Culture
REVIEW: WNO Ainadamar – Fountain of Tears at Mayflower Theatre
The Welsh National Opera was back at the Mayflower with their instalment of ‘Ainadamar’ by Osvaldo Golijov. This opera has a perfect balance of everything; music, dance and theatre – all coming together hand in hand to tell this powerfully poignant story. With full disclosure, I must say that this is actually my very first opera, and from what I saw tonight I can also say that it is hopefully my first of many. ‘Ainadamar’, which is Arabic for ‘Fountain of Tears’, is a two-time Grammy winning opera which uses a mixture of Spanish singing, flamenco dancing and poetic outbursts.
With this being my first opera, I was quite worried that the story would get lost and I would struggle to understand what was going on. This was absolutely not the case. The shifting of the music and production, really helps guide you through the story without being left behind. Director, ‘Deborah Colker’, has done a fantastic job by working with the whole company to make this so smooth.
‘Ainadamar’ (‘Fountain of Tears’), is the ancient well near Granada where Federico García Lorca (Spanish poet and playwright) was brutally executed during the Spanish civil war in 1936, after being branded as a ‘homosexual socialist’. This opera takes us through Lorca’s life via a flashback of memories from his muse, Margarita Xirgu, an actress. Xirgu now in her final moments, is wanting to pass on the hopes and passion of her generation onto one of her students, Nuria. Throughout the story, there’s lots of different tones that are portrayed – and the opera is non linear, meaning that the time frames do jump around. This again, could be quite confusing but the way WNO have put this piece together makes it so you can follow along with ease.
If you’re new to opera or have never even thought about going to see one, I can absolutely recommend Welsh National Opera
One thing I really liked was how the opera just continued to flow. The live orchestra, mixed with the superbly talented cast made the 1 hour and 20 minutes with no interval just fly by. At the end, I heard multiple people all saying, “that definitely didn’t feel like 80 minutes.” Can’t get much higher praise than that, time flies when you’re having fun – job well done! Jacquelina Livieri, who played the role of ‘Margarita Xirgu’, was just exceptional. Her vocals were fantastic and the way that she had the audience there with her on her every word was expertly done. Much the same has to be said about Julieth Lozano Rolong (Nuria). ‘Nuria’ is almost the voice of the audience on stage because she is being told Lorca’s story – just as we are in the audience – and the bond between herself and ‘Xirgu’ comes across so eloquently. Fantastic Job! I think I also need to mention Hanna Hip, who had the role of ‘Federico García Lorca’, as it goes without saying the vocals were flawless, but the way she brought a different edge to the character was so creative. Every single member of the cast brought a big level of energy to that stage – and the tone of the whole opera went with them. Amazing!
I’d also like to add, that with Hanna Hip playing ‘Lorca’ – the three main protagonists in the show were all played by females, even when one of their characters was male. This was incredibly refreshing. The majority of the cast was actually female and it seemed like the male figures in the opera were the oppressive authority in the story and the female figures were fighting against this to help remind us, “of the vital role the artist plays in championing freedom in all its forms” – Aidan Lang, General Director of WNO. That was a repeated theme throughout the opera, and a theme that really speaks to musical theatre now as it also did then.
This set was also extremely effective yet so simple. The main bulk of the set was a fringe like curtain in a round with four rectangular tables that would move to show different places/scenes. Every now and then you would have some drop downs of different fringe curtains, or wood like debris which when all put together were fantastic. I thought the way they stacked the tables to create almost a barricade was ingenious. The curtains were weirdly mesmerising. The way they would use light and projections together on the curtains was just beautiful. Also the way the cast would interact with the curtains to show either a ripple effect, a doorway, or pinning it back showing us what was happening inside – just amazing. Something so simple, with such an impact. I also liked how you could still see through the curtain and the projections would be used to help tell certain parts of the story. Designers, Jon Bausor (stage), Paul Keogan (lighting), and Tap Rosner (projection) have all done a brilliant job at intertwining their work to create a literal masterpiece!
WNO tour the UK with multiple different operas/operatic experiences and if they are coming to a theatre near you – I think you’d be silly to miss them.
