Fanny Price, Mansfield Park (Dove): ‘Dove’s leading role of Fanny Price was entrusted to…Rebecca MacGregor Black, a trust she repaid marvellously. (Her voice) …in a Cinderella-like characterisation of a young woman who stands firm against bullies, was pretty well perfect.’ - Donal Hurley, Edinburgh Music Review (2023).
Yniold, Pelléas et Mélisande (Debussy): ‘The excellent Yniold was Rebecca MacGregor Black’ - Andrew Clark, Opera Magazine (2022).
Johanna, Sweeney Todd (Sondheim): ‘The show’s less twisted romantic coupling is found in Anthony and Johanna, played by Jobim Ffench and Rebecca MacGregor Black. In addition to their beautiful voices, Ffrench and Black played off each other so well to create moments of true joy in such an ominous show.’ … ‘Ffrench’s ‘Johanna’ is truly a highlight, and Black plays a character worthy of the beauty of the song that bears her name. The pair are enchanting and Black…is a breath of fresh air in the darkness of the production, her wistful performance of ‘Green Finch and Linnet Bird’ will capture your heart’ – The Calliope Arts Journal (2022).
Flora, Turn of the Screw (Britten ): ‘How does a reviewer do justice to the difference between a performance that is excellent in every respect and one that he knows he will remember for the rest of his life?
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It has long been a critical commonplace to view the story as the product of the Governess’s overheated imagination:…director Jonny Danciger…refracts the opera through the memory and imagination of the traumatised surviving child, Flora.
…it isn’t long before we realise that the house - in fact, everything we see – is as it has been drawn by Flora, down to such details as the clothing worn by Quint and Mrs Grose.
The Prologue (Rhydian Jenkins) is a white-coated psychiatrist: Flora is on a chair in his consulting room as the opera opens, obsessively drawing pictures, some of which we see projected on a screen, as on a flip chart. Later in the opera we see that she is covering the walls of the children’s bedroom with drawings: and at the end the last thing we see is Flora – everything else in darkness – in a red glow (a colour associated with Quint), still drawing, still pinning pictures to the wall. Is she reacting to frightening and disturbing events, or…is she drawing her dreams which then become reality?
The production bristled with telling detail:…Flora’s doll becomes her totem, pulled between Miss Jessel and the Governess; in Act 2 the children enact its burial with blasphemous mock-seriousness.
…Lottie Day and Rebecca MacGregor-Black were splendid as Miles and Flora…
…A very remarkable evening. Almost forty years ago the original production of Birtwistle’s opera The Mask of Orpheus had a handful of performances at ENO and then disappeared into opera folklore, leaving indelible memories in the minds of those of us who experienced it. Perhaps something similar will be true of this production. I wish fervently that many others might have the chance to see it: but its reputation is secure in the minds of those of us who did.’ - Chris Kettle, Seen and Heard International (2025).
Daphne Stillington, Present Laughter (Noël Coward): ‘Garry Essendine (Marcus Judd)…is in high demand….beautiful young women are constantly arriving at his swanky London home late at night, having forgotten their latchkeys.
One such woman, Daphne Stillington (Rebecca MacGregor Black), opens the show via a chat on the rotary phone, the centrepiece prop, bringing the audience up to speed. Her nervous energy and sickeningly sweet murmurs into the receiver gain the first laugh of the night, and from there, the energy rarely flags… It is astounding how well each member of the cast is equipped to tackle the high-octane comedy of Present Laughter. Nearly every actor performs with a voice or accent not their own, and…rely on physical comedy and perfect comedic timing to ensure the jokes land.’ - St.Art Magazine (2023).
Sister Berthe, The Sound of Music (Rodgers): ‘There is so much to enjoy in this stellar production, and there are many standout performances throughout. The songs are extremely demanding, yet Rebecca MacGregor Black as Sister Berthe handles this with aplomb.’ - Voice Magazine (2024).
