Saturday 27 June 2015

English National Opera (ENO) - The Pirates of Penzance

The Pirates of Penzance - English National Opera

Boo!

As some of you may know I am a massive music lover. I get totally lost in the moment when listening to certain songs/instrumentals. Opera isn't something I get to talk about very often, but it is something I enjoy. When you first come across opera, you either love it or hate it. I must say the first time I saw opera I was unsure, but eventually grew to enjoy and appreciate it. The singers just give me goosebumps, and the music takes me to another world! This post is written in collaboration with the English National Opera (ENO), and together with their new production of 'The Pirates of Penzenace', maybe it will help change your opinion on opera. 

A little bit about the ENO: It traces its roots back to 1931 when Lilian Baylis established the Sadler's Wells Opera Company and it was renamed the English National Opera in 1974. In 1984 it was also the first British opera company to tour the US. All their performances are in English which brilliant if you want to ease yourself into opera. The ENO are committed to creating new audiences by making their performances affordable and accessible to everyone, whilst at the same time collaborating with and providing new opportunities for new talent. 

The Pirates of Penzance - English National Opera
The Pirates of Penzance - English National Opera

From the poster above, you can already tell that The Pirates of Penzance seems rather quirky and fun, and that is exactly what it is. It is a comic opera, and was Gilbert & Sullivan's fifth collaboration. This fun production at the ENO will actually be BAFTA-award winner Mike Leigh's operatic directorial debut!  

As a brief overview, the story is based in Cornwall and follows Frederic (Robert Murray), a young pirate apprentice. Due to a misunderstanding by his nursery maid Ruth (Rebecca de Pont Davies) he was mistakenly placed into pirate apprenticeship. Although he despised the pirates' profession, he stayed on as he was bound by his sense of duty. He meets Mabel (Claudia Boyle), the daughter of Major-General Stanley (Andrew Shore), and they both fall in love. Frederic then finds that he was born on a leap year. This meant that he must remain as a pirate apprentice for another 63 years, until his actual 21st birthday. The only comfort he has is that Mabel has agreed to wait for him. 

Although I haven't seen this opera yet myself, having watched several of the videos from ENO's Youtube account, as well as reading up on the story, it is definitely something I would love to watch. If something has brilliant catchy music, I'm hooked instantly, but the costumes in this production are colourful and vibrant. What I love most is that this is a comic opera, it's always good to have a good giggle. Anyway below I just wanted to share with you all a couple of pictures from ENO's Facebook Page, and their trailer for this production. 

ENO The Pirates of Penzance - Claudia Boyle as Mabel
ENO The Pirates of Penzance
ENO The Pirates of Penzance
ENO The Pirates of Penzance
ENO The Pirates of Penzance
English National Opera The Pirates of Penzance

There are three remaining performances which you can see live at the London Coliseum, St Martin's Lane, London, WC2N 4E on Saturday 27 June 2015 at 14:30 and 19:30, and also Saturday 4 July 2015 at 18:30. If you are looking for something new to experience and want to have a laugh in a gorgeously decorated location this just might be what you need!

I hope you guys enjoyed this collaborated post :) Have you any of you seen The Pirates of Penzance, or any opera? If so, what has been your favourite? If not, would you like to get into it?

Take care and speak soon!

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43 comments:

  1. I am not into operas or stuff like this but it looks like fun from the pics.

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  2. I have always wanted to attend an opera, never had a chance but then again never given it a chance maybe will do this summer. Thank you for sharing was nice reading about it.

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  3. Wow, amazing pictures! Thanks for sharing :)

    Pop over to my blog!

    Sarah

    https://everydayconcepts.wordpress.com

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  4. my cup of beauty27 June 2015 at 16:12

    wow! that looks like so much fun! I should definitely be attending this kind f events more often

    xx

    Dominika

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  5. You're very welcome! It does look amazing, and hopefully will be able to catch the last show! :) x

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  6. Yeah, I would definitely say it's a love hate thing, but may be this one will be the one that changes your mind hehe :p x

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  7. You're very welcome! I hope you get the chance to go! It's definitely something to experience at least once :) And something like this is great because it's so fun x

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  8. It does, doesn't it! The songs are quite catchy as well. I would definitely recommend checking videos on the operas before you go though, or do a little research on the opera you're going to watch just to get a gist of what's happening :) x

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  9. wow, what a cool opera

    xo

    www.laurajaneatelier.com

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  10. Thanks for sharing! I admit that so far I haven't got to love opera. I like classic music, relaxing works if possible. The ENO story is really interesting.

