Angel’s Bone at London Coliseum

Director Kip Williams makes his UK opera debut with a disturbing and explicit depiction of innocent victims forced into a world of sex trafficking and violence. The victims in question are two fallen angels (Matthew McKinney and Mariam Wallentin), whom viewers first encounter outside the home of Mr and Mrs Xe (Rodney Earl Clarke and Allison Cook), a couple whose marriage has deteriorated to the point of mutual loathing. The audience follows them around the house – an incredible set designed by Marg Horwell that rotates and transforms as the story unfolds. Camera operators are also slickly woven into the action, their footage projected onto a screen at the back of the vast stage – a technique that feels very reminiscent of Williams and Horwell’s previous collaborations on productions such as The Picture of Dorian Gray and Dracula.

When the couple invite the angels inside, it quickly becomes apparent that they have no intention of helping them return to where they came from. Mrs Xe demands that her husband pluck their feathers, pursuing him with a pair of shears and frantically singing at him to do so. McKinney and Wallentin sing and cling to each other with sheer desperation and despair, their voices and bodies wavering through points of suffering. The scene is unnerving, but things only get darker from here.

As the angels become increasingly entangled in a household where the worst horrors imaginable are inflicted upon them, the audience witnesses their suffering in graphic detail. Having seen Sarah Kane’s Cleansed at the Almeida a couple of months ago, this reviewer found this production considerably more gratuitous in its depictions of violence, particularly sexual violence. This may, in part, be down to the use of cameras and big screens, which leaves theatregoers with little choice but to look directly at what’s happening. The relentless succession of intensely disturbing scenes also begins to feel excessive, with little breathing room in between. While the subject matter undoubtedly demands a confronting approach, one can find themselves wishing that some of these moments had been explored through a different, perhaps more symbolic lens.

The vocals and music are the real highlight, with composition by Du Yun. Cook in particular reaches strikingly powerful pitches and carries the darkness of the piece with formidable conviction. However, the villainisation of her character is disappointing – in a world where women are so frequently scrutinised and torn down, the decision to centre so much of the narrative’s horror on a woman’s cruelty felt frustrating. Rather than offering a more nuanced analysis of the systems that enable exploitation and abuse, the narrative risks reducing these horrors to the actions of one especially monstrous woman, particularly given where the production leaves Mr Xe at the end, questioning whether the play’s brutality ultimately strengthened its message or obscured it.

Angel’s Bone is a bold, provocative production that certainly sticks with the viewer – just make sure to read the content warnings beforehand.

Chloe Vilarrubi
Photos: Nirah Sanghani & Tristram Kenton

Angel’s Bone is at the London Coliseum from 17^th until 31^st October 2026. For further information or to book, visit the theatre’s website here.