Review: SCENE UNSEEN, English Touring Opera at Home - Online

Photo credit: David Lefeber

A co-production between Royal and Derngate, Northampton and English Touring Opera, Scene Unseen is an intimate cabaret performance by Jessica Walker and Joseph Atkins.

It’s an hour-long cycle of song about artist Jessica Walker’s life. Sharing emotionally complex issues from childhood up until her wedding day. It includes topics of gender confusion, sexual assault, first love, betrayal and family secrets.

It’s a very personal story, made relatable through the music and writing of Atkins and Walker. Using humour and musical style of Eighties synth, it’s a lot less opera than you might imagine. 

Filmed by David Lefeber, with illustrations and animations by Tom Hicks that capture the mood of the piece perfectly, you’re not quite sure what to expect next, but you remain intrigued.

The performance is perfection; it’s engaging and emotional and as an audience, you are drawn into the story completely. It’s unapologetic for its content, which is imperative to how an audience need to perceive it.

Aesthetically pleasing, euphonious and personal.

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Rachel Louise Martin

Scene Unseen is available to watch online for £5 on ETO at Home until December here.