Theatre Baby is a blog, to contain the archive of reviews that I have produced for The Reviews Hub and North East Theatre Guide, plus new reviews published under the banner of Theatre Baby.
Entertaining Mr Sloane
People’s Theatre Newcastle
20 March 2024
Writer: Joe Orton
Director: Matthew Hope
Runs until 23 March 2024
A polished, funny, thought-provoking, and professional production of Orton’s outrageous and iconoclastic sex comedy, with a splendid cast.
Alison Carr as Kath & Sam Burrell as Mr Sloane (Photo Credit: Paul Hood)
Joe Orton’s debut play remains controversial even 60 years after it was first produced. It was written in an era when homosexuality was still illegal, the death penalty remained in place for murder and having a child outside marriage was a scandalous act that would cause a woman to be shunned by ‘decent’ society. Against this backdrop, the extremely black comedy takes well-aimed potshots at the hypocrisy and self-delusion of those masquerading as respectable, whilst driven by appetites that they cannot publicly embrace. In reality, the ‘swinging sixties’ actually swung for very few, though it becomes clear that the eponymous central character of this play is happy to swing both ways.
The setting is a shabby house, located in the middle of a dump, presumably symbolising the underlying corruption in society. Kath, a somewhat dowdy woman in early middle age has encountered a young man at the library and she has offered him a room. As she pretentiously shows him round her shabby living room as if it were a stately home, a few things become clear. We see that she has designs on him sexually and that he is happy to play up to her if it is to his advantage. We find out that in her youth she had an illegitimate child that was put up for adoption when the father refused to marry her.
Of Sloane, we learn that he was orphaned as a child and grew up in an orphanage. That is to say, we are told this by Sloane. From the outset, we know better than to believe him. Sam Burrell’s pitch-perfect performance brings the audience into his duplicity from the start, alternately cooing and wheedling to help Kath believe what she wants to believe, whilst his facial expressions tell a much darker story. In truth, Kath takes little fooling as her own longings, both for her lost child and for sexual gratification, do most of the work for him.
When Kath’s father, the myopic and irascible Kemp, appears, we get to know more of that story. Kemp seems to recognise Sloane as the hitchhiker who murdered his late boss. Unsurprisingly, Sloane denies it. Kemp hits Sloane on the leg with a toasting fork, thereby giving Kath the perfect pretext for removing his trousers to dress the wound. When he goes to lie down, Kath scolds Kemp and shows no sympathy when he says that nobody loves him and that he is dying.
Completing the quartet, we meet Kath’s brother, Ed. He is a bluff and pompous businessman, though the nature of his business is never revealed. We have learnt that his father refuses to speak to him since he caught him involved in a presumably homosexual act in his bedroom, from the door of which, tellingly, Kemp had removed the lock.
Ed has come to tell Kath to get rid of Sloane, citing reasons of respectability, fearing a sexual liaison may come about which might undermine his, and her, reputation. Kath tells him that her interest is purely maternal and one feels, despite all evidence to the contrary, that she almost believes it. On meeting Sloane, Ed is clearly attracted and, after establishing his possible pliability in no uncertain terms, offers him a job as his chauffeur. After slyly negotiating the right deal, Sloane accepts.
The scene is now set for an uneasy triangular menage and it plays out initially as one might have predicted. Kath and Ed are manipulated by Sloane. Kath and Sloane are sleeping together, and he is also keeping Ed happy. Ed is constantly threatening to sack him for his misdemeanours, always relenting out of pretended generosity of spirit when the reality is he cannot countenance his departure. Meanwhile, Sloane is constantly mistreating Kemp, which leads to the climactic events that foreshadow the shift of power in the conclusion of the play.
Cleverly directed by Matthew Hope and in a masterful set by Matthew Baines, this production hits all the right notes. Orton’s text is notoriously complex and often playing on two or more levels at once. Realism would be death to the piece as the actions of these self-absorbed and amoral characters would be intolerable in such a setting. Hope understands this and the Pinteresque, non-specific dialogue is appropriately pointed. The elements of absurdism are also appropriately played to the hilt.
Hope has been blessed with a very strong cast. None of the roles are easy. Sam Burrell’s Sloane is a splendid creation. Humorous, plausible and ingratiating, he can turn on a sixpence to convey believable psychopathic menace.
Alison Carr’s blousy Kath also catches the mood perfectly. Sucking sweets and alternating comically unbridled lust with a coy mock respectability, she also captures the steely self-interest that lies at the heart of the character.
Mike Smith offers strong support as the unfortunate Kemp, the only character that shows any signs of a moral compass. Though it is his selfish unwillingness to come forward and fulfil his moral duty that has sown the seeds of his undoing. In this hotbed of sexual impropriety, he may be seen as representing the so-called silent majority, maintaining the moral high ground, whilst hypocritically reluctant to take any action.
