Liam Steel

A funny, cruel exploration of the male psyche, Enter Achilles is set in a typical British pub, a shabby, nicotine-stained boozer. Pop songs tumble out of the jukebox, there is football on the TV, and the eight men lark around, pint glasses in hand. But their blokish fun is balanced on a knife-edge of tension, for beneath the mateyness lurks a disturbing undercurrent of paranoia and insecurity, where weakness is brutally exploited and violence covers up vulnerability.

A shy greengrocer is elected May King after all the girls in town are found unworthy of being Queen. With the help of a spiked drink he breaks free of society’s expectations and learns to stand up for himself. Conducted by leading Britten interpreter and Director of Opera at the Royal College of Music, Michael Rosewell, this performance of Britten’s Albert Herring showcases the best young talent at the Royal College of Music International Opera School. Acclaimed Scottish soprano and RCM alumna and teacher Janis Kelly plays Lady Billows.