Xerxes, English National Opera, London Coliseum

Hytner's seminal production of Xerxes returns to the ENO stage: one of the best Handel productions of all time.

Nicholas Hytner's 1985 production of Xerxes remains one of English National Opera’s greatest triumphs. Not only did it win an Olivier award, but it played a major role in returning the Handel opera – hitherto deemed almost impossible to stage – to London auditoria. 

True, the opera is very long, with a convoluted plot and a rather incongruous mix of the serious and the silly, blending opera seria with opera buffa. When it was first performed in 1738, audiences didn’t know what to make of it, and it closed after only five performances, lying in obscurity for almost two hundred years. But in Hytner’s hands, and with his tongue firmly in cheek, the plot’s twists and turns are brought to life with exuberance, humour, and lightness of touch, making it pretty accessible to a modern audience.

In a magnificent set design by David Fielding, the characters are transported from ancient Persia to an 18th-century pleasure garden in London’s Vauxhall, with giant Abyssinian frescoes, Nineveh sphinxes and a statue of Handel himself. There are also luminous eggs, a tea ceremony, and a collapsing bridge. It’s camp, colourful, and a feast for the eyes.

The production has been revived several times since 1985. This year’s revival, directed by Michael Walling, has a highly-talented all British cast. The male hero Xerxes, which was originally written for a castrato, is performed by the world-renowned mezzo-soprano, Alice Coote. Counter-tenor Andrew Watts plays Xerxes’ brother, Arsamenes, while Sarah Tynon is Romilda, the woman they are both vying for. German conductor Michael Hofstetter returns to the ENO following his acclaimed Traviata last season.