Composer: Gaetano Donizetti
Director: Rosie Kat
Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor is brought to the Arcola as part of Grimeborn’s opera festival. We meet the title character just as her mother has died and her secret lover is sent away. Deceived by her brother, Lucia is forced to marry another man to secure her family’s financial trouble. The onslaught of betrayal and grief leads to Lucia’s demise. There is a difficulty with the story of Lucia, as we witness a woman’s life being run by men. This production does little to address Lucia’s lack of agency or adds anything to the conversation of her psychological breakdown.
It is a huge task to downsize a full orchestra to four players, and while this has been accomplished well, these limitations mean that some emotional textures in the music are lost, particularly the darkness and pain. The buoyant music of the opera battles with the darkness that this production is trying to find. The players are skilfully led by Laurence Panter, who jumps between conducting, playing multiple instruments and performing the role of Normanno. He does a fantastic job of carrying the action onstage into his playing.
Beren Fidan leads the company as Lucia with emotional vulnerability and stunning vocals. Her final aria is particularly striking as she sings with crystal clarity. She is vocally matched with Jake Dolan, who delivers a vibrant vocal performance as Edgardo. Unfortunately, they don’t quite have the chemistry for us to believe the magnitude of this love story.
The attempt to find the light and shade within the work leads to a tonally confused production. The heightened, clownish physical work that the company is known for doesn’t quite sit in the dark world of the design and story of Lucia di Lammermoor. The cast becomes silly, floral displays at the end of the first act to embody Lucia’s hallucination, which is playful and amusing but is jarring against the previous action. A long LED light tube acts as a symbol of Lucia’s love as she becomes wrapped up and attempts to keep it safe. This is visually engaging but the metaphor is understood early on and inhibits the action on stage.
There are some exciting performances within this production of Lucia di Lammermoor, and it manages to bring a beast of an opera into the chamber context. However, it doesn’t land with the emotional punch that the story is capable of and leaves audiences wanting more.
Runs until 13 September 2025
