Turn of the Screw: Opera Review

4:43 PM PDT 3/21/2011 by Todd McCarthy

Henry James' 1898 novella of the same name -- with its ambiguous psycho-sexual connections and reverberations -- are brought to life in the latest production of Benjamin Britten's operatic adaptation, directed by Francesca Gilpin.

The psycho-sexual connections and reverberations that remain ambiguous, even hypothetical in Henry James' 1898 novella Turn of the Screw are brought disturbingly to the core of Benjamin Britten's 1954 operatic adaptation, which is the beneficiary of a meticulous and very fine production on view at the Dorothy Chandler through the end of the month. Britten has figured frequently in the L.A. Opera's repertory for more than 20 years and this staging represents a head start in the local celebration of the centenary of the English composer's birth, which will continue until the date arrives in two years.