Ben and Imo
Orange Tree, London
★★★★

In 1951, mighty composer and man of the moment Benjamin Brittan was commissioned to write an opera in honour of the Queen’s coronation. Somewhat in awe, he decided to take on a musical assistant, settling on Imogen Holst (Imo), a music teacher from Dartington Hall and the daughter of Gustav — he of The Planets et al. The result was Gloriana which debuted at Covent Garden in June 1952.

The dazzling two-hander now showing at the Orange Tree is an in-depth study of Ben and Imo as they combine to deliver the goods. But, while the play fascinates with behind-the-scenes insights into such collaboration, it is the intricate ebb and flow of their relationship that enthrals.  

Ben has all the hallmarks of the creative giant — controlling, cantankerous, unashamedly egocentric, liable to sudden mood swings, contemptuous of others and their work, filled with terror and self-doubt but always, always saved by a defining charisma that holds him centre stage.