Sean Burnside as Ed has perhaps the most difficult task. He does an excellent job of conveying the arrogance of the pompous, self-deluding businessman but he also has the challenge of conveying the non-verbal signals that denote a homosexual in the context of the times. A touch more lasciviousness in his dealings with Sloane would have helped underline this.
The audience was held throughout from the slower, more expository first act, through to the delicious resolution of the third. Effective lighting, props and sound design complete the picture of a highly successful and professional production. One small gripe; I’m not sure some of the men’s costumes were entirely of the period, but that is to split hairs.
This is a highly enjoyable and stimulating night’s theatre that fully lives up to the People’s Theatre’s enduring reputation for excellence.
Cosi Fan Tutte
Opera North
Theatre Royal Newcastle
14 March 2024
Music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto: Lorenzo da Ponte
Conductor: Clemens Schuldt
Lovers of Mozart’s finely crafted comic opera will need little encouragement to see Tim Albery’s masterly production, which has been in Opera North’s repertoire for 20 years now. Its continuing popularity is easy to explain; intelligent, intimate, humorous and clear, it serves the piece extremely well.
The production is set in a Camera Obscura, highlighting the fact that the plot is a scientific experiment being carried out by Quirijn Lang’s sardonic and authoritative Don Alfonso, a philosopher, setting out to prove that his two young friends’ ardent fiancées can be tempted into infidelity as, he asserts, can all women. Vowing to prove him wrong, the young noblemen are drawn into a wager and compelled to carry out Alfonso’s instructions for 24 hours to put their sweethearts to the test.
Initially, Alfonso announces to the ladies, sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella, that the men have to leave for war. The sisters are devastated as the men take their leave in a display of slightly comic desolation.
Bribing the ladies’ maid, the worldly Despina, to assist him, he dresses the young men as mysterious foreign suitors and disguised in outlandish clothes and moustaches, the young men each set out to woo the other’s fiancée.
Through various twists and turns including their pretending to take poison, only to be revived in a laugh-out-loud comic scene by Despina disguised as a physician, using magnets, the suitors eventually make their conquests and are in the process of being married by a fake notary (Despina again) when the sounds are heard of troops returning. The young men retire hurriedly on the pretext of hiding, to return in uniform as themselves. After some heartfelt confessions and much distressed pleading, they reveal themselves as the strangers and all is forgiven. Don Alfonso has won his bet, and an element of realism and pragmatism has been brought into the idyll of romantic love in which the young foursome had been living.
Beautiful costumes by Tobias Hoheisel keep the piece firmly in the Age of Enlightenment. Initially the two men are in matching uniform and wigs and the two women are similarly costumed and wigged identically, as befits the subjects of an experiment. As the plot advances however, they become less formal and more individual as their characters emerge.
The quartet of lovers are wonderfully portrayed. A friend of mine once told me that young people are made attractive so that one can more easily forgive their foolishness. These singers have the youthful charm to engage the audience, despite their characters’ silliness. Coupled with this, they are highly accomplished soloists, all well-suited to their roles. Henry Neill uses his pleasing baritone to good effect as Guglielmo, the more sardonic of the two lovers. Anthony Gregory as the ardent Ferrando delights with his sweet, lyrical tenor, particularly in the naively romantic aria ‘Our love is a flower’. Both have good acting instincts and deliver nicely contrasting characters with a great deal of humour.
Heather Lowe is a winsome, beguiling Dorabella, the more coquettish of the sisters, with a polished mezzo voice. Alexandra Lowe as the more steadfast Fiordiligi has a real warmth to her coloratura as well as the range and skill to deliver a showstopping rendition of her aria ‘Like a rock.’ Both also give engaging acting performances. It is amusing that the two share a surname but, despite playing sisters, they are not actually related.
Quirijn de Lang is a charmingly cynical Don Alfonso, making the most of all the comedy in the recitative sections as well as lending his strong flexible baritone to the trio ‘May the wind be gentle’, sung with the sisters as the men leave for war. Gilene Butterfield is a warmly rumbustious Despina, coaxing the girls to infidelity with her down to earth philosophy, and genuinely comic as the physician and the notary.
Clemens Schuldt as conductor makes the most of the wonderful Opera North orchestra and gives this delightful score full value and nuance.
This is a triumphant production that would serve as a perfect introduction to Mozart, as well as satisfying his most ardent fans.
Cavalleria Rusticana and Aleko
Opera North
Theatre Royal Newcastle 13/3/2024
Pietro Mascagni’s melodrama, Cavalleria Rusticana, is a staple in the opera repertoire, with its Easter Hymn and the intermezzo being firm favourites amongst music lovers. It tells the tale of jealousy and revenge in late 19th century rural Sicily. It is credited with almost single-handedly introducing the Verismo style of opera, where the behaviour and speech patterns of down-to-earth protagonists is faithfully represented, in contrast to the loftier conventions of the opera that preceded it.
