The Desire for Power: Staging Social Class and Authority in Benjamin Britten's The Turn of the Screw, 1954-2020.

This article examines the treatment of social class and authority in Benjamin Britten’s 1954 opera *The Turn of the Screw*, adapted from Henry James’s 1898 novella, through an analysis of the original text, Britten’s libretto and music, and four British productions staged between 1954 and 2020. It highlights how the novella’s Victorian-era class distinctions—between upper-class children, middle-class governesses, and working-class servants—are preserved but reinterpreted in the opera and its stagings, reflecting evolving social and cultural contexts. The study compares productions by Basil Coleman (1954), Katie Mitchell (2005), Jonathan Kent (2006–2014), and Alessandro Talevi (2010–2020), showing how directors have emphasized different aspects of class and authority, such as gender dynamics, psychological tension, and shifting class boundaries, to resonate with contemporary audiences. The article concludes that Britten’s opera demonstrates opera’s adaptability in engaging with enduring social issues, suggesting future stagings might further explore class and power in diverse cultural and temporal settings.