La Fanciulla Del West West End Girl (Oberon Modern Plays),New

Review A heartwarming story and, almost uniquely, a happy endingThe overall experience is marvellously uplifting... The final scene will melt even the stoniest of hearts. The StageBold and bizarre as ever a charming show Evening StandardA heartwarming story and, almost uniquely, a happy endingThe overall experience is marvellously uplifting... The final scene will melt even the stoniest of hearts. The StageBold and bizarre as ever a charming show Evening Standard Product Description Minnie runs a dilapidated, backstreet Soho internet cafe, populated by Eastern European immigrants and targeted by the Albanian underworld. Minnie, trusting and innocent, falls for gang leader 'Vik' Johnson, who is intent on stealing from the villains in her cafe, and from her. When the crooks catch up with Vik, he is moments from execution, before Minnie is forced to play a hand of poker for his life.Puccini's La Fanciulla del West (West End Girl) had gorgeous melodies, great passion and humour. Andrew LloydWebber thought so. He was inspired by Fanciulla to create one of the most famous melodies in The Phantom of the Opera. Fanciulla has thrilling scenes and rich characters, and as in La Boheme and Madama Butterfly, Puccini shows us youthful love and burning desire in a joyous evening of drama and delight. This production is directed by Robert Chevara (Artistic Director, English Touring Opera, 19972001) in his own new version cowritten with Kfir Yefet (recently directed Gillian Anderson in A Doll's House, Donmar Warehouse, 2009). Musical Direction by John Gibbons. About the Author Robert was born in London and has written and directed plays, opera, television and film. In 2009 he directed La Voix Humaine to great acclaim in Stockholm. Robert directed Top Girls by Caryl Churchill for the English Theatre, Berlin, and worked with company again on a stage reading of Cheech or The Chrysler Guys Are In Town by Francois Letourneau. He was invited to New Zealand Opera to direct Madama Butterfly and to Banff, Canada to direct the world premiere of Pascal Dusapins To Be Sung. Robert directed The Rakes Progress, Carmen, Fidelio and Macbeth for English Touring Opera, for whom Robert was Director of Productions from 19972001. He directed an awardwinning Powder Her Face for Ystad Opera Festival in Sweden, Handels Radamisto and Lothario for the Royal College of Music, The Tales of Hoffman, Les Dialogues Des Carmelites and Dvoraks The Cunning Peasant for Guildhall School of Music & Drama and the 1999 National Opera Studios London Showcase. He was codirector on the BBC2 television series of Marschers The Vampire which won the Prix Italia. He also directed Hamlet and Mary Rose by J.M. Barrieat Theatre Space, Covent Garden andchoreographed Les Noces at the Banff Centre for the Arts. Recent projects include a film/performance/installation collaboration with the artist Victor Burgin for the London Symphony Orchestras Centre at St Lukes, Old Street and the hugely successful devised play with music, Fair! In Rayleigh High Security Womens Prison for the National Youth Theatre. In 2010 Robert directed Purity and Desire and a new play The Bench by punk legend Bertie Marshall at The Drill Hall, London. Robert was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 1995 and the Japanese Governments cultural study award in 1997. MidWales Opera won the Prudential Award for his production of Carmen. www.robertchevara.com.Kfir is a writer/director whose first professional short film, Its Not Unusual, starring Meera Syal, met with great international acclaim and won a BAFTA for Best Short Film. His extensive work as a theatre director includes a collaboration with the choreographer Amir Hosseinpour at the Almeida Theatre Is That All There Is? featuring Liliane Montevecchi, which later transferred to New Yorks La Mama Theatre and won a New York Critics Award. Other theatre work includes Stravinskys The Soldiers Tale with Franc