Transporting the piece to rural Poland in the 1970’s and presenting it on an ugly, brutalist set, director Karolina Sofulak has sought to strip the story of any trace of the Mediterranean rural idyll and focus in on the raw intensity of the human relationships portrayed. This is a brave choice. There is no Easter parade through the streets, merely voices heard singing behind the monolithic hardboard crucifix that serves to represent the church. Much focus is given to Robert Hayward’s Alfio’s Polski Fiat taxi that serves as his representation of status. Rationing and limited availability of goods is taking its toll on Anne-Marie Owens’ authoritative Lucia in the almost bare shelves of the delicatessen she runs with her son, Andrés Presno’s petulant Turiddù.
The period setting has to answer for the costumes, which are often less than flattering, particularly Presno’s baggy brown suit.
Turiddù, angered and upset by the desertion of his girlfriend, Helen Ēvora’s passionate Lola to marry Alfio, has seduced the very religious Santuzza, portrayed by Giselle Allen with the requisite stiffness undermined by anguish.
Lola becomes tired of her husband and takes up again with Turiddù and Santuzza betrays them to Alfio who swears revenge. Turiddù has a form of redemption, realising how selfishly he has behaved and how he has hurt Santuzza so he asks his mother to take care of Santuzza before going to his fate. No offstage duel in this case but an onstage mafia-style execution inside the car.
The setting may be marmite to some but there is no denying the quality of the singing or the commitment to the acting by the whole cast. Presno’s ringing tenor calls to mind the young Pavarotti on occasion. Hayward is powerful and mellifluous. Allen’s strong mezzo meets all the demands of the role and Ēvora’s soprano is clear and persuasive.
Opera North has chosen to couple the piece with Rachmaninoff’s one-act opera, Aleko, a much less frequently heard one-acter, also dealing with jealousy and murder.
This adaptation of a Pushkin poem about a love triangle amongst a group of gypsies is here imaginatively set in a 90’s hippy commune. Casting Hayward as Aleko, starting the opera in the clothes he wore as Alfio, a choice is made to suggest he is the same man twenty years on, having withdrawn from normal society to live a more bohemian life with his new wife, Zemfira. This of course, loads a lot of weight on the character before the story has begun. When Elin Prichard’s free-spirited and kittenish Zemfira betrays him with another man his resulting brutal revenge can therefore come as little of a surprise, though Hayward’s performance is nuanced and his singing is polished and emotive in portraying his anguish at being betrayed and later banished. Matthew Stiff is commanding but sympathetic as Zemfira’s father and, as in the first piece, the chorus are pitch-perfect and authoritative. Harry Sever draws a splendid sound and a huge range of colours form the magnificent Opera North orchestra.
From this presentation, I would suggest that Aleko deserves to be heard more often. From the enchanting intermezzo to the romantic duettino, ‘just one more kiss’ delivered beautifully by Presno’s unnamed lover and Pritchard’s appealing soprano, as well as some appealing choruses, the score has much to enjoy.
The juxtaposition of the two operas and the staging choices make for a very interesting evening, whilst reaffirming Opera North’s ability to constantly deliver something new and exciting, without compromising on quality of performance.
The Pearl Fishers – Concert Performance 17 June 2023
Sage Gateshead
Music by Georges Bizet
Libretto by Michel Carré and Eugène Cormon edited by Hugh Macdonald
Presented by Opera North
Director: Matthew Eberhardt
Conductor: Matthew Kofi Waldren
A superbly performed and effectively dramatic concert version of Bizet’s early opera, long overshadowed by Carmen but incorporating one of the most popular duets in the opera repertoire.
The Pearl Fishers, set in ancient times in the island now known as Sri Lanka, relates the story of two childhood friends, Zurga and Nadir, in conflict over their love for the same woman. She in turn has to deal with the conflict between worldly love and her sworn vow of chastity as a priestess. When Nadir and Leila are caught together, Zurga, mad with jealousy, condemns them to death. Later he discovers that Leila was the young girl who had saved him from captivity some year before and decides to repay the debt and save them. He sets fire to the pearl fishermen’s tents to create a distraction, allowing the lovers to escape.
Opera North’s splendid orchestra, seen here on stage with the soloists, under the baton of Matthew Kofi Waldren, gave a lucid and stirring rendition of the score. Perhaps the music is less polished and complex than Carmen but there is much to enjoy, melodically and in terms of the emotion generated.
The signature aria that introduces the two friends, ‘Au fond du temple saint’ is given full value by Quirijn De Lang’s, commanding and statesmanlike Zurga and Nico Darmanin’s urgent and edgy Nadir. De Lang’s rich, fluid, and versatile baritone blends perfectly with Darmanin’s thrilling and lyrical tenor, combining with the orchestra in a virtuoso performance. The theme of the duet is echoed throughout the piece at key moments of the plot, returning like a wistful memory.
The priestess and object of both men’s affections , Leila, is performed by Sophia Theodorides, her effortless soprano bright and warm across her range, with a sparkling coloratura. The quartet of soloists is completed by James Cresswell’s rich and resplendent bass as Nourabad.
