Flu lays low both leads but this tale of municipal committees and May Kings is still quids in.

Albert Herring is in some ways the sleeper amongst Benjamin Britten’s operas. A chamber opera in the pit but with a cast of 13 and some tricky scene changes it falls awkwardly into the expensive to put on category – surprisingly so for a composer whose sense of the practicality of mounting his work was legendary. It has also had a rough ride for its lack of intellectual conceit, yet as anyone prepared to give it more than a cursory glance will see at once, it has all the tell-tale signs of Britten’s fascination with the outsider in a conservative social setting and in the right hands it can pack an emotional punch. Kudos then to Opera Australia for bringing it back to the stage in the Britten centenary.

Albert Herring is an adaptation of a Maupassant short story, relocated from Normandy to Britten’s own Suffolk. It’s a gentle comedy of manners and social mores and requires a deft directorial hand to prevent its brushstrokes becoming too broad. It also needs a genuine ensemble cast, as adept at acting as they...