Heather Doole For Metta Theatre: Cocteau In The Underworld/Les Enfants Terribles

The final two performances of the unconventional Grimeborne opera festival, comprises of a double bill of Ed Hughes and Roger Morris's Cocteau In The Underworld and Les Enfants Terribles by popular contemporary composer Philip Glass. Inspired by the life of poet and film-maker, Jean Cocteau, Hughes and Morris's new work-in-progress examines an imagined event, in which Cocteau delves into the Underworld to rescue a loved one from the dead. In his journey he meets characters from his past and imagination who taunt him until he is forced to make a Faustian choice between love and fame. Poppy Burton-Morgan directs the performance, which will incorporate video and lighting projections, designed by William Reynolds. Drawing on themes of the troubled imaginings of one's mind, Andrea Ferran directs Philip Glass's dark and disturbing tale of two children who get up to mischief when they are expelled from school. The opera is based on Jean Cocteau's novel of the same name, in which Paul and his sister Lise become engrossed in an imaginary world which they have created as a result of their isolation from the real world. As the children get carried away in their childish thrills, the game takes a dangerous turn when the rules dictate that two children must die. These two contemporary operas provide a fascinating exploration of the life and works of Jean Cocteau, and are paired with ideas of imaginary worlds and fatal temptations.