The reviews are in for Iphigénie en Tauride, the first staging English National Opera has ever given Gluck’s 1779 tragedy, directed by Lyndsey Turner and sung in the original French at the London Coliseum. The critics part company over the production rather than the singing. Some find Soutra Gilmour’s narrow, letterboxed set a clean frame for the drama; others see a semi-staging that leaves much of the stage unused. On the performers they come far closer: Jacques Imbrailo’s Oreste is the name most often singled out, Nick Pritchard’s Pylade is close behind, Christine Rice’s Iphigénie draws admiration alongside some doubts about how her voice carries in so large a house, and David Bates, making his ENO debut, is praised for the playing he draws from the orchestra.
3.6 / 5 from 9 criticsThe verdict: thirteen reviews so far, nine of them rated: one five-star notice, three at four stars and five at three, an average of 3.6 out of 5. British Theatre Guide and Planet Hugill publish no rating, and The Times and The Telegraph sit behind paywalls. The singing unites them, with Jacques Imbrailo’s Oreste the performance named most often; the staging divides them, a clean and focused frame for some and a near-concert presentation for others.
What are critics saying about IPHIGÉNIE EN TAURIDE?
LondonTheatre.co.uk
"This divine opera is utterly transporting"
Reviewer: Cheryl Markosky
Markosky gives the production the only five-star notice so far, with praise for Christine Rice in the title role and Morgan Pearse as the king.
"it makes a phenomenal English National Opera premiere in a new production by Olivier Award-winning director Lyndsey Turner"
She reserves her warmest words for Jacques Imbrailo’s Oreste and for an ENO chorus that does far more than fill the stage, and credits David Bates with an orchestra on top form.
musicOMH
"ENO strikes gold with Gluck"
Reviewer: Keith McDonnell
McDonnell sets the evening against the company’s Tosca a week earlier and finds this a far stronger night, French libretto and all.
"an absorbing and frequently thrilling evening, distinguished by exceptional conducting, superb orchestral playing"
He has reservations about the static stretches and about dressing Iphigénie almost exactly like her chorus, but calls Imbrailo superb and gives the biggest credit to Bates and the orchestra.
London Box Office
Reviewer: Stuart King
King wonders how well the low, letterboxed set serves the upper levels of the house, though he credits Tim Mitchell’s lighting with working around it.
"the orchestra delivered the fast-moving emotional peaks and troughs of Gluck’s work, with aplomb"
His scene-stealer is the young performer who plays Iphigénie as a child and returns at the close as the goddess Diana.
London Unattached
"A Dramatically Compelling Iphigénie en Tauride at the Coliseum"
Reviewer: Dr Adrian York
York sees the single bare set as a sensible answer to the company’s straitened finances, and a more successful one than the recent Tosca.
"a simple but effective response to the tight budget restrictions the company is under"
He admires the restraint of Rice’s Iphigénie, Imbrailo’s power and Nick Pritchard’s lyricism, and calls Bates’ reading dynamic, although the stylised battle near the end left him unconvinced.
The Guardian
"Stylised staging of opera of bloodthirsty priestesses and divine intervention"
Reviewer: Erica Jeal
Jeal likes the cool, clinical look of the temple and the vigour Bates brings to the choruses, and names three strong leads in Rice, Pritchard and Imbrailo.
"it’s Jacques Imbrailo’s passionate Oreste that stands out, his baritone huge and warm"
Her real question is why a company whose remit is opera in English chose to sing this one in French, which she thinks leaves the evening more stylised and less direct than a usual ENO show.
BroadwayWorld
"Revolutionary opera given a rare outing in the ENO's new production"
Reviewer: Gary Naylor
Naylor finds plenty to admire, from the burgundy-clad chorus to Rice in the title role.
"She’s not even the best in show, as baritone, Jacques Imbrailo, excels as Oreste"
He thinks Gluck’s score takes a while to win the listener over, too loud and urgent at first before it grows on you, and makes Imbrailo his best in show.
The Reviews Hub
"Austere, beautiful, underwhelming."
Reviewer: Patrick Shorrock
Shorrock’s doubts are mostly with Gluck himself, whose music he finds too austere ever to flower into real operatic numbers.
"Lyndsey Turner’s production is generally simple, straightforward, and effective, and doesn’t get in the way."
He thinks Rice’s voice a little light for a house the size of the Coliseum and finds the childhood flashbacks confusing, but credits the men with strong singing and the staging with keeping out of the work’s way.
Theatre Weekly
"This production feels little more than a semi-staged concert on a narrow, framed traverse"
Reviewer: Ke Meng
Meng is the production’s sternest critic, arguing that the narrow playing area wastes the depth of the Coliseum stage and that the costumes show little imagination, with Mitchell’s lighting the exception.
"Jacques Imbrailo’s rich, sophisticated voice captures Oreste’s agonising inner turmoil"
The singers fare much better: Rice’s “Quel moment!” is touching, and Imbrailo and Pritchard deliver an excellent duet.
All That Dazzles
Reviewer: Sam Woodward
Woodward finds the opening slow to establish its setting and the mix of modern suits and classical drapery confusing, and feels Rice’s voice sometimes struggles to carry over the orchestra.
"…Iphigénie en Tauride is at its best gripping, beautiful and deeply moving."
The later acts bring it together, with Imbrailo and Pritchard the standouts and Bates’ conducting singled out as outstanding.
British Theatre Guide
Reviewer: Vera Liber
Liber welcomes a rare chance to see the opera staged at all, and finds a Pre-Raphaelite quality in the wine-coloured drapery of the chorus.
"Turner’s production is understated and ideal."
The childhood flashbacks are a clever idea that does not entirely persuade, but Rice is commanding and Imbrailo and Pritchard make an ideal pairing.
Planet Hugill
"Simplicity writ large"
Reviewer: Robert Hugill
Hugill is relieved that Turner and Gilmour did not try to do too much with the opera, leaving room for the principals and the music.
"Christine Rice made a subtle and beautifully modulated Iphigénie"
He would have preferred a smaller theatre for so intimate a work and regrets the amplified Diana at the close, but praises a powerful Oreste from Imbrailo and a quietly menacing Thoas from Pearse.
Also reviewed by: The Times (Richard Morrison, "Iphigénie en Tauride review — Christine Rice has magnificent nobility") and The Telegraph ("A beautifully sober staging of Gluck’s rarely performed Iphigénie en Tauride"), whose reviews sit behind paywalls.
ENO’s autumn at the Coliseum has already had a roundup of its own, with the critics’ verdict on Tosca, and the first images of this production are in our gallery of production photos from Iphigénie en Tauride. For the background to the opera and its cast, see everything you need to know about Iphigénie en Tauride.
Iphigénie en Tauride is booking at the London Coliseum until Saturday 14 November 2026.
