Tristan and Isolde, The Coronet Theatre

The tale of Tristan and Isolde is one of the great Cornish legends, telling of the forbidden love between a Cornish knight (Tristan) and Irish princess (Isolde). Tristan is sent to escort Isolde from Ireland to Cornwall to marry his uncle, King Mark, but the two drink a potion and fall in love with one another on route. Variations on the story have been told since the 12th century, one of the most notable examples of which being Wagner’s 1865 operatic retelling.

The myth remains ripe for adaptation and here with a danced-through take on Tristan and Isolde is celebrated Japanese choreographer, director and performer Saburo Teshigwara. He returns to Notting Hill’s Coronet Theatre, where his production The Idiot ran in 2019, fresh from winning the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 2022 Venice Biennale.


Saburo Teshigawara's Tristan and Isolde, performer Rihoko Sato, photo: Theater X

Teshigawara and his long-time artistic collaborator Rihoko Sato slip into the roles of the star-crossed couple. Using Wagner’s romantic opera as inspiration, the choreographer presents a work of spiralling movements as the two bodies absorb the weight of their new-found emotions.

Staged on lighting operater Thomas Leblanc's sparsely-lit stage, symbolic of the characters’ sinking into darkness, the production is set to undulating excerpts from the 1966 recording by Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, played, eerily, as if heard from another room – as if coming from a life unreachable to the couple.

Part of The Coronet Theatre's Electric Japan season, Tristan and Isolde is running from 2 - 10 June, with daily performances except for Monday 6 June. Click here to book.