Perfect days in Ceylon (****½)

Wim Wenders directs The Pearl Fishers in Berlin [live]

Olga Peretyatko-Mariotti as Leïla © Donata Wenders

Good performances of less frequently played works usually prompt a reassessment of one's own opinion. Personally, I found that the music of the second act barely stood out, but this production has considerably whetted my appetite for future performances. Wim Wenders' non-interpretative approach is rather conventional and even illustrative in its use of video, but nevertheless—or perhaps because of it?—it wins over every heart in the auditorium. This was a revival; the photos are of the 2017 premiere cast.