Handel's Messiah: The Live Experience @ Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London

For me, Christmas equals Handel’s Messiah. It was intriguing to attend an immersive version in the opulent surroundings of Theatre Royal Drury Lane and thrilling to be almost on the stage with the performers (Arthur Darvill and Danielle de Niese), dancers and musicians due to the seating.

Some traditional elements remained — there was a classical orchestra (English Chamber Choir) and behind them a choir (The London Symphony Chorus). The soloists came on, performed and moved off again. There were also contemporary interpretative dancers — not sure if they were interpreting music, words or both. Sometimes their movements really worked — sometimes not, although their dancing was excellently conducted and brightly worked. Also, some songs which cried out for dancing just had the soloist performing.

To the side of the choir at the back was an interpretative screen of projected and coloured images — for me, as I was off stage somewhat, this took on a more Eye of Saroun look! The abstractness could have been replaced with actual images, although I appreciate that these could date quite quickly — for the people in darkness have seen a great light, contemporary images of Ukrainian civilians sheltering in metro stations could have been used as an image of hopeful enduring and encounter. At the same time, I appreciate that the designers want to avoid dating the production or bringing in politics, perhaps leaving it to the viewer to see what they want to see. But unless you were centre stage it could be a bit lava lampy.

Arthur Darvill and Martina Laird came on at points as Mother and Child. They also popped up in the audience — yes, Rory from Doctor Who could be stood next to you! They performed poetry — which sometimes worked, and again like the dancers, sometimes didn’t. Maybe we were meant to think of the Virgin Mary and Jesus. Here I think the Classical Everywhere production missed a trick — given the whole push of the work is of the Father giving his Son as the hope of the world, why not really challenge us as a 21st century audience by having a Father and Son speaking about birth, love, sacrifice? But a definite sensory experience.

The choir had perfect enunciation and you could hear 99.9% of the words — I don’t how they did it, but they did. Danielle de Niese had a wonderful number of costume changes and sang so beautifully — kneeling with a candle, in prayer, for ‘I Know That My Redeemer Liveth.’ Such a powerful voice and such emotion in it. Equally wonderful were Idunnu Münch (bringing real pain and distress into the descriptions of Jesus being tortured before his death, He Was Despised and Rejected); Cody Quattlebaum and Nicky Spence. Really, really beautiful singing.

The choir belted out the Hallelujah Chorus — we the audience decided to stand. (Huzzah!) Best of all were their ‘Amens’ at the end as well as Cody Quattlebaum literally telling us a story, singing with score in hand. Also, worth watching for the ‘conductor face’ of the English Chamber Orchestra’s conductor! (Very expressive Gregory Batsleer!)

I love the 18th century-ness of the production, mixing up dance, music and singing as would have happened at the time and the interaction with the audience — both poetry performers and dancers were in the audience at different points. One dancer even tried to take over the conducting!

But I think it also missed something — the introduction to the programme despairs as this is one of a weighty repertoire of “old sounding music written by dead white men, often about a Christian God”. I don’t want classical music to ever be dull and stuffy — but some of the essence of the work was missed (such as in some of the dance moves). This is a sacred piece, it is hopeful, it acts like a mirror — using words from the Bible to show us who we are, how much we deserve justice and judgement, and then surprises us with a boom of hope, of life, of rescue, of restoration and tells us how this will happen. We’re not going to be left in condemnation and misery; there is hope, freedom, joy, new life (and all due to a personal, glorious God and a sacrifice). The ultimate (and often lost) Christmas message — God with us, not distant and remote from us. Whilst I loved the joyous dancing of people in darkness seeing great light, there could have been even more riotous, more celebratory. What a hope in such miserable times as we are in — God the Father (at a time when some fathers and even male figures are not all they could and should be) wants not only for us to know Him, but to know us, to help us, to make a way for us to be with Him..forever. And that hope in shadows is worth leaping about in public for.

Truly I do appreciate the aims and ambitions of this production — to bring a fresh vision of Handel’s Messiah, whilst preserving the work’s integrity and intentions. But I also think this production issues a major challenge for artists, performers, musicians and creators who are Christian — at a seminal moment in UK history when we are no longer a majority faith, how are we going to bring the arts alongside the Bible, beliefs, practices and faith to show people what God is like and who He is, what Christianity and being a Christian, a follower of Jesus, is all about? Or are we going to hide behind our walls and wait for people to come and find us and our faith? How are we going to present the mystery, the wonder, to immerse people in Messiah?