Richard Morrison at The Grand, Leeds [Times Online, 29 January 2007]

Transposing 19th-century operas to the glitzy dolce vita world of 1950s Italy has become something of a cliché. You can see why. The stage can be flooded with light. Those curvy frocks and high heels flatter the fuller-figured soprano. And the more glamorous of the male chorus can whizz round on Vespa scooters, looking chic in shades.