Image: A photo from this year, unlike the opera or this review!

The reviewer writes “No land remains untouched by foreign feet. It’s a line that uttered throughout Migrations, a new opera by Welsh National Opera and was left stuck in my brain the whole drive home after I saw it this week at the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton. As part of their Autumn season, WNO have finished their run at the Mayflower with a touching show about diversity, acceptance, and migration. Commissioned for the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower, this new opera is a colossal collaboration that leaves a lasting impact…”

And that Shreya’s story, “This is the Life! is a story about Britain in 1968. With the rise of the NHS, young Indian doctors are invited by the British government to help build this brilliant health service. But the roads aren’t paved with gold and the anti-immigrant ideology forges rivers of racist attitudes. Through a series of Bollywood dancing and brilliant singing, these young doctors fight to be taken seriously and find their own happiness in a culture far from home.”

Ending with “Each story in Migrations was thought provoking and reflective. It was hard hitting and uncomfortable at times, but was told in a beautiful way that allowed each story to intertwine and flow through each other to create something magical on stage. It’s staggering to think that over 100 performers take to the stage at each performance, but the diversity of the cast adds to the impact of the show. Migrations is the first opera that I have seen in English, and the first modern opera too, but I loved the fact it felt relevant, accessible, and powerful. It’s a show that will be a lasting memory and will no doubt leave you wondering what migrations you’ve been on.”

To read the review in full, please click here.