Matthew Eberhardt, the director is to be praised for the amount of drama and storytelling achieved in a concert performance without the spectacle provided by set and costumes. The early part of Act 3, where Zurga laments the rift with his boyhood friend in ‘ô Nadir, tendre ami de mon jeune ȃge’ and his confrontation with Leila, come to plead for Nadir’s life, were particularly gripping. De Lang is popular among Opera North’s audiences and it easy to see why.
This was a truly enjoyable evening, giving an opportunity to relish the full, rich sound of a top-notch orchestra skilfully directed, and four world-class soloists at the top of their game.
The Pearl Fishers can be seen at Hull City Hall on 24 June and at the Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham on 1 July.
The Beekeeper of Aleppo
Theatre Royal Newcastle
Until Saturday 10 June 2023
The bestselling chronicle of a refugee couple’s physical and emotional journey is adapted into a moving drama, well performed by an engaging cast.
Adapting Christy Lefteri’s novel for the stage was an ambitious undertaking, for which Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse deserve considerable credit. The story ranges over several countries on its way from Syria to Britain, through numerous characters and involving a great deal of loss, hardship and emotional anguish. Nesrin Alrefai and Matthew Spangler, the playwrights, say in the programme that they wanted to steer a path between the demonisation of refugees and the reductive approach of painting them as idealised victims. It is fair to say that they have broadly achieved that, though they use broader strokes when depicting the attitudes and language of the state representatives encountered on reaching the UK.
The play starts in Britain so there is no suspense about the physical journey’s end but the point of the play is whether Alfred Clay’s Nuri and his wife Afra, played by Roxy Faridany, can endure as a couple and recover from the emotional consequences of their odyssey.
After their contented and successful life in Syria is destroyed by conflict, and after Afra has contracted psychogenic blindness, Nuri and Afra escape to Turkey with the help of the first of a chain of harsh and unpleasant people smugglers. We are unclear as to what has happened to their only child. From there they take a boat to Greece and are stranded in an Athens park until they enter into some underworld dealing to fund their onward trip to the UK. The incidents that occur here have a profound effect on their already strained relationship. Along the way, Nuri befriends a small boy who later unaccountably disappears.
Nuri’s cousin and business partner, Mustafa, is already in the UK, ending up in Yorkshire where he is able to resume his beekeeping life. A troubled Nuri has begun to lose his grip on reality, is distanced from Afra and avoids contacting Mustafa because he cannot come to terms with what they have endured and what he feels he has become.
Having survived the exile from his homeland, can he make his way back from this more profound, self-imposed, emotional exile?
The central characters are well-drawn, and Clay gives a convincing portrayal of Nuri’s descent into despair. Faridany’s performance is also strong and nuanced. Joseph Long makes an excellent job of portraying two contrasting characters; the warm, nature-loving Mustafa and the gently comic Moroccan man who is enthusiastically grasping the British way of life and its language.
Nadia Williams’ charismatic portrayal of Angeliki and Aram Marsourian’s sinister Fotakis are highlights of the strong ensemble’s multiple roles in support.
An effectively versatile set by Ruby Pugh, music by Elaha Soroor and Tingying Dong’s sound design are all essential to the flow of the narrative, as is Ben Ormerod’s lighting design.
Miranda Cromwell’s direction is fluid and helps flesh out the parade of characters, largely avoiding caricature.
Overall, the characters are engaging, and the production stops short of being harrowing, despite portraying terrible loss and suffering. Somehow, it does not seem to be as gripping as it might have been but perhaps that is because of the lack of jeopardy in the structure, which replicates that of the source work.
This is an incredibly timely piece of theatre, fleshing out the human experience of the refugee in a well-researched and believable way. In a country that has allowed itself to be manipulated into blaming all its troubles on those escaping conflict rather than those who are actually in control, the human story needs to be told now, more than ever.
Ariadne Auf Naxos
Theatre Royal Newcastle 24/03/2023
Music by Richard Strauss
Libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal
Presented by Opera North
Director: Rodula Gaitanou
Conductor: Anthony Hermus
A stylish and hugely entertaining blend of surreal comedy, romance and exquisite melody, beautifully performed by a stellar cast.
The concept of Ariadne Auf Naxos is somewhat bewildering; a grand opera troupe and a commedia dell’arte troop are due to perform on the same night for a wealthy and capricious patron, in this production the head of a movie studio in 1950’s Rome. To make time for the fireworks he has scheduled, the patron insists that the two entertainments be merged into one.
Divided into a Prelude and the performance proper, the work gives us first all the backstage action. This includes the despair of the young composer at seeing his masterwork bastardised in this way, the frustration of the diva at the undermining of her profoundly serious role, the glee of the commedia dell’arte troop at puncturing the pomposity of the grand opera company and the tenor’s temper tantrums over the styling of his wig. All this is tremendous fun, of course, and is played to the hilt by this versatile company. Also the 1950’s Italian setting allows for delicious costumes and the wonderfully cool vibe of Fellini’s heyday, much as evoked in the musical ‘Nine’.
