Chances to see Bela Bartok's only opera alongside one of his two ballets are rare, so the Hungarian National Opera and Ballet's double bill of Bluebeard's Castle and The Miraculous Mandarin at Sadler's Wells in London is an irresistible draw.
Anyone lucky enough to have seen Robert Lepage's masterly production of Bluebeard's Castle in the 1996 Hong Kong Arts Festival saw a truly great production that has become a benchmark of excellence. In comparison to Lepage's masterpiece - which was full of drama and breathtaking visual imagery - Andras Miko's production was static and uninspiring, despite some good singing.
The opera tells the story of how Duke Bluebeard brings his bride, Judith, to his castle, where she persuades him to open seven mysterious doors. These reveal a torture chamber, an armoury, and a treasure room, with the last room housing the duke's previous three wives. In Miko's production, the opening of the doors was represented by the raising of seven stage curtains - so no keys, no doors and no movement, with Peter Fried (Bluebeard) and Andrea Melath (Judith) rooted to the spot as though they were giving an opera recital, the only touch of drama being in the garish green and purple lights.
The second half of the evening was Bartok's short ballet, The Miraculous Mandarin. The ballet is set in a young prostitute's flat. The girl greets two clients, an older man and a student. But, before they get what they've come for, three pimps leap out from behind the furniture to rob them. The third customer is a feisty Chinese man who refuses to give up without a fight.
The opera was banned in Hungary and caused a riot at its 1926 premiere in Cologne.
The production brought to London used the original choreography of Gyula Harangozo, the founder of the company. But this production hasn't worn well, looking dated and being at times laughable, and even offensive.