be a bit lost (and find some of it a bit snobby). But overall, as a fan of both, I loved it.

This play is a delight and if you’re looking for something to do on a nice London summer evening, go see this play. You don’t have long. It ends June 30th.

You can book tickets here.

jonathan
Author: jonathan

Jonathan is a consummate Anglophile who launched Anglotopia.net in 2007 to channel his passion for Britain. Londontopia is its sister publication dedicated to everything London.

close

Free London News

Get the latest news on London history, culture, travel, exhibitions, and more right in your inbox!

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Share this:

  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Pocket

Filed Under: Featured, Reviews, Theatre

Subscribe to Our Free London Updates

Free London News

Get the latest news on London history, culture, travel, exhibitions, and more right in your inbox!

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

About jonathan

Jonathan is a consummate Anglophile who launched Anglotopia.net in 2007 to channel his passion for Britain. Londontopia is its sister publication dedicated to everything London.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Elizabeth Mahon says

    Jun 5, 2018 at 11:30 am

    I went to see this play as well my last night in London (I had flown over to see the Royal Wedding in Windsor. I stayed in London and took the train in the wee hours of Saturday morning). I bought my ticket at the TKTS book in Leicester Square. For 20 pounds, I had a seat in the 2nd row of the stalls. I really enjoyed it, very different from David Hare’s usual plays. And I’ve always been curious about Glyndebourne. I’m glad that I went although I was so tired, I’d been running around since I’d arrived.

    • jonathan says

      Jun 5, 2018 at 12:38 pm

      We may have well been there on the same night! I went on Monday.

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Our Free London Updates

Free London News

Get the latest news on London history, culture, travel, exhibitions, and more right in your inbox!

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Get the Anglotopia/Londontopia App

Our Advertisers

If you are a mobile gamer, you may want to take a look at UK’s new mobile casinos and slots reviewed by NewCasinoUK.

Join the London Forum

  • Mudlarking
  • MY FAVOURITE PLACE IN LONDON
  • What's Your Favorite Place in London?
  • Paddington Station

London Guide

  • Ten Cheap Things You Can Do in London on a Budget
  • Ten London Exhibitions to Look Forward to in 2023
  • London’s Non-Free Museums: Your Guide to London’s Museums That Charge Admission
  • Trip Planning: Top 10 Exhibitions To Plan Your 2018 Trips to London Around
  • London Guide: Our Favorite Restaurants in London – London Restaurant Recommendations for Americans – What’s Your Favorite?

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • RSS Feed
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Support Londontopia

Search our Extensive Archive

Top 10 London

  • Ten Unusual Exhibits to See in London
  • London Pubs: Ten Thameside Pubs for a Pint and a View
  • Top 10 London: Ten More Things to Do Along the River Thames
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Shopping Centers in London
  • Museums of London: Ten Overlooked London Museums
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Haggerston
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Haringey
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Redbridge
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Hillingdon
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to Do in Canonbury

Recent Posts

  • More than 200 looks to feature in V&A exhibition on Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel
  • Souls Grown Deep like the Rivers: Black Artists from the American South at The Royal Academy
  • National Portrait Gallery to reopen with exhibition on pioneering color photographer
  • London Eye gets spring clean to mark start of the season
  • Natural History Museum named most visited indoor UK attraction again
  • The Ugly Duchess: Beauty and Satire in the Renaissance at the National Gallery
  • Gatwick returns to profit as air travel bounces back
  • Sir Mark Rylance brings role as Dr Semmelweis to West End
  • Shire horses prepare Tower of London moat for next wildflower display
  • In Video: Watch pianist Lang Lang perform at St Pancras station

Best Posts on Londontopia

  • 101 London Travel Tips
  • Top 100 London Attractions
  • How to Find the Cheapest Airfares to London
  • 10 Things NOT to do in London
  • Best London Guidebooks
  • 101 Free Things to do in London
  • London Lingo – A London Word Dictionary
  • Top 7 Tips for Doing London on the Cheap
  • Top 11 Myths American Believe about London
  • Guide to Eating in London
  • Best Times of Year to Travel to London
  • London Packing Tips
  • Top 11 Movies Set in London
  • Top Attractions off the Tourist Track
  • Top 5 Most Amazing London Hotels
  • Top 10 Hostels in London
  • Best Views in London Restuarants
  • London Taxi Ettiquette
  • Top 12 London Views
  • Great Fire of London
  • A Guide to Five of London’s Bridges
  • 10 Random Facts and Figures about Trafalgar Square
  • Top 100 British Slang Words

London Places to Explore

Bloomsbury Buckingham Palace Canary Wharf City of London Covent Garden Cutty Sark Greenwich Hampstead Hampton Court Palace Heathrow Houses of Parliament Hyde Park Imperial War Museum Islington Kensington Kensington Palace Leicester Square London London Eye London Transport Museum Museum of London National Gallery Notting Hill Piccadilly Circus Putney Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Regent's Street Royal Academy Selfridges Somerset House Southbank Southwark St Pancras St Paul's Cathedral Tate Britain Tate Modern The City Tower Bridge Tower of London Trafalgar Square V&A Wandsworth West End Westminster Westminster Abbey

SIGN-UP FOR FREE LONDON WEEKLY UPDATES!

Please enter a valid email address
That address is already in use
The security code entered was incorrect
Thanks for signing up

Recent Videos

Walk Around London Virtually Right Now – Watched Walker is the YouTube Channel We All Need Right Now

Jason Hawkes Shares a Beautiful Video of London From Above That We All Need Right now

London Tube: You’ve Got to Watch This Amazing Mesmerizing Animation That Shows the Real Geography of the London Underground

Video: The Basics of Crossrail – London’s New Underground Line

London History: The Place Where Old London Double Decker Buses Went to Die

London Video: A Look at the Great Smog of London

10 Interesting Facts about the Hammersmith and City Line

Nearly half of Londoners have used Elizabeth line so far – survey

Tube and London bus fares to rise by nearly 6% from March

What is Crossrail 2 and What is Its Current Status?

London Alert: Strike by London Underground workers to go ahead after last-minute talks fail

London Mayor hails Elizabeth line as direct routes and Sunday services begin

Footer

About Londontopia

Londontopia is simply the website for people who love London. It was founded by Jonathan & Jackie Thomas from Anglotopia.net as a place to post articles solely focused on London and its environs. Keep up with all the latest London news at Londontopia! This site is geared towards people who love to visit London and our primary audience is North American but everyone is welcome!

When We’re in London Next

We don’t currently have any travel plans to London but hope to visit at some point in 2021.

  • SEO Backlinks
  • Travel Blog

SIGN-UP FOR FREE LONDON WEEKLY UPDATES!

Please enter a valid email address
That address is already in use
The security code entered was incorrect
Thanks for signing up

Copyright © 2023 Anglotopia, LLC · Website Developed by Anglotopia, LLC · Log in