Director and Librettist: Ashley Pearson
Musical Director: Aleksandra Myslek
Opera on Location is now in its ninth year. The company has established itself as a jewel in Sheffield’s cultural crown and their ambitious and unique productions have challenged audiences consisting of opera aficionados to neophytes and everyone in between. The company has striven to bring opera into a firm reality, giving operas that are hundreds of years old a home in the present day. The company name ‘Opera on Location’ alludes to their metamorphic ability to give high art a home in our modern culture. Therefore, staging a production in a traditional theatre space could seem radical for this unorthodox troupe, and exploring the verismo style of opera seems counter to their grand ambition. Verismo refers to a style of opera criticism that focussed on more realistic subject matter (think fewer fairy Queens and more jealous rivals), however, true to form, Opera on Location have found a way to bring the micro and macro together in this new imagining, an opera the fuses Cavalleria Rusticana by Mascagni and Pagliacci by Leoncavallo.
In blending these two operas a new production has been conceived. The ‘Pagliacci Theatre Troupe’ are preparing a new production and we have been invited to an open rehearsal (a show that follows the plot of Cavalleria Rusticana). As this is an entirely new production audiences would not necessarily benefit from knowing the two original operas but heed my words, buy a programme. Even with this roadmap the route is tricky to navigate. As with Pagliacci we begin metatheatrically with the director’s address to the audience, (delivered with crystal clarity by Aidan Edwards) in which we are reminded that life can reflect art but that what we see is a fiction. The leading lady, Nedda, is married to Canio but is involved with the co star Silvio. After being exposed by the Weinstein-esque director Tonio the show must begin, thus ends the Pagliacci of it and so begins the Cavalleria Rusticana, set in World War Two. Quite why this setting was chosen is not immediately evident, but the period clothing does help delineate the two operas.
The second act is followed with an epilogue where the realities really do become blurred. The stage manager must step in due to short numbers in the company and Nedda (now playing Santuzza) begins to let slip her previous professionalism as real-life seeps onto the stage. Without giving away spoilers the show begins to take a turn and even the cast are left bewildered and asking aloud “Are they still acting?”
A small cast do well, playing at least two roles each. As this is a new production one wonders if more could have been done to distribute the stage time as the company is unevenly balanced, some talents being wasted for long stretches of the show. Fiona Hymns and Gareth Lloyd do well to carry the weight of playing leads in two operas at once. With such convoluted action the audience benefits from Aidan Edwards clarity and generous performance.
Once again Aleksandra Myslek is at the musical helm and in this production has a prominent seat in the centre at the back of the stage where she is in full view throughout. This is a wonderful touch as she not only plays with exquisite detail and sensitive interpretation but watching her play is a joy to behold. Utterly captivating.
This is an incredibly stylistic production with many artistic moments that, while visually striking, do not always benefit the plot. One such moment when the female members of the cast all stand at the back of the stage and undress, seemingly for no reason, is quite jarring and does nothing to help with, what is already a pretty overthought plot.
The ideas are bold but often not necessarily well executed. In exploring the play within a play motif there is so much potential (Mischief Theatre have shown us the limitless opportunities of bringing your stage manager into the show). Here it is not always clear when we are in the ‘play’ or the characters’ reality. Perhaps this is deliberately confusing as the show intends to explore the blurred line between fact and fiction, but if we don’t know which we should be believing it can dilute the stakes. Yes, the character is pouring their heart out, but are they just playing?
Perhaps the best approach is to not overthink it and enjoy what is a musically beautiful and often visually rich performance.
Runs until 27th August 2022
The Reviews Hub Score
Ambitious.