    Jasmine ♥
    For a Real Woman

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  11. This looks absolutely fantastic! I'm a huge fan of the opera/plays/theatre - anything theatrical! In fact, I saw a local interpretation of this about two months ago and came home feeling pretty much rejuvenated, it's simply fantastic :) I'll definitely look into these dates. Have a wonderful week ahead!

    Gabrielle | A Glass Of Ice x

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  12. i love going to see live shows like this. it's good to get some cultural experiences every now and again.

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  13. I have never been to an opera but I really wish to see one. The story is interesting. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us!

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  14. Never watch a life opera before.. Reading your post makes me wanna watch one now.. Seems fantastic!

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  15. Jadirah Sarmad2 July 2015 at 16:12

    Never knew about it but I would love to attend something like this! Seems so much fun! I bet they work so hard to pull it off. :) x

    Jadirah Sarmad | Jasmine Catches Butterflies ʚϊɞ

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  16. I have never seen any opera but would love to see one. This one looks really interesting.
    GlamupGirls

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  17. WOW, this honestly looks great. I've never seen it advertised or anything. Looks like it would be a great show to watch

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  18. It looks amazing doesn't it! The colours are so great, and the story does sound interesting :) Hopefully you'll get a chance to catch this, otherwise another time :) x

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  19. Opera isn't really something you choose to see if you've never seen it before I don't think, but one like this is such a fantastic way to get into it as it's so light hearted and fun :) x

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  20. It does, doesn't it! I know the amount of effort and time spent on these productions are insane, but their hard work does pay off as they produce something so phenomenal! x

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  21. If you get the chance I would definitely recommend this one as it's so fun, and is a great way to ease into opera :) x

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  22. Your very welcome! It really is an interesting story, and I love these kind of visual things that help tell an interesting story :) x

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  23. Definitely agree with you, plus the atmosphere is always amazing! I just love hearing the live music! x

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  24. Did you really? It's so great to hear that you enjoyed it! Just being in a theatre always gives me a wow feeling haha. Hope you have a wonderful weekend :) x

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  25. You're very welcome! Opera is definitely something that you either love, or grow to love (I'm definitely the latter) :) Hopefully if you get the chance to catch another interpretation of this, you'll start to like this :D x

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  26. I know right! The colours are amazing :) x

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  27. this is such a great and big event to attend.
    but what a pity i dont live in london. it would be great if i can come ;(

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  28. not a fan of musicals/operas in general but from the photos it looked like an amazing performance!
    http://popiahc.blogspot.com

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  29. ive never thought about going to an opera! i have been wanting to go to see a theatrical performance one day

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  30. That seems like a lovely Opera performance that I'd love to attend as well. Love the stage and their costumes too. I'm sure you had fun watching it

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  31. I never been to a opera show before, gosh I really want to watch once! =)

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  32. Fatemah Sajwani6 July 2015 at 18:12

    wow this seems cool. I hae never been to any opera before. It seems like you enjoyed the event!

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  33. OMG! that hall, its so huge!! I never been t any opera theatre... phew!

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  34. Heena Shah-Dhedhi7 July 2015 at 15:47

    OMG I love the opera, I am so envious of your lovely experience. I want to go watch now.
    - Heena, www.icynosure.in

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  35. London is a wonderful place to watch operas but my very first one wasn't actually in London! So maybe check whether your local theatre or opera house has any shows on like this :) x

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  36. It does, doesn't it, it's just so different to what people usually think opera is :) X

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  37. Hopefully you get the chance in the near future :) It's definitely something everyone should go see at least once :) x

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  38. I didn't actually get a chance to watch this particular one :( But if it comes back again I definitely will be on it ahha x

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  39. Definitely check out whether any operas are coming to your city as it is definitely worth experiencing at least once :) x

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  40. I didn't actually get the chance to watch this one but operas really can be quite fun :) x

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  41. haha it sure is! I can so understand why people get stage fright! Although i bet the experience is so exhilerating as well x

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  42. Ahh that's great to hear! Sadly, I didn't get a chance to watch this one, but I have enjoyed my previous opera experiences :) Hopefully you get a chance to catch something like this too! :) x

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Thanks for passing by, I really appreciate it! Have a lovely day :D Feel free to email me on lifeasapetite@outlook.com ☺

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