Irrational Theatre

Irrational Theatre are bringing their show to The White Bear Theatre. This ground-breaking production will offer audiences a fusion of opera and new playwriting and is the latest in the company’s quest to create fresh, quirky, innovative staged entertainment.

Director Paula Chitty says “we’re marrying comic opera with new playwriting and focusing on introducing audiences to something they may not have tried before. So, if you like opera, you’ll get to sample new writing. And if you like new writing, you will get to hear some pretty good opera.”

The Telephone, or L’Amour à trois is an English-language comic opera in one act by Gian Carlo Menotti . Ben bearing a gift, comes to visit Lucy at her apartment; he wants to propose to her before he leaves on a trip. Despite his attempts, Lucy is occupied with interminable conversations on the telephone.

Cox and Box (The long lost Brothers) is a one act comic opera with libretto by F. C Bernard and music by Arthur Sullivan. It was Sullivan’s first successful comic opera. The story concerns a landlord who lets a room to two lodgers, one who works at night and the other who works during the day. When one of them has a day off, they meet each other in the room. Tempers Flare. They discover they are both betrothed to the same women…will it end happily?

Cycle is a short comic play by Joanna Norland, which takes a real life neighbourly dispute over ‘right of way’ as its inspiration.

“Sublime singing, performed with gusto. It wraps Menotti’s The Telephone around Arthur Sullivan’s Cox and Box and a comic new play. First rate and compelling. For a great night’s entertainment, it is well worth going along.” Madeline Burton. Herts Advertiser