Edinburgh International Festival’s Breaking the Waves

”It’s masterful, and it’s brought to life by an extraordinarily committed cast, led by Sydney Mancasola as Bess. She’s a marvel, extracting every scintilla of possibility from her soprano voice, from euphoria to misery via delirium. This is a total tour de force, and the show is worth seeing for her alone.”

SIMON THOMPSON, SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Sydney Mancasola’s Bess is a compelling tour de force, encompassing every emotional extreme, forcibly dominating a cast that is equally well-served.”

KEN WALTON, THE SCOTSMAN

“American soprano Sydney Mancasola gave a towering performance, barely off the stage throughout, her physical journey from vulnerable God-fearing girl through a series of increasingly dangerous on-stage sexual encounters completely wrapped up in her misplaced religious convictions.”

DAVID SMYTHE, BACHTRACK

“As Bess in Missy Mazzoli’s 2016 opera…Mancasola is hardly off stage and charts the descent of her character from shy Skye bride to Christ-like victim with laser-like power and desperate vulnerability. Part of you wants to shake her out of it. Most of you wants to hug her. It’s an extraordinarily gutsy performance.

NEIL FISHER, THE TIMES

”…bravely enacted by Sydney Mancasola as Bess, an excellent soprano, who gives her all in a performance of touching sincerity.”

RUPERT CHRISTIANSEN, THE TELEGRAPH

“A top-class cast is led by the outstanding American soprano Sydney Mancasola as God-fearing Bess, febrile and loving”

FIONA MADDOCKS, THE GUARDIAN

”Sydney Mancasola is vocally and physically unstinting in attempting to realize the troubled figure of Bess.”

GEORGE HALL, THE STAGE