The biggest strength of this production was the way that the central set and image on the stage, as well as the movement and costumes) was a smart reflection of the style and nature of the music. The hypnotic minimalism of the music was reflected in the stark white cube within which all the action (such as it was) took place. There was no attempt to; suggest Egypt – Ancient or modern. There was masterly use of lighting in the opening scenes when we experienced a great range of shades of black and grey which very effective conveyed the fixed and unchanging old order that the new Pharaoh was about to unleash on his world when he ascended to the throne.
The impact of Akhenaten (and his wife –equally important it seemed) was very well suggested by the brilliance of the colours of their costumes and their uniqueness was reflected in not just this but by the gender mixing aspects of these costumes – Akhenaten’s in particular. However, I did feel that with what had been shown initially, the possibilities for a striking visual representation of his takeover of the kingdom was missed. With the emphasis on the sun as the centre of this new world, I felt that when the takeover and radical change came, it could have been superbly suggested by lighting – brilliant oranges and yellows in sharp contrast to the black and white world in the sterile cube that we had seen until then. But instead there was a rather oddly unconvincing, slowly inflated black shape that grew until it took over the representing the old order.
For the production as a whole, I felt that there could have been more active direction given; there were rather too many longeurs on the stage where nothing was happening. This was particularly noticeable when there was just spoken narration – an important part of the work. This would have given more emotional impact to the work.
But in spite of these strictures, it was wonderful to be able to see this remarkable work on stage. And it was particularly encouraging to see a full house, something that has apparently been a feature of the whole run.