Michael Grandage’s purposely traditional production of Britten’s Billy Budd won high marks in England, where it originated. Yet ultimately, the fate of this all-male, maritime masterpiece rests on the shoulders of the barihunk cast as the Apollonian, stuttering hero. All eyes are on John Chest. —M.G.
The Arts Intel Report
Billy Budd, by Benjamin Britten
When
Sept 7–22, 2019
Where
Britten’s Billy Budd in rehearsal at San Francisco Opera. Photo: Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera