It is hard to believe that Opera North has had this production of Britten’s Peter Grimes sitting in its warehouse for twenty years. It has all the hallmarks of a classic: powerful visual impact that entirely reinforces the way director Phyllida Lloyd has chosen to tell the story of Grimes, the tortured, visionary outsider who becomes the victim of a community whose hostility he can never quite come to terms with. Yet the brilliance of Britten’s opera lies in its refusal to simplify its protagonist. Each time we think we have a clear window into Grimes’s character, he does (or sings) something that unsettles us anew. He is both abuser and abused.
Grimes is a fisherman in an east coast village. The opera opens with an inquest into the death of his apprentice. Though Grimes is cleared of blame, some villagers plainly disagree with the verdict, and when he insists on acquiring a new apprentice from the local workhouse, feeling against him begins to rise. The schoolmistress Ellen Orford, whom Grimes plans to marry, is anxious about his rough treatment of the boy and his contempt for most of his neighbours. Grimes, however, is obsessed with becoming rich in order to win the community’s respect, and he ignores her advice. Spotting a shoal of fish during a storm, and despite the fact that his cottage has become dangerously unstable following a landslip, he rushes the boy down to the beach so they can pursue the catch that will make him rich. The boy falls. After they are not seen for two days, the villagers form a search party, and Grimes, now a broken man, sails out to sea for the last time.
Lloyd sets the scene on a stage that is little more than a box, surrounded on three sides by an undefined seascape backdrop. Wooden pallets, an enormous net hauled up and down to a hook high above the centre of the stage, and an ingenious wooden structure raised to represent Grimes’s precarious cottage are all that is needed to conjure up The Borough. The chorus, representing the villagers, move the pallets to create platforms and walls — memorably the wall of the Boar pub, where village life and feuds are fuelled. They gather around and inside the net to mend it, while also graphically conveying the insider/outsider divide at the heart of the drama. There are many telling details too: Ellen intervening in playground bullying, and the use of a scarecrow effigy at the height of the townsfolk’s scapegoating frenzy.
The opera demands a large cast, including a number of smaller roles, all performed here with distinction. But the dramatic power ultimately depends on three vocal forces: tenor Peter Grimes, soprano Ellen Orford, and the chorus. In all three respects, this production is outstanding. John Findon is a compelling Grimes, meeting the formidable vocal demands of this complex role with assurance. Brute, visionary, pub-brawler, thwarted lover, victim — Grimes must be all of these, and Findon is. His high tenor is delicate enough for the sublime Great Bear aria, yet rough-edged enough to convey Grimes’s fury at what he perceives as Ellen’s betrayal.
As Ellen, Philippa Boyle is splendid, achieving the difficult balance between affection for Grimes and fear for the boy with just the right touch. For me, however, the outstanding performance of the night comes from the chorus. Britten places heavy demands on his singers, and the Opera North Chorus meets them magnificently. From the church music at the beginning of Act II to the spine-chilling manhunt near the end of Act III, this is a group fully committed to telling the story. As conductor, Garry Walker maintains a driving, relentless pace, and the Opera North Orchestra responds with equal intensity.
This is a very special production of one of the great operas of the twentieth century. It tells an important story about how communities can be stirred up against outsiders, without pretending that outsiders are always easy to defend. With the clarity of the directorial vision and the power of the performances, this was a memorable night at the opera. Opera North, please don’t leave it in storage for another twenty years.
Leeds Grand Theatre –
Music: Benjamin Britten
Libretto: Montague Slater
Conductor: Garry Walker
Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Revival: Karolina Sofulak and Tim Claydon
Running time
Act I: 1 hour
Interval: 20 minutes
Act II: 50 minutes
Interval: 15 minutes
Act III: 40 minutes
Total: approximately 3 hours 5 minutes
Until: 20 March 2026
Photo credit: James Glossop