Woven into this, however, are some lyrical and romantic melodies of real beauty, chiefly delivered by the young composer, sung by the wonderful lyric mezzo-soprano Hanna Hipp in the ‘breeches’ role. She evokes the audience’s sympathy as she falls under the spell of the perky comedienne Zerbinetta, a delicious performance by Jennifer France, a versatile soprano who sings, acts and dances through the piece, delivering her dazzling coloratura aria with great finesse. The third of the splendid sopranos, Elizabeth Llewellyn merely teases us during the prologue, leaving her moment in the spotlight to the opera proper.
The second half starts with Llewellyn’s Ariadne marooned on a rock by her faithless lover Theseus, with the spirits of the island dancing and singing around her. She dreams only of death and the arrival of Hermes to take her to the underworld. She is a virtuoso soprano of power and finesse and Strauss’s score gives her plenty of opportunity to demonstrate this. Again, in the midst of absurdity we are presented with great beauty, which is perhaps the essence of this delightful and enigmatic opera.
The commedia troupe, Alex Banfield, Adrian Dwyer and John Savournin, in setting out to cheer her up, show real comic skill and Dominic Sedgwick’s Harlequin is charismatic and engaging, as he sees his lover Zerbinetta being taken away form him by the composer. In the denouement, David Butt Philip’s tenor appears as Bacchus and falls for Ariadne, who ultimately accepts his suit and he rescues her. He is a heroic tenor of real skill and vocal quality and he admirably matches Llewellyn in their soaring and romantic duet.
Opera North’s splendid orchestra is under the baton of Anthony Hermus, who is well up to all the twists and turns of this quirky but ultimately, hugely melodic score.
This was an evening of sheer delight. Something that starts out as if it would deliver something in the manner of The Play That Goes Wrong becomes the opera that goes, in every way, supremely right. Setting the piece in the film studio was inspired and director Rodula Gaitano and choreographer Victoria Newlyn are to be applauded for the flawless performances they have elicited from their versatile and hugely talented company.
TOSCA
Theatre Royal Newcastle 23/03/2023
Music by Giacomo Puccini
Libretto by Giuseppe Giacoso and Luigi Illica, after the play by Victorien Sardou
Presented by Opera North
Director Edward Dick
Conductor Garry Walker
A tense and dramatic modern dress version, strikingly staged and sensitively sung, with genuinely chilling moments amongst the lush romantic arias.
Tosca is one of the greatest works of a hugely popular composer. As such, it has been continuously in the opera repertoire, providing a vehicle for many great tenors, from Caruso to Domingo and sopranos such as Maria Callas and Angela Georghiu. Always a popular success, it has had its share of brickbats from the critics, chiefly in respect of the plot. Nevertheless, the richly layered and stirring score contains some of the most beloved arias in all Grand Opera. The narrative is also richly dramatic and gives excellent performance opportunities to the characters, particularly Scarpia, the corrupt and priapic police chief, a plum role for a bass baritone.
This production is played out in modern-day Rome. The set design by Tom Scutt is beautiful and atmospheric. It features a domed painted ceiling, that the painter Cavaradossi is in the process of renovating in the first act, set around by spotlights and racks of candles to suggest initially the interior of a church. The dome is repositioned throughout, looking like a canopy in the second act, set in Scarpia’s elegantly modern bedroom and like a giant eye, as the castle ramparts for act 3.
The story concerns Cavaradossi’s relationship with the famous singer, Floria Tosca and the pursuit of her by Scarpia in the midst of civil unrest that Scarpia seeks to quash by capturing and executing the escaped rebel leader, Cesare Angelotti, who is being sheltered by Cavaradossi.
Scarpia manages to use Tosca’s quick and jealous nature to make her suspect her lover of infidelity, and lead to his arrest. Scarpia then tortures Cavaradossi to coerce her to betray Angelotti, which she does. To save Cavaradossi’s life, he persuades her to sleep with him but Tosca has other ideas, leading to a graphic and bloody outcome, stunningly staged.
Tosca then runs to Cavaradossi with the passport Scarpia has given her, telling him his planned execution is to be a sham and that they will flee Rome together. However, the police chief has one more card to play from beyond the grave…
The modern setting gives this production an edge, making the drama more immediate with genuinely shocking moments like black clad executioners in balaclavas, conjuring memories of the Northern Irish troubles and other recent guerrilla conflicts. Moments like Scarpia watching the celebrations outdoors on his laptop and filming Tosca on his mobile phone, work surprisingly well. Robert Hayward’s silky baritone and his imposing presence make for a very modern villain. No moustache-twirling caricature here but a measured and nuanced performance, showing the inner conflict between his sexual drive and his religious convictions.
Cavaradossi, was physically portrayed by Andrés Presno, though illness meant that he was unable to sing the role. This task fell to Luis Chapa, hastily brought up from London to save the show. The announcement of this brought some consternation from sections of the audience but they need not have worried. Singing from the corner of the stage, he delivered a sensitive but powerful performance of the score and one soon accepted the duality of Presno’s movement with Chapa’s voice.
