Lesley Garrett as Elle. Photo credit: Tristram Kenton
Lesley Garrett as Elle. Photo credit: Tristram Kenton
Lesley Garrett as Elle. Photo credit: Tristram Kenton
Lesley Garrett as Elle. Photo credit: Tristram Kenton
Lesley Garrett as Elle and Philip Rhodes as man. Photo credit: Tristram Kenton
Lesley Garrett as Elle. Photo credit: Tristram Kenton
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Francis Poulenc (1959)
New production
Lesley Garrett makes her return to the operatic stage in a work of rare originality and stark emotional honesty.
A woman is sprawled alone on her bed. ‘It looks like the scene of a murder’ said Jean Cocteau, who wrote the play on which Poulenc’s opera is based. But the woman isn’t dead. She gets up and makes to leave, when the phone rings. It is her ex-lover. During the next 40 minutes we hear one side of an increasingly desperate conversation in which the woman tries anything to win him back. But it’s no use – she can’t get through to him. He hangs up, and she’s left whispering ‘Je t’aime’ to nobody.
La voix humaine is short in length, but not on emotional impact. Through the lone voice of the woman, Poulenc expresses all the pain and fear of rejection in the rawest fashion, whilst enveloping her voice in music of caressing warmth and sensuality.
Aletta Collins returns to Opera North to direct this one woman show, which will showcase Lesley Garrett’s talent in this heartbreaking portrayal of a relationship’s breakdown.
Sung in English
Lasts approximately 40 minutes
La Voix Humaine is presented in a double-bill with Dido and Aeneas with a 25 minute interval between the productions.
Click on a venue below to find out more information.
Garrett’s performance is excellent
Poulenc and Purcell make for a perfect pairing
Her long-delayed return to the stage […] is compelling
This is a revelatory new production, the opera’s poignancy and caustic humour brilliantly highlighted.
The applause is deserved.
We’ve teamed up with Piazza by Anthony in Leeds to offer you an exclusive pre-theatre menu. Enjoy 2 Courses for £17.95 or 3 Courses for £21.95. Please use the promotion code ‘OPERANORTH’ when booking your table online or by calling 0113 2470995. This special offer is also available without booking, simply turn up and show your opera tickets to the receptionist.
Available from 4pm until 7pm every night between Wednesday 16th January and Saturday 23rd February 2013 , and From 12pm until 4pm on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th February 2013. Only valid on the day of the performance your ticket is for. Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer.
Enjoy 20% off your bill at Sandinista (Cross Belgrave Street - New Briggate) on presentation of your Opera North ticket when placing their food order. To book a table call 0113 305 0372. Food is served till 10pm through the week with final orders at 9pm Friday and Saturday. Only valid on the day of the performance their ticket is for. Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer.
Just a short walk from the theatre, another fantastic dining option is The Reliance (76-78 North Street).Treat yourself to the pre-theatre menu served between 5:30 and 6:30pm, Mon - Sat. Enjoy 2 courses for £13.95 or 3 courses for £17.90. Call 0113 2956060 to book a table.
Why not make a night of it and enjoy a pre-show meal at The Lowry Restaurant? You can have your theatre programmes delivered to your table, pre-order your interval drinks or return for dessert and coffee during the interval. Call 0161 876 2121 to reserve your table.
Enjoy a two course pre-theatre meal at Pasqualino’s for just £15.50 or £13 for Friends. Available 5.30pm. Call the Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 to book.
Offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. T&Cs apply.
Cocteau was overwhelmed by emotion during rehearsals of the piece at the Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1959, and there is a photo of his tears of appreciation at Poulenc’s skill. He wrote to the composer to say, "You have fixed, once and for all, the way to speak my text".
Full information can be found here.
On sale dates for Leeds Grand Theatre
Booking for fixed subscriptions opens 28 May and booking for multibuy ticket packages opens 18 June. Priority booking for Friends of Opera North and Groups opens 9 July.
All tickets will be on public sale on 16 July 2012.
On sale dates for The Lowry
Booking for multibuy ticket packages opens 14 June. Priority booking for Friends of Opera North and My Lowry opens 28 June.
All tickets will be on public sale on 5 July 2012.
On sale dates for Theatre Royal Nottingham
Booking for multibuy ticket packages opens 11 June. Priority booking for Friends of Opera North opens 25 June.
All tickets will be on public sale on 2 July 2012.
All discounts are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time. Discounts cannot be used retrospectively. Only one discount per ticket. Proof of eligibility must be shown.
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Comment from andrea
andrea said ago
Lesley was spellbounding from the very first second of this outstanding performance. What an absolute treat, I felt it was an intimate performance, Lesley's voice and her execution of the role were perfect. Congratulations Aletta Collins, this opera surely must connect with every woman who sees it. Amazing.
Comment from Robert
Robert said ago
This is an excelleny showcase for Lesley Garrett's dramatic skills. Her move into musicals has developed them without diminishing her singing & other operatic abilities. There is no trace of the characters she played in "The Mikado", "The Barber of Seville" & "The Merry Widow", some of her previous triumphs.
Instead on opening night she dominated the whole stage as a women in anguish, both in the opening view through the mirror, and when it shifted to the other side.
Her singing of Poulenc's music is brilliant. It is clear even when she is lying face down on the floor singing to the lino.
The lack of memorable tunes does not detract from the whole experience. I came out with my mind solely fixed on Lesley, even though I had seen Dido & Aeneas in between.