Peter Grimes (Opera North), Theatre Royal, Nottingham |06 March 2026 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by William Ruff

Photo credit: Bill Cooper

Peter Grimes (Opera North)

Theatre Royal, Nottingham |06 March 2026

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review: William Ruff.

“A grim but richly rewarding operatic experience.”

Opera North’s production of Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes does not start at the beginning.  In fact, it starts after the end.  The opening image is grim: a half-naked body lying on the beach wrapped in a fishing net.  Peter is already dead before we see his tragedy unfurl: a man of dreams and potential, trapped by his character, a series of appalling accidents and his local reputation as a monster.

And this production doesn’t finish when the music stops.  The final sounds we hear come from a giant fishing net suspended over the stage being gently swayed back and forth by the Borough community.  Those sounds remind us of the wind and sea, both of which continue inexorably after the human tragedy has ended.

Neither the opening or conclusion of Opera North’s production would have been allowed when the composer was alive – or for many years after.  But these are just two examples of what makes this production so distinctive and so successful.  Britten wrote the famous ‘Sea Interludes’ to cover scene-shifting, the curtain down and the audience’s attention focused purely on his vividly evocative music conjuring up images of dawn, Sunday morning, fog at sea, the violent storm etc.  This production keeps the curtain up and uses the music and stage imagery to reach deeper into the drama and particularly into Grimes’ tortured mind.  The Passacaglia interlude (before the scene in which Grimes’ second apprentice falls to his death) is particularly painful in its enactment of Grimes’ dreams of future happiness and prosperity, just before the death of another child means his own death is inevitable.

Apart from Peter (superbly sung and acted by John Findon) there is one other major individual character in the story: Ellen Orford, the lonely, widowed schoolteacher who believes in Grimes even though this earns her the scorn of a community that believes he’s the devil incarnate.  Ellen is sung so intelligently and poignantly by Philippa Boyle.  The other main character is rather bigger in scale.  The Borough Community (based on real-life Aldeburgh) is an overwhelmingly powerful presence in this production and when they act together the effect is visceral.  ON’s Chorus is on superlative form throughout, each member a detailed personality, coalescing into a terrifying mob baying for vengeance.  It’s unlikely that you’ll ever hear such menacing, rib-vibrating choral singing anywhere else.

Amongst the community there are sharply etched named parts: hypocrites, gossips, interferers, the pub landlady ‘Auntie’ and her two prostitute ‘Nieces’, the Mayor, the Rector, a quack doctor.  On the other hand, there is Captain Balstrode (sung with perceptive warmth by Simon Bailey) whose sympathy should be (but isn’t) an example for everyone else.  Everyone who sings these roles does so with an intelligent understanding not only of individual quirks but how these reflect the values of the whole community.  You would recognise these characters anywhere.

Once seen this production cannot be forgotten.  The stage pictures will stay in the mind for ever, especially the huge net which can suggest so much more than catching fish.  Black-painted pallets also feature ingeniously, creating a courtroom one moment, a dance hall the next and a sea path in between.  Designer Anthony Ward’s conception allows maximum effect as well as maximum fluidity of action.

This production by Phyllida Lloyd achieved legendary status when first performed 20 years ago.  This revival (in the hands of directors Karolina Sofulak) builds on that award-winning success to achieve even more detail and insight into Britten’s astonishing music and Montagu Slater’s libretto.  Opera North’s Orchestra (conducted by Garry Walker) is on top, thrilling form and ensure that it’s the music which is the engine of the drama.

This Peter Grimes offers an unflinching portrayal of an individual’s collision with a hostile community.  It’s a production which evokes sympathy for Grimes – whilst never absolving his violence; and it’s this moral ambiguity which lies at the opera’s heart, transforming a local story into a timeless, devastating exploration of alienation, prejudice and the human capacity for cruelty.  I know it sounds grim – but it all adds up to a richly rewarding theatrical experience.

The Orchestra and Chorus of Opera North

Conducted by Garry Walker

John Findon (Peter Grimes), Philippa Boyle (Ellen Orford), Simon Bailey (Captain Balstrode), Hilary Summers (Auntie), Nazan Fikret and Ava Dodd (First and Second Nieces), Stuart Jackson (Bob Boles), James Creswell (Swallow), Claire Pascoe (Mrs Sedley), Daniel Norman (Rev. Horace Adams), Johannes Moore (Ned Keene), Blaise Malaba (Hobson), Dean Robinson (Dr Crabbe), Toby Dray (John).

 Phyllida Lloyd (Director), Karolina Sofulak and Tim Claydon (Revival Directors), Anthony Ward (Set and Costume Designer), Ben Jacobs (Lighting Designer).