THE MERRY WIDOW
OPERA AUSTRALIA
SUTHERLAND AUDITORIUM SYDNEY
OPERA HOUSE JANUARY 2018
This new , delightful production as directed by Graeme Murphy of
Lehar’s The Merry Widow is lush,
opulent and spectacular – a wonderful way for the Opera to mark the reopening
of the newly refurbished Joan Sutherland auditorium. It has a witty new
translation and is sung in English with surtitles.
It is still a very popular romantic story over a century since its
premiere and has been translated into 25 languages in various productions
world wide and has also inspired a couple of ballets ( the Australian Ballet
version choreographed by Ronald Hynd is
glorious and returns to Sydney April/May ) .
The rather slight plot centres around the now bankrupt tiny European state
of Pontevedro frantically
trying to keep the newly wealthy widow Hannah Glawari and her money in town, by
establishing her with a new amour. What could go wrong? Quite a bit really –
particularly since she has previous history with the proposed candidate.
There
is also the delicate situation of the two younger lovers Valencienne and
Camille – will their affair flourish or is it doomed ? Stacey
Alleume and John Longmuir make an impressive couple, dramatically and vocally .
There are shades of Lady Windermere’s Fan throughout perhaps.
The production has been updated to the
1920’s .Michael Scott-Mitchell’s sets
are stunningly sumptuous .The first act
is a golden glittering geometric filigree of art deco panels , peacock
motifs and black marble tiles. he second act (the garden party to celebrate the
king’s birthday ) elegant with a Monet like background and including a ‘ little
summerhouse ‘gazebo .And then there are the mirrors for Maxim’s in Act 3 not
forgetting a huge red velvet staircase Dazzling.
Jennifer Irwin’s costumes are glorious, some stunning in Erte like
style.( Hannah’s amazing dress in Act 3 for example) . And the incredible
detail of the various military uniforms! In Act 2 the blue and white folk
costumes were reminiscent perhaps of Delft ware .
Hannah
the eponymous widow of the show was enchantingly played by Vilja stopped the
show .
Alexander Lewis as Danilo was dashingly dark and handsome and in fine glorious
voice with his precise captivating clear lyrical tenor as well as being a
magnificent actor .We see his various moods as he changes from drunken cynic to
questioning lover .
There is great rapport between the two who have great fun in flirting in
‘Silly Silly Rider’ .
If you know Murphy’s work you can pick tiny snippets of choreographic
phrases from say his Nutcracker , Poppy and
Scheherazade for example and in
certain parts you could see Vernon’s part as Murphy’s muse – sections could
have been written for her. Murphy also drew on a great variety of appropriate
styles for this production including German and French cabaret and Balkan folk
dance.
My
only quibble was with the grisettes dance in Act3 which was at times perhaps
rather vulgar.
David Whitney had fun as Baron Zita, and Benjamin Rasheed as Njegus was impressive. My only
quibble was with the grisettes dance in Act3 which was at times perhaps rather
vulgar.
In Act 2 the men’s song about The
Science of Women was extremely sexist for modern contemporary tastes
although very entertaining and performed with gusto.
This is a lavish opulent production gloriously sung and staged - an
excellent way to introduce opera to new fans, and an aural and visual delight
for those familiar with the genre.
Running time – allow 3 hours including 2 intervals
Opera Australia’s The Merry Widow runs at the Sydney Opera
House 31 Dec 2017 – 3 Feb 2018
No comments:
Post a Comment