When it comes to the music – WOW. It wouldn’t be an opera without a stunning orchestra. I’ve already mentioned how amazing the vocals were from the whole cast, but the accompaniment of WNO’s orchestra made it that much more meaningful. The mixture of classical music with Spanish, Arabic and Jewish influences alongside the rhythms of Cuba and the flamenco were again, a big help in shifting the tempo of the opera and helping the story progress further. I particularly liked when at the start of one the early flashbacks, we see a couple of the musicians on stage playing classical, up tempo, Spanish music with a cajon drum and guitar. At that moment, the music wasn’t a separate entity to the theatre, it was its own specific role that was interacting within the scene. A fine detail that really helped in polishing a complex story.
If you’re new to opera or have never even thought about going to see one, I can absolutely recommend ‘Welsh National Opera’. The production values and cast are superb and from what I thought would be an intimidating night at the theatre, turned out to be another show that I would happily go and watch again. All WNO operas are presented with English surtitles to help you follow the story with even more ease. If you do consider going to see an opera, my top tip would be to do a little bit of research on the general story, just to help yourself understand what is going on. This way when it comes to watching the show, you can sit back and enjoy without worrying too much that you may misunderstand something. WNO tour the UK with multiple different operas/operatic experiences and if they are coming to a theatre near you – I think you’d be silly to miss them.
If something looks perfect from the outside does it mean it actually is?
That’s the concept that director Jay Roach brings to life in the new movie The Roses released in August 2025.
The Roses is a reimagining of the 1989 film The War of the Roses which was originally based on Warren Adler’s 1981 novel.
Although unlike the novel the characters instead are shown to struggle with their different careers either rising or falling.
It has been adapted, in my opinion, to make it resonate with women a lot more as in both the novel and first film the women were stay at home mothers who felt unsatisfied.
This appears to be one of the main reasons for the divorces with Barbara (Kathleen Turner) eventually turning to a catering business.
However, within the new modernised version Ivy’s (Olivia Colman) successful career is a point of contempt for Theo (Benedict Cumberbatch).
While it starts off with a more realistic depiction of parents struggling with the loss of a career and a start of a new one, it slowly divulges itself away from the typical divorcee movie.
I watched this movie at the Everyman (luxury I know!) and the grip it had on me as an audience member was outstanding.
With the selection of actors involved in this movie it’s no surprise that there is a mix of comedy and drama making it a satirical black comedy.
While it was delightful to watch, I feel that some audience members might criticise the realism of the movie.
Yet I go to the cinema to be transported from real life so the mix of realism and shock factor was highly entertaining.
A contrasting mix of comedy and darkness
The performances from the actors was exactly what the movie needed.
The chemistry, or lack thereof, between Colman and Cumberbatch was so believable that you would think that they were married in real life.
Their delivery of both the comedy and the rage was again so believable that it sucked me as the audience into what was the “dirty laundry” of their personal lives.
With a supporting cast including Andy Samberg, Allison Janney and others their characters mostly brought the comedy relief needed in to break the movie up.
They also gave us a contrast to the main relationship being shown which helped us recognise how some of the actions were exaggerated for our benefit.
However, some critics online have noted that while it is undeniably a satirical dark comedy, the dark comedy seemed to be held back some times, therefore not always giving it the edge it needed.
I think that for a 15 certificate movie it had just the right amount to stretch over its wide audience.
Another criticism that The Roses received was that the contrast between the comedy and cruelty was sometimes so abrupt that it didn’t hit as hard as it could have.
At some points the comedy seemed out of place which almost gave the film a sort of jarring feel as they changed between the emotions.
The ending is ambiguous which can have mixed reactions from the audience.
Some may like to have the movie tied up neatly at the end whereas others like that they can believe what they want to believe.
I am the latter in the case of this movie as I enjoyed the fact that I could believe either the more macabre ending or not.
To me the ending, without giving any spoilers, had me on the edge of my seat with a real 360 turn.
Again it had the perfect amount of shock factor and comedy which highlighted the overall tone throughout.
I felt that it drew the entire film together nicely especially with the ending performance from Coleman and Cumberbatch.
Winchester original artist Sam Bishop has been releasing music for almost a decade but after not releasing a new song for the last two years, Just a Little is set to be release this Friday, February 7th.
