'Visually the show is amazing. Atkinson's sets are jaw-dropping, as the books of Dr Dee spill from the shelves forming walls and hiding places whilst still being a reminder of one of the things that Dee actually cared about.'

WHATS ON STAGE- Dave Cunningham

'Opening with the flight of a cawing raven, which heralds a pagent of English history from Morris dancers to Suffragettes, it is full of magic and illusion, with Paul Atkinson's designs making brilliant use of screens of corrugated paper.'

THE TELEGRAPH- Rupert Christiansen

'....the show reveals considerable flair in it's the visuals, with Paul Atkinson's sets, Katrina Lindsay's costumes and Lysander Ashton's videos forming an intriguing and often magical experience for the eyes.'

THE STAGE- George Hall

'Throughout, the action is wrapped and unwrapped in a series of ingeniuos paper screens that concertina back and forth, suggesting the apparently endless pages of Dr Dee's massive library.'

THE OBSERVER- Stephen Pritchard

'The result is a spectacular production that combines Mr Albarn's haunting music with dramatic staging and mesmerising video......

The production sees a magnificent Queen Elizabeth I float above her realm. A great fleet flying the flag of St George sails across the stage.....

Mr Albarn and his troupe of musicians sit suspened above the proceedings, observing everything from the vantage of what Rufus Norris, the director, calls "a nation in decline". This fine opera is both a celebration of England and a lament for a nation whose star is on the wane.'

THE ECONOMIST