Rufus Bateman News Today

The ENO delights with a lavish staging of the Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera, while the conductor-less string group tackle Max Richter’s mesmerising take on Vivaldi

This is a super show - go and see it. Lots of fun guaranteed for anyone between nine and 90 in this inspired romp freshened up by comicmeister Cal McCrystal.

Like most G&S, Pinafore is rather outdated and needs a good director to introduce some twists that appeal to a modern audience and on past performance, Cal McCrystal had all the right credentials. With two Paddington films and the stage hit One Man, Two Guvnors under his belt, as well as numerous other successes, he […]

Director Cal McCrystal focuses on the laughs and his cast, including a creditable Les Dennis as Sir Joseph, are clearly having a whale of a time

English National Opera's crowd-pleaser at the London Coliseum is uneven but a feel-good panacea for lockdown

More hits than misses from Cal McCrystal’s gagbook and a mostly musical line-up. Opera review by David Nice

The concept of coming together in-person to have a laugh and a sing-song to explore who and what captured the nation’s attention during the strange climate of the last year had potential.