Itch at Opera Holland Park is a rare thing: a modern opera which attempts to make the art form accessible to a younger generation. The lure? Simon Mayo’s highly successful series of children’s books. Since the repertoire of classic operas is recirculated like songs on a Spotify playlist, it is a display of great daring and ingenuity on the part of James Clutton, CEO and Director of OHP, to commission a production that is so on the pulse, both in its exploration of the dangers of modern scientific advancement and the importance of moral consciousness to keep it in check.
The hero of the opera is Itchingham Lofte (Xavier Hetherington), a dorky teenage boy who is a collector of scientific elements par excellence. With the periodic table at the ready, he sets off with his sister Jack (Natasha Agarwal) in zealous pursuit of new elemental acquisitions. But when Itchingham accidentally comes into possession of a hitherto undiscovered element containing radioactive potential, the unscrupulous executives of Greencorps smell profit and want in. What follows is a heady adventure. Expect car chases, megalomaniac executives in meltdown, and scintillating scientific spectacle.
The opera’s rambunctious story is brought to life with equally vigorous singing. As Itchingham, tenor Xavier Hetherington imbues each word with fizzing magic and enthusiasm, especially in his performance of ‘Castle of Elements’. When his vocals are accompanied by a harp and twinkling glockenspiel, the effect is like taking a sojourn up in the stars. It creates instant wonderment and reverence for the substances that make up our living earth. James Hall is also excellent and doubles roles with a highly ironic effect. He plays Cake, a seaside-dwelling dealer of substances who is deeply connected to the spirit of the planet and a corporate stooge wishing to plunder it. His vocals are capable of soaring with anguish and pain, heightened by a drumbeat that ominously prophesises planetary doom.
Given these staggeringly good performances, the supporting roles at times felt slightly diluted. However, the show bounced along enjoyably thanks to Alasdair Middleton’s libretto, which successfully took a children’s book and deepened it with wit, poetry and a rather adult-pleasing form of irony. For instance, nefarious corporates sing that the substance shouldn’t fall into ‘the wrong hands’, while Itchingham’s paean to the elements is written with all the emotional rapture of Dante confessing his love to Beatrice. It’s all rather bonkers, but, taken in conjunction with Jonathan Dove’s score, surprisingly affecting.
Frankie Bradshaw’s set, which has the feel of a retro video game, does much to yoke the show together. Square screens are piled up high to resemble the form of the periodic table. And as the story shifts locale, the squares light up with new settings, from a beach shore to a rocky mine. Lighting is used effectively at key moments by Jake Wiltshire to further intensify the drama.
Opera Holland Park’s Itch is a production that is goofy, good-hearted and has a strong moral vein, which, in a profit-crazed world, is nothing if not quietly revolutionary. Its zinging operatic idiom makes a case for modern social responsibility and bravery, and regards children as the heroes of the future. This is family entertainment with a bang. The Royal Opera House should be all over it.
Itch
Composer: Jonathan Dove
Librettist: Alasdair Middleton, based on the book series by Simon Mayo
Director: Stephen Barlow
Photo credits: Craig Fuller
Cast includes: Xavier Hetherington; Natasha Agarwal; Rebecca Bottone; Victoria Simmonds; Eric Greene; Nicholas Garrett; Robert Burt; James Hall.
Until: Friday 13th June 2025
Running Time: 2 hours and 25 minutes including a 30-minute interval
Review by Olivia Hurton
6th June 2025