Don Pasquale – Theatre Royal, Glasgow

Lighting Designer: Guy Simard

Be careful what you wish for they say, and there’s no better illustration of that than in Gaetano Donizetti’s Don Pasquale. This autumn, Scottish Opera revive Renaud Doucet and André Barbe’s colourful and characterful 2014 production of the comic masterpiece.

Corpulent cat lover Don Pasquale (David Stout) runs his crumbling pensione with only his chain-smoking chambermaid (Frances Morrison-Allen), greasy cook (Steven Faughey) and decrepit porter (Jonathan Sedgwick) for company.

With a lonely old age approaching and a nephew Ernesto (Filipe Manu) intent on getting his hands on his promised inheritance in order to marry his beloved, the young widow Norina (Simone Osborne) rather than the rich girl Pasquale has picked for him. Pasquale determines to find himself a young wife to provide him with a new heir and disinherit young Ernesto. However, Ernesto, Norina and Dr Malatesta (Josef Jeongmeen Ahn) have other plans. When a lively, young (and decidedly feline) contender Sofrina arrives, sister of Dr Malatesta, fresh from the convent (in the form of a disguised Norina). Sofrina’s innocent and beguiling veil (quite literally) drops when the two are wed and she starts spending money likes there’s no tomorrow. Don Pasquale finds out that marriage isn’t exactly the bed of roses he expected.

Re-set to Rome in the Swinging Sixties, the spirit of la dolce vita abounds throughout Doucet and Barbe’s effervescent production. Though ten years on from its original staging the production looks as fresh as it did then with plenty of fine detail to delight the eyes throughout.

Despite its light-heartedness Don Pasquale requires a fine-voiced cast to carry it off, and not only fine-voiced, but a cast with impeccable comic acting skills, thankfully Scottish Opera have triumphed. David Stout has the requisite acting skills as well as the voice for the title role. He largely manages to penetrate effectively the full-blooded orchestra conducted by Stuart Stratford. Stout’s tone is rich and full and he demonstrates fantastic vocal agility in the tongue twisting sections of the piece. He is utterly engaging and sympathetic too, foolish but still loveable, and you can’t help root for him throughout.

Most impressive is New Zealand Tongan tenor Filipe Manu, his rich tones flow over the audience like warm honey and do Korean baritone Josef Jeongmeen Ahn’s whose Dr Malatesta is agilely and effectively sung. Simone Osborne (a replacement for the originally cast Stacey Alleaume) is a spirited and formidable Norina, who seems to be relishing the somewhat crueller aspects of the character, she certainly elicits the laughs from the audience. She is a full-on, sly femme fatale. Her bright, lively coloratura technique is excellent.

Often described as the perfect beginner’s opera, the clever staging by Doucet and Barbe adds a new dimension to the opera and opens the work up to a wider audience. That said, there is just as much interest for the experienced opera goer. The score is replete with melodious arias and there’s even that familiar snippet appropriated by Nino Rota for his Godfather soundtrack to look out for.

This spirited, sparkling production from Scottish Opera is a must-see this autumn and the quality on show bodes well for the rest of the season to come.

Runs until 26 October 2024 then touring Scotland | Image: Jane Barlow