Jack Furness

Brilliant rewrite of Shakey: Hamlet, at Buxton Opera House, reviewed

26 July 2025 9:00 am

‘There is good music, bad music, and music by Ambroise Thomas,’ said Emmanuel Chabrier, but then, Chabrier said a lot…

Thrilling: Garsington’s Queen of Spades reviewed

7 June 2025 9:00 am

Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades is one of those operas that under-promises on paper but over-delivers on stage. It’s hard…

Splendid revival of an unsurpassed production: Royal Opera’s Turandot reviewed

29 March 2025 9:00 am

Puccini’s Turandot is back at the Royal Opera in the 40-year old production by Andrei Serban and… well, guilty pleasure…

You could have built a tent city from all the red chinos: Aci by the River reviewed

27 April 2024 9:00 am

The Thames cruise for which Handel composed his Water Music in 1717 famously went on until around 4 a.m. The…

Testament of cliché

15 July 2023 9:00 am

‘Ring out your bells for me, ivory keys! Weave out your spell for me, orchestra please!’ It’s lush stuff, the…