The Handmaid's Tale Reviews

Richard from London, England

ENTERTAINMENT

A melodramatic, monotone of negativity. Part of going to an Opera is listening to beautiful music but this orchestra is about as exciting as hitting your head continously against a brick wall. I honestly can't understand why people like dark depressing themes without breakouts of intrigue, happiness or wit. What I think helps get you through to the interval is the imaginative stage design.

Jenny from London, England

THE HANDMAIDS TALE

Dissatisfied we left after first half with many others Good performers but depressing

Amanda from London, England

TEDIOUS

I couldn’t agree more with the above review Where was overture, the arias the contrast of tones Sorry not for me I left at the intermission

Lisa Smith from London, England

IF YOU LOVE THE SERIES - DON’T DO IT

Hard watch, the opera is too much. No talking. It’s almost ruining how good the series is. Left half way through

Sophie from Yorkshire, England

HANDMAIDS TALE - TERRIBLY BORING!

Was the most boring theatre experience I have ever been to - awful. Didn't want to go back in after the interval and my friend left 15 mins from the end. The problem is that there is no melody and the script is so excrutiatingly dull it will make you wish you could leave. Never seen so many empty seats after an interval.

Stephen from London, England

POOR EXAMPLE OF ENGLISH OPERA

Please don't spend your time and money on this opera. I've never seen so many people leaving not only during the interval but before the interval arrived. Not sure where the papers got their four star ratings from, they've obviously not been to a real opera. Slow, dull and completely uninteresting. I hoped it would inspire me to read the book or watch the series, but this hasn't encouraged me.

Tony from London, England

I LEFT TOGETHER WITH 9 PEOPLE WHO SAT AROUND ME.

Well, this was an unfortunate experience. While I am not an opera expert I have seen many and enjoy going regularly. I have to say I had high expectations for this - all which were failed to meet. The music was disappointing and singing too. Totally unmatched. The scenarios were baron, which I get but I expected to see some dramatic settings. Had I not read or watched the Handmaid Tale I wouldn’t have a clue what was going on. Left during the break, half of the people around me didn’t even wait that long before they left

Joseph Butler from London, England

NO STARS

It is not possible to give no stars on this site, but that would be my choice. This was the most dreary, dismal and depressing evening I ever spent in the theatre. The music is a tissue of banal modernist cliches, the story is repulsive, the characters ciphers, the singing had a lot of hideous high pitched screeching and squawking. When there is real horror going on in the world today in Gaza, to present a near pornographic display of simulated sex'n'violence in sanitised form in a theatre, which we know is fake and make-believe, is not just distasteful, it is downright obscene. Two other points: when you have to display English words as surtitles because they cannot be heard, this is a sure sign that the composer musical setting is afailure. Also, to have to employ an "intimacy co-ordinator" (which must be the most ludicrous and fatuous job ever devised) to protect the poor dears on stage from being upset by what they are being made to do can only suggest the question: what is the point of doing it at all? What indeed is the point of this revolting ghastly repulsive show?

Lou from London, England

AWFUL

Absolutely dreadful we were so bored we left at the interval along with some others! No scenery, underwhelming orchestra and devoid of drama It was actually quite funny because it was so bad. Put me off opera forever. Don't waste your time or money on this performance if you're opera curious.

Louise from London, England

WHAT ON EARTH DID I JUST WATCH?

Tedious. Difficult. Painful. As a musical, opera and all round theatre-lover with a 'Give it a chance no matter what' attitide, this was the stage equivalent of water torture. Positives? The set was done in a stripped-back rather haunting, beautiful way. Other than that I could find no redeeming features. I developed a headache and contemplated putting earplugs in, but remained bemused enough to make it to the interval by watching other audience members scroll through their phones, read their Kindles, fall deeply asleep, pop their headphones in, watch movies and er... leave. It was the single time in my fairly extensive history of theatre that an audience member's mobile phone went off near us and for once, all I could think was 'Yes! Keep it going! At last, something resembling a decent piece of music'. Spend the evening scraping your fingers down a blackboard. You'll have a better, cheaper time.

Liz phillips from London, England

DREADFUL

Worst opera I have ever seen, left at the interval along with four others in our party

Elle Sutton from London, England

DREADFUL

Don’t waste your money- never been the theatre where so many left either during or in the intermission.

Tina Cooper from London, England

ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE

We managed to sit through the first half, a lot of people left before then. We couldnt bring ourselves to sit through the second half. The acting wasnt bad, the singing was awful. The whole thing really didnt work. I am glad i only paid £12 for my seat.

Harry Medden from London, England

SHOCKINGLY BAD

I’ve never left a performance in an interval before but my wife and I couldn’t stand the idea of sitting through the second half. Yes, the story line is challenging but there was nothing in this opera to engage with. The singing was mono-tonal and the music was discordant. It was like everything was done in slow motion. The best bit was the opening 2 mins where the story line was introduced in spoken English.

GW from London, England

DREADFUL WASTE OF LIFE

The other reviews say it all. I’ve never seen so many people leave the theatre at the interval in all my theatre-going years. I feel sorry for the poor souls who decided to stay! No idea how the critics’ reviews were so positive. It was an abomination.

Diane, James and Hannah - we speak for many. from London, England

WOULD RATHER HAVE WATCHED PAINT DRY!

… at least paint drying isn’t accompanied by discordant noise. That coupled with no scenery, unimaginative selections from a brilliant story and a shrillness only matched in a battery hen house! Along with many others, left at the interval.

Pinar from London, England

WORST OPERA I HAVE EVER SEEN.

I am sad about spending 2.5 hours on this opera.

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