Opera Review Susanna (Opera North) Theatre Royal Nottingham

Handel’s oratorio Susanna (1749) tells a surprisingly resonant tale of wronged honour and hypocrisy set in Old Testament times. The virtuous Susanna, blissfully married to husband Joacim, falls prey to the lecherous machinations of the Israelite Elders while Joacim is away on a mission; while attempting to have their way with her, they accuse her of infidelity and, it being their word against hers, manage to prevail; all looks black until, in time-honoured fashion, a deux ex machina reveals the truth and all ends happily.

This co-production between Opera North and Phoenix Dance Theatre incorporates movement and choreography into what is many ways a static, pictorial story though it’s open to debate whether or not the choreography (by Marcus Jarrell Willis) aids the storytelling or distracts from it. I was inclined to think it did neither. The singing cast, not ideally large-voiced enough to be heard even under Handel’s spare orchestration, did what they could to flesh out characters who, for the most part, are less people than archetypes, the one exception to that rule being Susanna herself, sung by Anna Denis. Denis brings physical grace to this demanding role as well as some psychological insight; but it is not enough to raise Susanna into a figure of real agency; she remains someone to whom things happen rather than an instigator - even her redemption is brought about entirely by a third party. The fault here lies in the source material, which was never intended for operatic treatment and suffers most when director Olivia Fuchs attempts to give it dramatic heft (a risible attempted rape scene which was more preposterous than horrifying).

Elsewhere in the cast, James Hall’s attractive it small counter-tenor handles the laments well and Colin Judson and Karl Huml are suitably despicable as the abusive Elders. Johanna Soller conducts authoritatively from the keyboard and the forces of the Opera North Orchestra are customarily impressive. But this seemed a strangely unoperatic project for an opera company to undertake; it’s long been the fashion to attempt to give dramatic treatment to Requiems, Oratorios and other non-operatic works but when so many great operas are still awaiting their British premieres, is this the kind of thing ON should be doing?

Reviewer - Richard Ely

On - 22.11.25