Skip to content
  • Home
  • Blog
    • Secret London
    • London History
    • Out Of Town
    • Royal London
    • Food and Drink
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright Family Journey 2025
Theme by ThemeinProgress
Proudly powered by WordPress

HOT

  • 11 children’s books set in London
  • A London Literary tour for Kids
  • Must-see Art for Kids in London
  • Horse Racing in Great Britain (UK): Why British Love Horse Racing
  • THINGS TO DO IN OARSOME HAMMERSMITH
  • Home
  • Blog
    • Secret London
    • London History
    • Out Of Town
    • Royal London
    • Food and Drink
Family Journey
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • You are here :
  • Home
  • Out Of Town
  • REVIEW: THE EXCURSIONS OF MR BROUČEK
REVIEW: THE EXCURSIONS OF MR BROUČEK

REVIEW: THE EXCURSIONS OF MR BROUČEK

Linda Doran 06/20/2022Out Of Town Article

David Pountney is a genius. The British-Polish director has transformed one of the repertoire’s most difficult and eccentric operas into a madcap, merry work of art, bursting with colour, humour and silliness. I was both intrigued by and slightly dreading The Excursions of Mr Brouček at Grange Park Opera. I ended up with quite a crush on this kooky satire, helped by the brilliant toontown sets by Leslie Travers and bold costumes by Marie-Jean Lecca.

The Excursions of Mr Brouček is Gulliver’s Travels meets Monty Python, Alice in Wonderland, Willie Wonka, Baz Luhrmann and the whole kitchen sink in between. It’s all very topsy turvy, and you’ll need to bring your sense of humour with you to enjoy this one. And don’t go reading the synopsis expecting it to make any sense whatsoever. It’s totally bonkers. But let’s give it a shot, shall we?

Brouček (Peter Hoare) is a sausage-eating, beer-swilling landlord who is disillusioned with a life of over-zealous women, lockdown parties, corrupt politicians and social media. He time travels from modern-day Prague to the moon with the help of an oversized winged lager can, only to discover that it is filled with woke, cowslip-eating, art-loving intellectuals. He yearns for his beer and sausages and escapes back to Prague. But it’s 1420 now, and there’s a war raging against the Hussites. Brouček is expected to help in the defence of Prague but flees instead. The penalty for desertion is death by beer – in a barrel. Our hero survives this liquid ordeal and wakes up back in the present, declaring he has single-handedly saved Prague. You still with me?

It took ten long years for Leos Janáček to churn out the final copy of his opera, and no less than seven writers worked on the libretto. In this brilliant English (phew) translation, Pountney pokes fun at the modern-day absurd – from Boris and those parties, to vegans, arty Oscar Wilde-like organic-loving intellectuals, corporate sponsorship and gender politics.

It’s an energetic and effervescent score, brilliantly led by conductor George Jackson with the help of BBC Concert Orchestra. Hail to choreographer Lynne Hockney who gave us some unique dances with retro-style vacuum cleaners and toilet brushes (trust me) and to the brilliant English tenor Mark Le Brocq who takes on four roles (and who is a dead ringer for Michael Heseltine in one of them).

If it weren’t for all those sausages and co, I would even say take the kids. It would make a first great opera, thanks to its imaginative fun factor – which it delivers in bubbly, barrel-sized droves.

You may also like

THE ALGARVE: THIS SHORE IS MORE

SERENADE FOR A STEINWAY | A TOUR OF THE STEINWAY PIANOS FACTORY IN HAMBURG

A GUIDE TO GRANGE PARK OPERA

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Archives

  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • November 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • May 2024
  • December 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • October 2021
  • August 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • October 2020
  • August 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • February 2020
  • May 2019
  • January 2019

Calendar

May 2025
M T W T F S S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031  
« Mar    

Categories

  • Food and Drink
  • Kids in London
  • London History
  • Out Of Town
  • Royal London
  • Secret London

Recent Posts

  • 11 children’s books set in London
  • A London Literary tour for Kids
  • Must-see Art for Kids in London
  • Horse Racing in Great Britain (UK): Why British Love Horse Racing
  • THINGS TO DO IN OARSOME HAMMERSMITH

Archives

  • 2025
  • 2024
  • 2023
  • 2022
  • 2021
  • 2020
  • 2019

Categories

  • Food and Drink
  • Kids in London
  • London History
  • Out Of Town
  • Royal London
  • Secret London
May 2025
M T W T F S S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031  
« Mar    

Copyright Family Journey 2025 | Theme by ThemeinProgress | Proudly powered by WordPress