Press acclaim for Genesis Fellow Natalie Abrahami’s Royal Opera House debut

Tuesday, 7 January 2014

Genesis Fellow and Associate Director at the Young Vic, Natalie Abrahami, has received press acclaim from the national critics for her directorial debut at the Royal Opera House. Based on Ted Hughes’s well-loved story collection The Dreamfighter and Other Creation Tales, How The Whale Became is a new enchanting family opera by Julian Philips based on witty and irreverent tales about creation and the world we live.

Financial Times
‘Natalie Abrahami’s fluent staging, designed by Tom Scutt and brilliantly lit by James Farncombe, resembles a playroom conflation of Gardeners’ World, Doctor Who and The Lion King.’

Guardian
‘Kemp, Philips and stage director Natalie Abrahami have turned Ted Hughes’s creation tales into an inventive experiment in live theatre.’

Evening Standard
‘sporadic charm and moments of sonic and visual wonder.’

The Stage
‘Natalie Abrahami’s staging is lively and energetic, providing much of the movement and vitality that keeps the evening on the move.’

Telegraph
‘a delightfully inventive production by Natalie Abrahami, graced by a witty set by Tom Scutt which presents the world as a garden centre designed by Heath Robinson.’

Watch Natalie Abrahami discussing How the Whale Became here:

Natalie Abrahami’s production of Samuel Beckett’s surrealist masterpiece Happy Days will open at the Young Vic on 23 January. For tickets, click here.

Read more about the Genesis Foundation’s partnership with the Young Vic here.