Review: The Handmaid’s Tale

To tell the truth, I don’t know whether I loved this operatic version of the novel The Handmaid’s Tale, or whether I found the storyline somewhat disturbing.

The original novel by Margaret Atwood is set in the fictional totalitarian Republic of Gilead in the year 2195 and centres on young “handmaid”, Offred. In this dystopian republic, women are subjugated at every turn; most conspicuously they are sexually used and abused by the powerful high-ranking officials of the military dictatorship.

The first point to make is that the quality of the music in this production, both in terms of the score and the performance from the cast, is very impressive. It’s no surprise to find a wealth of singing talent in Oxford, you can do more than just sing in your shower at this university, but the skill with which the singers conveyed the terrors the women experience, the loneliness of the handmaids’ fate and the cruelty of the perpetrators is quite astonishing.
Compliments are also in order for technical aspects of the production. Special note goes to the excellent lighting, creating minimalistic scenery which stimulates the spectator’s fantasy. Throughout the piece, space is very well used:  a transparent screen close to the ceiling is at times employed to graphically represent the mental processes of the main character.
This is a bold piece of opera that sacrifices some of the original novel’s plot to create a production based more on atmosphere:  the action sends a shiver down your spine. And don’t think there’s any escape from this climate of unease. Oh no, the audience is at eye level with the cast and, at points, is involved in the action.
The singing alone makes this production a highlight of the term, but the gripping storyline makes it a must see. Also, top tip, if you’re not an opera-buff/dystopian fiction fan, the classic Wikipedia-check two minutes before you leave really pays off.