Never apologise, never explain - the way of the ENO

The banker who was to make the company a success has gone cap in hand to the Arts Council

We all have our own favourite recluses in the arts: those mysterious enigmas who seldom speak publicly but whose influence looms large. Some cite Bob Dylan, others Michael Jackson or Robert De Niro. My vote is for Martin Smith, the chairman of the English National Opera. In the great tradition of chairmen of national arts companies funded by the taxpayer, he never justifies his actions in a publicly accountable fashion, never gives an interview, never sets out any sort of manifesto. Yet Smith, since the departure of artistic director Nicholas Payne last summer, has been extremely hands-on in determining policy.

This week the ENO was in trouble once more, going cap in hand to the Arts Council for extra cash and a plan to fire a third of the chorus. Mr Smith has said in his one and only public statement, at the time of the Payne departure, that the ENO had to succeed as "a business". Alas, with a £1.2m deficit, it doesn't seem to be doing so. It can't balance the books and needs top-up cash, or "stabilisation" as the Arts Council euphemistically calls it. But who has been in charge of the budget since June of last year? Certainly not Mr Payne. No, it has been Mr Smith, the banker who was to make the English National Opera a business success.

Going cap in hand to the Arts Council and putting more of a burden on the taxpayer are not what those unworldly, financially naive singers and musicians at the ENO expected of their new chairman.

Of course, the planning of English National Opera's future has become harder since Mr John Ward, director of development, handed in his resignation after deciding he did not want to work any longer with the ENO board and its chairman. It is also proving surprisingly – or perhaps not very surprisingly – difficult to recruit a permanent successor to Nicholas Payne. Pierre Audi and several other top opera names apparently have been approached but have turned the job down. Why? Can it be that they are not wild about working with Mr Smith, who, it is said, has some very definite ideas not just about budgets, but also about repertoire?

Who knows? One can only guess at the machinations within the London Coliseum as openness and accountability have long since been banished. And there is no sign that Mr Smith feels any need to explain his philosophy to the taxpayers and his audiences. Still, perhaps the Arts Council will feel morally obliged to go public with details about the crisis at ENO, or to give the Secretary of State for Culture, Tessa Jowell, a full summary with the recommendation that she in turn gives it to Parliament. But I won't hold my breath.

¿ So farewell to what has been an annual delight at the National Theatre: the Trevor Nunn musical. Over the past few years Nunn's productions of Oklahoma!, My Fair Lady, South Pacific and, currently, Anything Goes have redefined the classic shows and attracted full houses. Some critics were curmudgeonly about Nunn's revivals, claiming the commercial West End, not the National Theatre, was the right place for musicals. I never really got my head round that argument. Musicals are as much a part of theatre as straight plays or classical drama. The National and its directors should be allowed to put their stamp on the great musicals. I rather agree with Sir Peter Hall, who says that we should just realise that in Trevor Nunn we have the greatest director of musicals alive, and make the most of him.

However, classic musicals were conspicuous by their absence in the plans announced this week by Sir Trevor's successor, Nicholas Hytner. It's a little ironic as Hytner has a strong musicals pedigree himself. His productions of Carousel and Miss Saigon were both critical successes, as his bank manager will confirm. But he has clearly decided to make a break with the recent past. So, if this really is the end of the yearly Trevor Nunn classic musical revival, then thank you Sir Trevor. They've been fun.

¿ Nicholas Hytner, meanwhile, looks like good news for the National and for the press. The man has an eye for a story. He made much capital at his opening press conference about how he had chosen to stage Henry V, partly because of its parallels with the coming conflict in Iraq: Henry and Tony Blair, two charismatic leaders, sending troops to war "with dubious legitimacy in international law".

I wrote the first story about Hytner's plans for Henry V and the casting of the acclaimed black actor Adrian Lester as the king. Looking back in the cuttings I see that I wrote this last August. Unless Nick Hytner is blessed with psychic powers, he could not have known last August that war with Iraq was looming. But, never mind. It makes a good story, and the publicity assists the box office. This man is not just a first-class director – he's a news editor manqué.

d.lister@independent.co.uk