If he was, forgivably, a little tentative at first, he soon hit his stride and his rendition of the climactic aria, E lucevan le stelle, was thrilling. He also showed real sweetness in the softer passages and blended beautifully with Magdalena Molendowska’s Tosca, no mean feat under the circumstances. Presno managed well in his thankless task of providing Tosca with a physical presence to work with.
Molendowska was a fiery but vulnerable Tosca, a true dramatic soprano with strength throughout her range and a ringing top register. Delivering the signature aria, Vissi d’arte from a recumbent position, as has become almost customary, would test any soprano and she was more than up to the task.
Callum Thorpe, a memorable poacher from Tuesday’s Cunning Little Vixen, showed his versatility in a richly sung cameo as the harried Angelotti.
Edward Dick has delivered a gripping and dramatic production, convincingly acted and genuinely memorable. Opera North’s chorus provided splendid support with moments of great impact and the marvellous orchestra, sensitively led by Garry Walker, gave the beloved score full value.
There are further performances on Saturday 25 March at 19.00 in Newcastle, and 30 March and 1 April at Hull New Theatre.
The Cunning Little Vixen
Theatre Royal Newcastle 21/03/2023
Music and text by Leoš Janáček
Revised version by Jiri Zahrádka
Presented by Opera North
A visually stunning, amusing and earnestly sung presentation of a capricious and charming opera, underpinned by a splendid orchestra
The Cunning Little Vixen tells the story of a fox cub that a forester unsuccessfully tries to domesticate, her escape and her subsequent exploits, set against the prosaic lives of the human villagers.
For those raised on the romantic Italian opera greats like Puccini (whose classic, Tosca, is to be presented by Opera North on Thursday this week) and Verdi, Janáček’s pastoral romp presents some challenges. Comprising a cast of animals and humans, and looking in this production for all the world like The Wind In The Willows, this is nonetheless a distinctly adult piece. The composer saw it as satire and there is a sprinkling of Marxist rhetoric running through the relationships between the animals. Also, it is clear in its representation of the difference between the hidebound humans and joyous animals in their attitudes to sex. Though both are seen to be capable of prudery and judgemental gossip.
Musically, also, this is a distance away from 19th century Grand Opera. The vocals are chiefly used to tell the story rather than presenting soaring arias. The most exultant and persuasive melodies are chiefly kept in the instrumental sections that intersperse the singing. The point where the two come together most satisfactorily is in the climax where the forester, mourning the vixen and his own lost youth, has a revelation of the continuity of life and his own place in the scheme of things. The orchestra, splendid throughout under the direction of Oliver Rundell, came into its own here, relishing the rapturous, life-affirming melody, just as they had illuminated the folksy interpolations in the earlier acts.
The set, by Maria Björnson, who also designed the costumes, is an undulating hillside with cushions serving as greenery and hatches to represent the animals’ underground refuges. This opens to reveal a central room, used to accommodate the human scenes. Glorious as the set is, it presents challenges for the ballet dancers who punctuate the scenes that represent the passing of the seasons. They are chiefly restricted to attitudes and poses, rather than fluid movements. It does, however, present lots of fun in the scenes where it has snowed and the inebriated human characters are staggering and tumbling all around. The colourful and richly textured animals’ costumes, though not always immediately self-explanatory, are inventive and charming. In contrast, the human costumes are effectively dull and monochrome. A particular pleasure was the pompous, posturing cockerel and his overstuffed harem of hens.
As the forester, Richard Burkhard displayed a polished, pleasing baritone and acted the role convincingly. Paul Nilon gave a comedic but touching portrayal of the lovelorn schoolmaster and Henry Waddington was a suitably lugubrious and disagreeable parson. Callum Thorpe’s rich and creamy baritone gave a charm to the rascally poacher Harašta, ultimately responsible for the vixen’s demise. An ensemble of children worked well to portray the smaller animals throughout.
Elin Pritchard’s vixen was a full throated and full-blooded performance; mischievous, physical and humorous, as well as being coquettish and prudish by turns in her relationship with Heather Lowe’s delightful Fox.
As one would expect from Opera North, this difficult score is performed expertly and with great feeling. The direction by Sir David Pountney, who also wrote the English translation, brought out the characterisations and made the most of both the comedy and the more serious emotions.
This all makes for a fascinating and memorable evening. There are performances on 22 March at 13.00 in Newcastle and 29 and 31 March at Hull New Theatre.
