Frozen Assets

On a good night, operas can boil the blood and set the juices flowing. Lucy McKay (Katherine Wiles) is an auditioning soprano. On the big day, the director has other ideas. He sabotages her performance and then utters the words. "You have the makings of a delicious lyric soprano."

After inviting Ms McKay for a culinary evening with a twist, a duet of extremes ensues between the pair in his house. Every operatic ingredient is thrown into the pot - passion, seduction, blood, revenge, lust. It's all here. Some wonderful highlights, too. Arias from The Barber of Seville, Carmen and Wagner's Die Walkure.

The direction is well paced, with some nice comical touches. If only real operas got to this point this quickly!