All the Angels
Sam Wanamaker Theatre, The Globe; January 15, 2017
This is the unexpected story of how Handel’s Messiah came to be developed and debuted in a music hall in Dublin to great acclaim.
An aging Handel has had a disasterous season in London with an opera flop. His librettist has sent him new work — an oratorio and Handel is ready to create a masterpiece. He works with a local patron, the local cathedral choirs and a second soprano — an actress dogged by scandal but whose voice embodies truth. The troop also have the 18th century style roadie working for them who also spends time as a grave robber. This seems to be slightly random however does serve a purpose in the second half when music takes him over and becomes his salvation — powerfully performed by the chorus.
The friendship of the actress and Handel is charmingly portrayed and David Horovitch’s Handel is rather endearing a bit like a grumpy old Uncle rather than a pompous monster. I loved watching him reacting to the development of her singing. It’s often the little things and this was delightful.
Music is rightly at the heart of the production. The fantastic chorus, or the angels as Handel calls them, are superb and they appear from all sides of the stage or auditorium or orchestra perch using the small and cosy Sam Wanamaker Theatre to full effect. They fill the theatre with the Messiah.
It’s an utter delight as usually you hear the Messiah performed in an enormous cathedral or concert hall like RAH or the Barbican Hall. To have this powerfully sung in such a small space allows the music to embrace and envelop you. It’s wonderful.
The candlelight of these performance creates the perfect twinkling atmosphere for this traditional Christmas piece.
4/5 Delightful.
