The English National Opera (ENO) has made a daring choice for the inaugural new opera staged at its Manchester hub, selecting one of the most uncompromising works of 21st-century music theatre: Du Yun’s Angel’s Bone. This Pulitzer Prize-winning opera by the Chinese American composer confronts human trafficking directly through an allegorical narrative. The story centers on two angels who literally fall into the possession of a dysfunctional couple. This couple, after a mere five-minute deliberation, proceeds to mutilate and exploit their captive angels.

For this premiere production, a collaborative effort involving Factory International and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the ENO has enlisted Kip Williams. Williams, whose previous work The Picture of Dorian Gray captivated audiences in the West End and on Broadway, brings his signature innovative approach. The Australian director employs his rapid-fire technical expertise to create a disorienting, in-the-round staging. This production, set at Aviva Studios in Manchester, features live projections of the action onto immense screens, contributing to the often overwhelming, yet compelling, kaleidoscopic experience of Du Yun’s work.

English Translation:

Angel’s Bone Review – A Frenetic and Unsettling Allegory of Human Trafficking Marks ENO’s Manchester Debut

The English National Opera (ENO) has made a bold leap, selecting one of the most uncompromising pieces of 21st-century music theatre for the first new opera staged in its northern base. Du Yun’s Angel’s Bone, which earned the Chinese American composer the 2017 Pulitzer Prize, tackles human trafficking head-on in an allegorical tale of two angels that fall – literally – into the clutches of a dysfunctional couple. This couple hesitates for a mere five minutes before deciding to mutilate and exploit them.

For this inaugural production, a collaboration with Factory International and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, they have recruited Kip Williams. Williams, whose production of The Picture of Dorian Gray dazzled the West End and Broadway, is an innovative Australian director. He employs his breathless technical wizardry to fashion a dizzying in-the-round staging at Aviva Studios, Manchester. The action is live-projected onto enormous screens, which, while potentially disorienting, contributes to the compelling and kaleidoscopic nature of Du Yun’s Pulitzer-winning work.