DUKE BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE

English National Opera

Walk-on role as Judith (21.03.024)

Bluebeard                  John Relyea
Judith                          Allison Cook (original cast) / Jennifer Johnstone (cover voice) / Crispin Lord (walk-on)
Prologue                     Leo Bill

Conductor                  Lidiya Yankovskaya
Director                      Joe Hill-Gibbins
Assistant Director    Crispin Lord
Set Design                 Rosanna Vize 
Costume                     Sarah Bowern
Lighting                       Ian Jackson-French

“The focus might have been undermined by circumstance, torn as we were between watching the compelling Johnston and the equally magnetic Crispin Lord (an ENO staff director), sensuously and seductively walking the role of Judith. But the evening gathered a fiery energy of its own, and the work’s mysteries scorched our senses.” -- Fiona Maddocks, The Observer ★★★★

“Assistant director Crispin Lord, clad in Judit’s white dress, performed the action — with such brilliant commitment that by the end his role almost seemed part of the concept” -- Neil Fisher, The Times ★★★★

“The role was acted, meanwhile, wonderfully well, by Crispin Lord, one of ENO’s staff directors, handsome yet androgynous in a white singlet and silk skirt, so that Bluebeard’s final partner, in a remarkable twist, effectively becomes his husband rather than his wife.” -- Tim Ashley, The Guardian ★★★★

“Staff director Crispin Lord “walked” the role with such evocative style that the symbolism seemed heightened. The term “walked” seems hardly just in describing a set of movements that veered into performative dance on occasion – Lord’s grip on the choreography was virtuosic in its own right.” -- Dominic Lowe, Bachtrack ★★★★

Photos: Nirah Sanghani