It is the first revival of Alcina since Richard Jones’ staging won an Olivier Award for its 2022 premiere, and it opened at the Royal Opera House on 15 September with most of that original company intact. Handel’s sorceress turns her discarded lovers into animals; Jones sets her against a puritan sect, hangs the whole evening on an outsize bottle of perfume, and lets Antony McDonald’s designs carry the joke. The notices have been the warmest of the Royal Opera’s autumn so far. Lisette Oropesa, who sang the first night with a heavy cold, is praised by every critic, as are Emily D’Angelo, Mary Bevan and Beth Taylor; conductor David Bates divides them slightly more.
The verdict: six notices so far, every one of them rated — four five-star reviews and two four-star ones, an average of 4.7 out of 5. Nobody dissents from the production, and nobody leaves without praising Lisette Oropesa, who sang the first night with a heavy cold; where the critics differ is on the balance between Richard Jones’ comic invention and the moments of feeling underneath it.
What are critics saying about ALCINA?
LondonTheatre.co.uk
"this fantastical Handel opera is a wonderfully witty Romantasy romp"
Reviewer: Cheryl Markosky
"As women are frequently put down or killed off in operas, it's refreshing to see strong women dominate here. There's a great deal of depth in their characters, like the supposed villain Alcina turning into a hugely tragic and heartbroken figure when she loses Ruggiero. True love is her final downfall and it's easy to relate to her deep pain."
BroadwayWorld
"Richard Jones’ Alcina is ravishing to look at, a joy to hear and its clever design motifs still stand out from the crowd"
Reviewer: Franco Milazzo
"The prolific Jones never tires of finding new ways to give his audiences sleepless nights. This time around, his signature surreal, nightmare-like imagery is realised by having Alcina’s transformed lovers played by ten mixed-sex performers dancing around in elaborate animal heads paired with pastel jackets. It’s a highly effective (if ever-so-slightly disturbing) interpretation that brings up thoughts of Doctor Moreau and taxidermy conventions. Another visual brainwave is turning the villain’s magic urn into a mini-fridge-sized perfume bottle placed upon a plinth. As Alcina seduces her way through the menfolk, the perfume slowly drains from sight."
London Unattached
"Richard Jones’ Sparky Alcina Takes Flight"
Reviewer: Dr Adrian York
"Despite her cold, Cuban American soprano Lisette Oropesa was still the vocal star of the show. She was brilliant as Alcina, using her narcissism to bewitch and manipulate. Oropesa has a luminescent tone, control and technique that allow her to pivot between seductiveness and the anger of ‘Ah! Ruggeiro crudel’. If there were any vocal frailties, they were not noticeable after the first couple of minutes, and her high notes were incandescent."
The Guardian
"Handel’s opera of sex and sorcery comes alive in vivid staging"
Reviewer: Erica Jeal
"It’s also very well sung, even if the heft of the Royal Opera House orchestra in the pit, whipped through the score by conductor David Bates, means that the singers don’t always have much room for nuance. For a revival to keep hold of the original cast is usually a good sign, and so it proves again here. The apology made before curtain-up on behalf of Lisette Oropesa – suffering from a heavy cold but singing Alcina anyway – proved redundant; she’s imperious in the role, her soprano gleaming and athletic as she strides across the stage in her Louboutins. Emily D’Angelo sings Ruggiero’s flourishes with striking control and presence, Mary Bevan’s softer-edged soprano catches Morgana’s fickle sensuousness and Ru Charlesworth’s Oronte has a nice line in singing through gritted teeth. Of the newcomers, Edward Grint is authoritative as the cult elder Melisso and the boy soprano Thomas Mayes sings Oberto with winning assurance, but it’s Beth Taylor’s heartfelt, powerfully sung Bradamante who brings most of the moments where this Alcina is not only fun, but moving too."
Bachtrack
"Handel’s Alcina bewitches hearts and minds again at Covent Garden"
Reviewer: Christopher Woodley
"Leading a strong cast, most of whom were reprising their roles, was Lisette Oropesa as the eponymous sorceress. It was announced that she had been accosted by a cold, but it had clearly been wrestled into submission because she was in excellent form. One would expect a witch-queen, an early-adopter of Coco Chanel’s dress-code, to be the centre of attention and Oropesa’s tone, phrasing and articulation matched that expectation."
Also reviewed by: The Telegraph (Nicholas Kenyon, five stars, "Alcina, review: This landmark Handel revival is a dazzling win for the Royal Opera"), whose review sits behind a paywall.
For more of what the critics made of this week in London, read our roundups of Golden Boy at the Almeida Theatre and Fire Fire at the Arcola Theatre.
Alcina runs at the Royal Opera House until Saturday 3 October 2026.
