To The Moon and Back: The Adventures of Mr Broucek

Czech composer Leoš Janá?ek is beloved by aficionados for his melding of folk music with more formal schemes: he surpassed himself with the off-the-wall Mr Broucek, a surreal tale of the titular nutter who imbibes himself to the moon, before returning to the scene of revolutionary Prague in 1968, with Soviet tanks rolling down Wenceslas Square.

For a new twist on Janá?ek’s original setting, director John Fulljames puts a modern political spin on the story. Other unusual touches include the English translation (no pesky supertitles to read) and Celtic tinges like the bagpipe-esque sounds Janá?ek scored for the horns. Also keeping the saltire flying are baritone Donald Maxwell and mezzo-soprano Frances McCafferty who makes her Scottish Opera bow with this production.

Mr Broucek debuted in Leeds last October with the same cast, to very positive reviews, and the joint co-production with Opera North means SO have a bigger budget to play with which is reflected in the diverse cast and crew, as well as the attention Fulljames has been able to lavish on it. So if you fancy something a bit out of the ordinary, you could do worse than this heady mix of alcohol, politics and surrealism.