Sam first got into music when he was in secondary school, after watching Imagine Dragons in the O2 he fell in love with their support act.
As an only child he has always been a creative person, writing stories and songs in his free time.
The first thought has never been how can I perform live but how can I write?
Sam also enjoyed:”I enjoy feeling nervous but eventually acting felt like second nature, so I decided to give music a go.”
After getting into music in school Sam released his first song in 2016.
“It has been trial and error since with each year getting better and better performing and writing more.”
I asked him whether he has always written his own songs, and he explained: “The first thought has never been how can I perform live but how can I write?
“That’s the angle I attack music with.”
For Sam music has always been a way to express how he feels.
But what’s the best part of the writing process?
Well, for Sam it’s the feeling of a song coming together as a whole, he compared the writing process to a tap, that it slowly drips until it starts to flow.
“You get a melody and a good lyric. It feels amazing when it all comes together it’s so special, it’s definitely a process it takes time and trial and error.”
Sam’s new single Just a Little, is no different, going through this same process, and has now come together ready for its release this Friday.
It all started in last summer, when Sam was on a flight from Miami to LA, he wasn’t interested in watching the typical films you find on airplanes, and felt creative, this is where the chorus for Just a Little was born.
Being away from family for a prolonged amount of time through working away and travelling gave Sam the feeling of wanting to be connected and keep in touch with people’s lives whilst being away.
Just a Little is about questioning whether you’re enough.
It’s a song full of vulnerability and expressing that and truly allowing yourself to feel those feelings.
After Sam’s travels he got home and revisited the song, from there it started to take off and really build.
He sent the song to his friend Toby who he describes as an unbelievable guitarist, and an excellent musician.
Toby then worked on the song as a production, whilst Sam worked on the lyrics.
Just a Little was kind of a one off, as a process it was very natural.
By mid-November the song was finished and now is the time for its release.
This song has a different sound to Sam’s previous songs, and he’s excited for people to hear this new style of music from him.
“It’s a very personal song washed under happy and jolly music.
“It’s very current and popular; something you’d expect to hear on the radio.”
Sam hopes that that the release allows people to connect with not just the lyrics but how the song feels.
Following the release Sam has big plans for the next year.
This is the start of a new sound for him, and he hopes more songs like this will follow with maybe one or two before the end of the year.
There are also a number of gigs to be announced for the next three months that he is looking forward to performing.
At the end of our interview Sam said: “Songs will happen, it’s what I love to do it’s so expressive as an art form and it’s something I will always want to do.
“Just a Little was kind of a one off, as a process it was very natural.
After not releasing a song for two years, once the lyrics were finished and he got the song back from Toby he knew this was the one that this would be the re-release of his music as an original artist.
Just a Little is out at midnight February 7th.
For announcements of new music and dates of performances you can follow Sam on Instagram @sambishopmusician.
The wait is over for Winchester’s burger lovers, as a new Five Guys restaurant has opened in the heart of the city centre.
The American burger chain, world famous for its customisable smash burgers and seemingly bottomless fries opened on Monday, December 2nd.
It was a soft launch without any ceremony for the restaurant, but the new staff and management immediately had a growing queue of customers on their hands.
Five Guys has taken one of three units from the former Debenhams department store. The other two are Nando’s which opened last month and Pizza Express.
Founded in Virginia in 1986, Five Guys launched in the UK in 2013 and has become a popular choice for burger lovers, including celebrities such as Tommy Fury, Mollie King, Ed Sheeran, and Maya Jama.
There are now 1,800 restaurants worldwide including 171 in the UK.
The new Winchester branch is expected to be a popular addition to the city’s food scene.
-
Football9 years agoFootball – Winchester City vs Didcot Town
-
Community8 years agoWinnall community association renovated
-
Community8 years ago
Hampshire’s frontline services at risk
-
Hampshire8 years agoUniversity of Winchester Parking Trouble
-
Community8 years ago
Knight Bus unveiled at school
-
Community8 years ago‘Controversial’ new plans take shape in Eastleigh
-
Winchester News Online8 years ago#MiracleMissy Update
-
Bulletins7 years agoWINOL 20 November 2018