ABSTRACT
English Restoration opera (ca. 1660–1700) consisted largely of hybrid works combining spoken drama with music, dance, scenes, and machines. Today, the dialogue carrying the action in these ‘dramatick operas’ is often eliminated or replaced in performance. This chapter examines recent productions of King Arthur, The Fairy Queen, and The Indian Queen: three works with music by Henry Purcell. Ranging from comparatively faithful to defiantly rebellious, these stagings lay bare both the challenges and the appeal of dramatick opera today. How consistent are directors in their choices? How do their decisions affect the works themselves and their reception history? And are we making the most of this repertory?
