Almeida Opera's sell-out production of Man and Boy: Dada, the latest opera by Michael Nyman, has received a series of tremendous reviews. The music, the libretto (by Michael Hastings, and the performances of John Graham-Hall, Vivien Tierney and William Sheldon have all been singled out for great praise.
"What's new about this opera is the way obsessiveness has been given a tender, nostalgic tone… a subtle and touching piece of music-theatre." - Ivan Hewett, The Daily Telegraph
"[The] opera is another odd but genuine success. It will surely travel widely. From the start, Nyman supplies a constant, canny period-dance score: robust and loud … Man and Boy should prosper to still more touching effect." - David Murray, Financial Times
"Hasting's unfussy libretto, with its graceful alternations of comedy and pathos, came across beautifully in this intimate space… And as the boy and the German made friends, and the mother and the German made peace (though not love), an engaging spell was cast… No praise can be too high for young William Sheldon as the boy and Vivian Tierney as his mother, while John Graham-Hall's incarnation was a heroic piece of virtuosity. This heartfelt work rose far above pastiche." - Michael Church, The Independent