Orpheus
Presented by Opera North
At the Theatre Royal Newcastle
5 November 2022
Music by Claudio Monteverdi and Jasdeep Singh Degun
Italian text by Alessandro Striggio
Translations by Ustad Dharambar Singh MBE and Shahbaz Hussain
Directed by Anna Himali Howard
Musical direction by Laurence Cummings and Jasdeep Singh Degun
Following their excellent concert version of Gluck’s Orfeo Ed Eurydice, its companion piece is an imaginative combination of Monteverdi’s original score with original music in the classical style of South Asia. A company that combines western opera soloists with South Asian singers performs the traditional story, shifting back and forth between the two idioms. In general, Monteverdi’s arias are sung by the western singers and Jasdeep Singh Degun’s by the Asian performers, though there are choral sections when the company sing as one. The Asian performers sing in a combination of Hindi and Urdu, each using their own language.
Set in the garden of a terraced house, the production opens as the guests are arriving for, appropriately enough, an interracial wedding, richly coloured sarees and sherwanis mixing with suits and fascinators. All the musicians are on the stage, which seems natural enough for a celebration. Nicholas Watts as Orpheus marries Ashanaa Sasikaran’s Eurydice, resplendent in traditional bridal red and gold and there is much celebratory singing as everyone wishes them well. Orpheus and Eurydice go to the temple to offer prayers.
Orpheus later returns and he is singing of his joy as the guests join with him, only to have the mood shattered when Silvia, Eurydice’s best friend appears with the news of Eurydice’s death by snakebite. She is carrying the vivid red saree, which she hands to Orpheus.
Overwhelmed by grief, Orpheus refuses to accept his loss and determines to go to the underworld to bring her back, strewing the Saree across the stage to represent the River Styx as the curtain falls on the first half.
The curtain opens on Nambikkai (Hope, leading Orpheus to the Land of the Dead. The backdrop of the house has been replaced with black. She can go no further and leaves him to continue alone, to his consternation. He then uses music to lull the boatman, Kaviraj Singh’s Caronte, to sleep as he cannot persuade him to let him pass. Meanwhile, touched by his plight, Proserpina persuades Pluto, sung by Dean Robinson to allow Eurydice to return to earth. He says she can do so as long as Orpheus does not look at her until he has led her out of the Land of the Dead.
Orpheus sets out with Eurydice but finds he cannot believe she is following him and turns to see her, whereupon she is lost to him.
In a striking ‘coup de theatre’, The black curtain falls to show the house and he is back in the garden, as before. He is devastated and does not know how to go on but Apollo, portrayed as a guru by Kirpal Singh Panesar, comes to him and persuades him to be more philosophical in order to endure.
Unlike Gluck’s treatment of the myth, there is no tacked-on happy ending. This version is true to the original myth.
During the first half, it was slightly difficult for me to adjust to the switching between the two musical styles, particularly since the Asian style of singing tends to be ‘swimming between notes’ rather than stepping and at times the improvisatory nature of it seemed more akin to jazz riffs than Monteverdi’s, more formal, score. However, this had become easier by the second half, eased by the heartfelt and deeply affecting singing of Yarlinie Thanabalasingam’s Nambikkai and Nicholas Watts’ sweet lyrical tenor. Ashnaa Sasikaran’s Eurydice was beautifully sung, romantic and touching. In one of the most effective scenes, Chandra Chakraborty was spellbinding as Proserpina, with a polished and sweet vocal tone and bewitching hand movements. It is unsurprising that Dean Robinson’s masterful Pluto succumbed to her entreaties.
Kezia Bienek gave us an assured and touching portrayal of Silvia and Kirpal Singh Panesar’s Apollo was warm and serene, demonstrating his artistry as singer and musician. The entire company was strong, working as a well-integrated ensemble.
By the end, the two cultures had been successfully woven together in a rich musical tapestry. What was particularly evident was how beautifully the instruments from one culture accompanied the singing of the other, illuminating the music in a special way.
This is a bold experiment, successful because of the skill of this highly accomplished cast and the sensitive way in which Dharambir Singh MBE, Laurence Cummings and Jasdeep Singh Degun have respected both the story and the two cultural traditions. It is to be hoped that this exciting cross-cultural venture inspires other companies to follow suit.
Orfeo Ed Eurydice
Presented by Opera North
At the Theatre Royal Newcastle
4 November 2022
Music by Cristoph Willibald Gluck
Libretto by Raniero De’ Calzabigi
Conducted by Laurence Cummings
Concert Placing by Sophie Gilpin
The story of Orpheus and Eurydice is as old as time. Notes from the late Hilary Mantel, in the programme, tell us it was already old when it was recorded by Ovid. Its first incarnation as an opera was in 1600 and it went through multiple incarnations before Monteverdi’s version became what many believe to be the first great opera. Gluck’s interpretation came in 1762 and it has remained in the repertoire of opera companies around the world ever since.
Gluck and his collaborators were keen to move away from the heavily ornamented rococo style that characterised the Baroque period, where much of opera seemed to have become more of a showcase for the singers’ skills than a celebration of the music and its emotional core.
In the manner of the neo-Classical period, Gluck was seeking what he called ‘a beautiful simplicity.’ That he achieved it is demonstrated by the opera’s longevity. Consequently, this is not a score full of fireworks and exaggerated vocal virtuosity; it relies on the simple lyrical beauty of the melodies and the emotions conveyed by the performers to capture the audience.
