Congratulations to two of our younger students, Second Year Oliver Michael and Third Year Arlo Murray, who took on the challenging role of Miles in Benjamin Britten’s opera, The Turn of the Screw, throughout December.
The new production by Isabelle Kettle was presented in the Deborah Warner Ustinov Studio, at the Theatre Royal, Bath. As there were twenty shows, two boys were selected to alternate performing the role of Miles. Public auditions took place and resulted in Arlo and Oliver being selected.
Trinity has an enviable reputation for providing soloists for the challenging boy solo role in The Turn of the Screw, and we have recently had students singing it in Hungary and Italy, as well as various venues in the UK.
This production received rave reviews, including highly complimentary comments about the boys, and Arlo and Oliver are to be congratulated on such a magnificent achievement. It was also a considerable commitment as they had rehearsals throughout November and the final performance was on 22 December.
Review highlights include:
Mike Whitton at Stage Talk Magazine said, “Oliver Michael brought an impressive depth and conviction to [his] role… a striking feature of this production was the way the children interacted with the three onstage musicians, especially when Miles [Oliver] shows off his skills at the piano. Maia and Oliver came very close to stealing the show.”
The Bath Magazine said, “Arlo Murray (treble) as Miles was magnificent in a musically and performatively demanding role.”
Rian Evans, The Guardian, said, “The cast of six could hardly be stronger, the key roles of Flora and Miles played by Maia Greaves and Oliver Michael, whose dramatic gifts and musical poise are simply astonishing.”
Rebecca Franks at The Times agrees, “It’s the two children — Oliver Michael’s Miles and Maia Greaves’s Flora — who are the heart of the show, taking us from giddy childish elation to trembling fear. They sing and act brilliantly.”
Congratulations to Oliver and Arlo.
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