Herald Young Critics: Leith Academy reviews of The Lady from the Sea

Katie Evans

Four stars

Consider other work by Craig Armstrong and you would naturally expect The Lady from the Sea to be breathtaking. And it did not disappoint!

Lighting effects carried pictures of the sea across the stage symbolising the despair and agony of Claire Booth’s Ellida as the audience watched her choose between the man she loved and the man she married.

Mark Milhofer played the role of Doctor Wangel magnificently and even received cheers from the stunned audience at the end of the performance. His stage positioning and, later, raw emotion reflected the power struggle between himself and his mentally tormented wife.

Only twice were all the cast on stage and, with a moving sky as a backdrop, director Harry Fehr was extremely successful in not only making a captivating staging but also managing to drawing the adience in this mystical performance.

The set was beautiful yet plain, with video  reflecting the ocean, and in the short performance the production manages two set changes which helped to further convey the simplistic beauty of nature. However the time could have been more effectively spent exploring this complicated love story with more depth as Ibsen intended.

On its opening night at the King’s Theatre, however, The Lady from the Sea was simply perfect, with music strong enough to carry the whole of Edinburgh out to sea.

Taylor French

Three stars

From the initial awkward silence to the roaring applause of the predominantly older, middle class audience, the performance was far from what I expected.

Almost no seats in the theatre were left empty as the chilling, haunting music filled the air and the silhouette of a woman stood alone onstage against the screen of dark, crashing waves. We were left full of anticipation to see what was going to happen next.

The simple set was adequate enough to give you a vague idea of everyday life for Ellida and her family. The beautiful, powerful vocals from Claire Booth gave the audience a chance to feel Ellida’s pain and sadness of waiting for her love. She sent shivers down my spine everytime she opened her mouth.

The orchestra played exceptionally well; from the quiet, cheerful music at the beginning to the intense, deep music as the recurring water imagery appeared on the walls of the set.

I felt Hilde portrayed her hatred for Ellida very well. However, I was confused at certain parts by who the characters actually were. I also felt the production was rushed as there was such a big build up to meeting ‘The Stranger’ but the play ends with him leaving and Ellida and Dr Wangel taking up their lives together.

Overall the The Lady from the Sea was captivating and delightful to watch and I think Craig Armstrong delivered once again.

Almir Kekic

Three stars

The stage opens. A woman is standing but all of a sudden she cannot breathe as if she is drowning on land. The theatre is dark and tense and the audience are on the edge of their seats trying to figure out what is going on.

Finally the lady drops and so do the curtains shortly after her. This opening scene represents the theme of the story about how the woman has a desire for the sea.

The curtains open up again after a few minutes of awkward waiting and staring at a bland video of waves while the staff rearranges the set, to reveal a surreal set that is the opposite of the one that was shown previously.

The cast come on stage and sing heavenly to one another and put the audience into a trance. However, though the singing may be great, the lyrics were rather dull.

The story seemed a bit sudden. One minute they are having a picnic and the next minute Ellida is arguing with Wangel, Mark Milhofer.

It took a while for the story to become interesting but once it did your heart would begin to race and you would be sitting at the edge of your seat wondering who Ellida would choose to spend the rest of her life with, the doctor or the sailor? And once she did make her choice you feel warm inside and glad she chose him.

Elizabeth Hunston

Three stars

Sitting in the King's Theatre, nervous yet excited, for the opening performance  of The Lady from the Sea. All around me is full, the audience mainly consisting of more  mature bodies all whispering away: “How exciting, a brand new opera!”

But what do I expect? Ear-splitting screeches or a beautifully told story? I don't know.

The curtain rises. My anxious eyes, immediately met with the eerie silhouette of a woman surrounded by violent, crashing waves. My ears filled with - as expected from such a renowned composer - beautifully haunting music. I’m engrossed.

Well, until the characters start singing. Although Claire Booth’s portrayal of Ellida was enchantingly powerful, I didn't find myself empathising with her despair. Choosing between the mysterious sailor she loves and the sea she so longs for or the safety of her husband.

The singing distracted me from the mesmerising and heart-warming story of love, betrayal, escape, and faithfulness. The climax and denouement seemed hurried, making her emancipation from mental entrapment unbelievable.

Despite this, it was visually stunning. The contrast between the frantic, passionate darkness of Ellida’s mind- depicted by the crashing waves - and the peaceful, white interior of the house was simply magnificent. Hints of red -the coral on the table, and Ellida's corset- served as subtle reminders of sea, and Ellida’s love for it, being potentially harmful to her.

A sublime story told in a way that has left my eyes delighted, however my ears ringing. But maybe opera isn’t for me... 

Megan McDonaugh

Four stars

There is always calm before a storm: the audience whispered in the dark silence as a silhouetted figure was revealed onstage. As the figure of Ellida, the Lady from the Sea, thrived with the water reflections almost becoming a part of them, the music began to rise in tension, setting the mood of the night.

Almost all of the performance was like a storm at sea. The character’s voices were fighting against each other, each yearning to be heard above the others. Their thoughts and emotions were being spilled on to the stage, lapping and crashing over each other like waves, coercing with the style of the music the orchestra was playing.

Although there were other characters involved in the performance my attention was focused not solely but particularly on Ellida and the battle she seemed to have between the thoughts of her one love, an estranged sailor and the pleading love from her husband, Dr Wangel.

She was almost driven mad by her imagination and emotion – something which was beautifully portrayed through the singer’s performance and the reflections of water and use of darker staging during solo performances - until her estranged love returned and unintentionally set her free from her inner turmoil.

The darkness of the storm held within all of the characters, not just Ellida, was released after the sailor parted. The stage lightened along with the atmosphere amongst the characters and the storm was replaced with a scene of calm sea, making for a very pleasurable ending.

Hannah Jo Mackinlay

Five stars

Scandinavian culture is everywhere, with Wallander on BBC1, not to mention Stieg Larsson. More Nordic air blows towards us heralding the world premier of The Lady From The Sea.

Swimming in the contemporary beat of Craig Armstrong’s exhilarating score, amidst stunning sophisticated projection, the King's Theatre becomes Neptune’s grotto, ornate golden boxes like clams bedecked in coral, the busts, merpeople rising from the deep.

I’ve never heard of feminist opera before. And if Scottish Opera’s aim, these past years, starting with 5/15, was to reinvent the operatic image, then they have done an impressive job.

Opera is famed for its exaggerated passion and this production does not disappoint - full of teenage angst, depression-induced madness and love triangles.

Projections of the ocean wash over a salty set, as the lady from the sea, Ellida, dances out her pain, drowning in her 19th century marriage. It is a very moving portrayal of depression; rising and falling arms almost conduct the orchestra in her lament.

Both Ellida and her stepdaughter express their longing for freedom and equality, this feels particularly current with 2012 being branded as “year of the woman”.

Even the scene changes are engaging, film of water becoming more unsettled as the tension develops, hinting at troubles in the depths of society.

Though Hilda could have sung louder, she offers some light relief from the metaphorical with her impish performance, waves of sublime crashing over the audience as the whole cast sing together. It is a breathtaking and relentless production.