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Details
Tom Thumb Theatre
2A Eastern Esplanade
Margate
Kent
CT9 2LB
England
Tickets
Prices: £20 (£14 concession)
Booking line: 01843 221791
Book Tickets
Programme
Christoph Willibald Gluck – Various
Niccolò Piccinni – Various
Joseph Bologne Chevalier de Saint-George – Various
Antonio Sacchini – Various
Jean-Baptiste Lully – Various
Jan Ladislav Dussek – The Sufferings of the Queen of France, Op.23
Performers
Olivia Doutney – soprano
Petra Hajduchová – harpsichord
Programme Note
Known for her iconic fashion, extravagant spending and unfortunate fate at the guillotine during the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette’s pivotal role in a different revolution, that of opera, is rarely discussed. She was, however, a central figure in the innovation of opera in the late 18th century, away from the rigid French baroque tradition towards opera as we understand it today. A champion of Gluck, whose dramatic, simple style became a precursor to the music of Richard Wagner, she also supported a number of other composers who set the tone for the Italian bel canto tradition.
Part opera, part play, Antonia uncovers the lesser-known events of Marie Antoinette’s life (some comical, some scandalous, and some heartbreaking), exploring them through an original script and the music of the composers in her world - Gluck, Piccinni, Sacchini, Dussek, and Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Olivia Doutney as Marie Antoinette addresses the audience directly, with Petra Hajduchová at the harpsichord weaving in and out of character as the composers, creating a salon-style atmosphere, as though the audience has dropped into the royal living room. This is Marie Antoinette as you’ve never seen or heard her before!