Opera North has a long association with the story, having presented numerous versions over the last 20 years, ranging from the traditional to the radically re-imagined. This production was a staged concert, omitting the dance sequences that pepper the opera and bringing the focus squarely onto the music. This seems an eminently sensible way of serving the spirit of the composer.
The central platform from the production of ‘La Traviata’ served as an effective minimal form of staging. The chorus were in black and the soloists wore modern clothes that are evocative of their roles. Unlike previous staged concerts, the orchestra remained in the pit, with the harp in solitary splendour on the stage, presumably as a symbol of the lyre played by Orfeo.
Baroque specialist, Laurence Cummings conducted Opera North’s wonderful orchestra with great sensitivity, carefully bringing out the beauty of the music, whilst interweaving expertly with the soloists and the splendid chorus. It was a joy to hear traditional instruments like the harpsichord and the cornett. A very different instrument from the modern cornet, as was explained to me by my brass-playing companion.
The soloists were highly skilled and superbly attuned to the style and emotion of the piece. As Orfeo, Alice Coote, one of our pre-eminent mezzo sopranos, showed all her quality. Lyrical, fluid and heartfelt, she carried the main burden of the evening with little apparent effort. Impressively in control of her instrument, she gave a performance of real strength and controlled virtuosity. ‘Che faro senza Eurydice’, the signature aria, was movingly rendered and the duet section with Fflur Wynn’s sparkling and earnest Eurydice, as she seeks to make Orfeo show his love, was almost unbearably poignant.
Completing the trio of soloists in this somewhat stripped-back opera was Daisy Brown, an authoritative Deus ex Machina as Amore, with presence and a flexible and appealing voice.
The key word for me about the evening was balance; between music and story, between singers and orchestra, all serving the piece, and the audience magnificently.
This piece is in repertoire with Orpheus, a melange between Monteverdi’s opera and Indian classical music. I will be fascinated to see how the two pieces inform and illuminate each other.
Finally, I must acknowledge my debt in writing this review to the erudite and informative programme notes by Stuart Leeks and George Hall.
La Traviata
By Giuseppe Verdi
Produced by Northern Opera
At Theatre Royal Newcastle
Reviewed 1 November 2022
Runs until 3 November 2022 and touring thereafter
Based on Dumas’ La Dame Aux Camélias, La Traviata premiered in 1853 and has long been a favourite with audiences. As a tale of true love in the midst of decadence and debauchery, the story of Violetta, the bewitching courtesan who sacrifices her happiness for the sake of the man she loves continues to hold audiences in thrall. Verdi’s music, of course, is an important part of the enduring appeal of this version of the story.
The score was in safe hands here, with Opera North’s splendid orchestra and Jonathan Webb’s sensitive conducting.
Alfredo, a young man of solid Provençal family is besotted with Violetta, a celebrated Parisian courtesan, and has been calling daily for news of her, knowing she has been unwell. They meet at a decadent party to celebrate her recovery and he declares his love. She teases him but is touched by his sincerity and despite her protestations that she is destined for a life of pleasure, they leave Paris behind for a quiet life together in the country. Alfredo’s father visits her and begs her to give Alfredo up for the sake of his sister’s marriage plans and his own respectability. There follows a chain of tragic events leading up to her eventual death after a last-minute reunion with Alfredo.
In this performance, Violetta was sung by Alison Langer in a performance of great charm and skill. She combined apparent worldliness and a vivacity to justify the adoration of the Parisian demi-monde with an underlying innocence and a paradoxical purity. Her voice is more than a match for this demanding role, controlled and effortless whether in the quietest passages or in the full flow of the celebrated arias that punctuate the piece.
Nico Darmanin’s Alfredo is dashing and convincingly romantic with a strong, lyrical, tenor; at times caressing the notes, at times delivering them in a full, ringing but never strident tone. Their voices blend beautifully, to poignant effect, particularly in the tragic final act.
Damiano Salerno is believable and sympathetic as Alfredo’s conflicted father, with a strong, fluid baritone voice. The supporting cast are consistently good. The chorus do excellent work both dramatically and musically and Madeleine Boyd’s sumptuous costumes and imaginative set provide the perfect setting.
Past productions have sometimes sanitised the narrative to some extent, glossing over the more lascivious elements and glamourising the heroine’s illness. Alessandro Talevi’s production does not shrink from showing the underbelly of Parisian society, with hints of polyamory and lesbianism, though there is nothing so graphic as to offend the average opera-goer. Similarly, when Violetta enters her final illness, she is shown as believably feverish and frail, even with blood on her pillow, showing the advanced state of her tuberculosis. I am not sure, however, that we needed the cartoon-like graphic before the final act, showing her lungs being consumed by the disease.
In all, this is an accessible and stylish production, elegantly balancing the needs of the music and the drama, making for a thrilling and memorable evening.