On Friday 29th May, Bristol Old Vic launched their new streaming platform: Bristol Old Vic At Home , showcasing a programme featuring some of their groundbreaking and most exciting work, streaming live to Youtube every Friday for audiences to enjoy whilst we are adapting to the new sense of normality brought about by the pandemic.

They began with their production of Messiah, staged in 2017. To begin, director Tom Morris reminds the audience that the work hadn’t been performed in the space since 1782, and immediately establishes the tone of this dramatisation by asking his audience to imagine a much loved figure, lost to their community, and trying to find hope in the face of loss. Immediately then, what struck me was how accessible this choice establishes the piece to be, as well as groundbreaking: for it blends together the classical form but utilises the medium of theatre to tell the story, and therein champion the glorious choral music.  As a relative newcomer to the piece aside from its most famous passages and as someone with a relatively stereotypical view of the classical form, I appreciated the blend immensely and thus the whole production felt powerful, moving and revitalised. Even more striking was my discovery that Handel hadn’t intended the piece to become the stalwart of many church congregations we might associate it with today, but rather he wrote it to be performed in a concert Hall in Dublin.

Following a figure known only as the Beloved, we are invited to explore, as director Tom Morris describes it: the drama of belief. The music, played so beautifully by The English Concert under the superb, deft touch of conductor Harry Bicket, soars and fills the space with emotion and nuance, whilst the chorus, the Erebus Ensemble astonish with their effortless energy and clear passion for the music. The soloists: Catherine Wyn-Rogers (Contralto), Joshua Ellicott (Tenor), Brindley Sherratt (Bass), Julia Doyle (Soprano) and Henry Ashbee (Treble) guide us through the music with breathtaking ease (no mean feat given the sheer amount of notes and repetition in the score) and still always keep us mindful of the emotion behind the music, making for some incredibly poignant moments: Julia’s I know that my redeemer liveth and Brindley’s The Trumpet Shall Sound were among my particular highlights. There’s a wonderful sense of freedom and action in their performances, as they use their bodies and expressions to perform over simply standing still and singing which to my mind reinforced the sense of inclusivity that abounds in Morris’ vision.

With the music at its heart, it follows then that the production would be stripped back. The lighting (Robert Casey) is subtle yet incredibly atmospheric, aided by Rob Maclachlan’s video projections. The latter is perhaps where things feel a little clunky as we lose the momentum in the drama, but all contribute to the sense of theatricality and occasion. Anna Orton’s set design is sparse, yet those elements we do see pack a punch, especially in the blood that stains the hands of the chorus.

At the centre of all this glorious sound is the non speaking role of The Beloved, played here by Jamie Beddard. Though he doesn’t speak and spends much of the performance lying on a slab, the moments were he does perform are electrifying – the agony of the crucifixion feels palpable, and Catherine’s rendition of He Was Despised and Rejected of men feels like a challenge to think about our actions, their consequences and the way we treat others.

To return to Jamie a moment, I cannot tell you how much it affected and moved me seeing an actor who shares my disability being represented on stage as a lover of the industry and champion of equal access, it felt profound and a great step forward. Cleverly, The Beloved was played by four different actors, each only getting one opportunity in the role; striking as it highlighted an idea that this idolised figure can be anyone – man, woman, disabled, able bodied, and so on. There’s a great sense of inviting interpretation about that element that also runs through the piece as whole that keeps it feeling refreshing.

A piece about hope and community being revisited in the current climate of isolation amid the pandemic feels timely and important, and has opened my eyes to a new way of appreciating classical music. It challenged me and made me think, but also moved me, as I think all great theatre should.

You can watch Messiah on Bristol Old Vic’s Youtube channel until 6pm on Friday, June 5