The Queen of Spades, London Coliseum ****

One of the most depressing things to see at any theatre production is to be in a half- empty performance. Therefore, it was disheartening to see Edward Gardner's last production as music director being played to a visibly empty coliseum. However, my spirits were quickly lifted by a sublime performance. The leads are some of the best performances I've seen. Hoare's Hermann captures both the characters devotion to Lisa and the addiction that eventually tears him away, although I found it hard to believe that Giselle Adam's Lisa would be prepared to risk her reputation for the love of a visibly damaged and disheveled human being portrayed by Peter Hoare. The night, however, belongs to Felicity Palmer who is utterly magnificent, hypnotic and any other superlatives you can think of. It is one of those historic performances that will live long in the memory. Her voice is so rich and powerful that it is impossible not to fall in love with it. Gardner brings out the rich emotion in Tchaikovsky's score and is well played by the orchestra. The chorus is also brilliant, as always. Alden's direction and Davey's designs provide some striking images and is an effective way of communicating the story. However, there are parts which seem to have been added purely as gimmicks in the hope of giving the production a strong identity which is unfortunate. Specifically, the use of animal heads and 'onesies' seems to have no other purpose than to give the audience something to remember. Despite this, I felt that this production was extremely successful due to the mighty Felicity Palmer that really steals the show.