Composer: David Fennessy
Libretto: David Shrigley and Nicholas Bone
Conductor: Garry Walker
Director: Nicholas Bone
Pass the Spoon is described as “a sort-of opera about cookery” and that’s fair enough: it’s hardly a conventional opera, but it’s not anything else either. In 2011, when it debuted in a performance by Magnetic North in Glasgow, the music was conducted by Garry Walker. Now that he is Music Director at Opera North, it is clearly his enthusiasm that has brought about this first mainstream production.
June Spoon and Philip Fork host a daytime television cookery show. At the beginning, after the sound of blades being sharpened, June constantly mocks the hapless Philip, raining lists of soups on his unresponsive head. Eventually she settles on vegetable soup, with assorted vegetables disappearing into the cooking pot under the contemptuous gaze of a supercilious Banana.
The special guest for whom this is being prepared in the monstrous Mr Granules and June and Philip set off to get two pork chops from the almighty Butcher who demands a quasi-religious supplication. Then it starts getting really silly. Banana suggests the chronically depressed Mr Egg as waiter, the chops are burned, a return visit to the Butcher produces only a sad little pie, Mr Granules, a huge and ugly puppet, arrives and shoots Mr Egg. Inevitably he then swallows June and the race is on to rescue her before she undergoes the full digestive process (and, incidentally, before the end of the programme).
David Shrigley and Nicholas Bone’s libretto is full of repetitions and word twisting and the 12-piece orchestra, on stage with the actors and dressed as chefs, ducks and dives brilliantly while the percussionist invents all sorts of odd sounds. Amy J. Payne is a dominant June Spoon and Xavier Hetherington a meekly helpless Philip Fork, both negotiating Fennessy’s odd pitches and distorted sound shapes with aplomb. Mark Nathan stands upon his dignity as the nearest thing to normality as Banana, leaving the glories of gross eccentricity to Peter Van Hulle, a venomous Butcher, and Frazer Scott who has the crazy double of Mr Egg, depressed to the nethermost reaches of the human voice, and a whistling turd, singing the praises of s**t.
Fennessy’s music is not all distortions and explosions. He does a very neat parody of a supplicant’s prayer for June and Philip pleading with the Butcher, exalted high at the back of the stage. The little dance in praise of s**t is most engaging and he relies on Beethoven for some soothing background music as Mr Granules prepares to eat.
In 2011 opinion was divided. An instant cult hit, it was highly praised, but not by everyone. Oddly enough, a first reaction to this Opera North production is a desire to see it again to frame a possibly intelligent reaction. One thing is certain: cast and orchestra are wonderfully committed – and seem to enjoy themselves!
Runs until 21 December 2025
