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| Teddy Tahu Rhodes as Mephistopheles in "FAUST" |
Composed by
Charles-Francois Gounod. Libretto by Jules Barber, Michel Carre
Conducted by
Lorenzo Passerini – Directed by David McVicar
Choreographed
by Michael Keegan-Dolan
Joan
Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House until March 11, 2020.
Performance
on 14th February reviewed by Bill Stephens
Teddy Tahu Rhodes resplendent in tattoos, tiara and black evening gown is not the only
unsettling sight in David McVicar’s masterful staging of “Faust”. Church
statues come to life, a life-sized crucifix crashes to the ground, a delicate
classical ballet descends into an orgy, as Goethe’s melodramatic story of the aged Faust who trades his soul to
the devil in return for a promise of a
re-run of a life of hedonism, is portrayed by Gounod in a lush stream of
beautiful melodies.
Honouring
its reputation as one of the grandest of grand operas, McVicar’s staging is lavish
and inventive. Charles Edwards’s opulent designs transform the stage of the
Joan Sutherland Theatre with a succession of eye-popping recreations of iconic 1870’s
Parisian landmarks.
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| Teddy Tahu Rhodes as Mephistopheles in "FAUST" |
A crowded town square, the decadent Cabaret L’Enfer,
the Church of Saint Severin, the organ loft of Notre –Dame, the stage of the
Palais Garnier, all emerge from the shadows of Paule Constable’s deeply atmospheric
lighting design, populated by a huge cast portraying citizens, ranging from wounded
soldiers returning from battle to debauched bourgeoisie flaunting their wealth
at theatrical spectacles, in stunning costumes designed by Brigitte
Reiffenstuel.
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| Richard Anderson as Wagner and the Opera Australia Chorus. |
Conducting
his first opera in Australia, flamboyant Italian conductor, Lorenzo Passerini,
maintained impressive control of his resources from the very first ominous chord
of the overture. While allowing his soloists space to nuance their interpretations,
he achieved thrilling dynamics and balance from orchestra
and ensemble for the huge choruses, particularly at the end of the opera where the
chorus was positioned in the theatre, in the third level balconies, high above
the audience.
It would be
easy for the lead singers to become overwhelmed by the spectacle of this production,
but again Opera Australia has assembled a topline cast, headed by Russian soprano, Irina Lungu, as
Marguerite, Italian tenor, Ivan Magri, making his role debut as Faust, and of course, the stentorian-voiced Teddy Tahu
Rhodes oozing devilish charm, charisma and swagger as Mephistopheles.
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| Irina Lungu as Marguerite in "FAUST" |
All acquit
themselves magnificently, as does Michael Honeyman, as Marguerite’s soldier
brother, Valentin, who cannot bring himself to forgive her for bringing
disgrace on their family, even as he lies dying by the sword of her lover,
Faust. Ever-reliable, Dominica Matthews, makes the most of her chances as the saucy
Marthe, but it is Anna Dowsley who takes the acting honours with
her eye-catching turn in the pants role as the lanky Seibel, who has a secret crush
on Marguerite.
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| Michael Honeyman (Valentin) - Anna Dowsley (Seibel) in "FAUST" |
Of
particular interest with this excellent revival is the opportunity it offers to
have another look at the choreography of Michael Keegan-Dolan, who was
responsible for the choreography for this production, meticulously reproduced
here by Shane Placentino, who was also responsible for reproducing McVicar’s direction.
Since its
2015 season, Australia has had the opportunity to see Keegan-Dolin’s
extraordinary dance work Swan Lake/Loch
na hEala. His striking choreography
for “Faust” both the Cabaret L'Enfer
can-can and the Walpurgis Night ballet which ends, horrifically, with the
ballet girls being raped, was superbly
danced by the large dance team, whose names, are not recorded in the free
programs. Nor are those of the Opera Australia orchestra and chorus.
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| Dancers of Opera Australia perform "Walpurgis Nights" in "FAUST" |
While the
free programs, which were introduced following the decision by Opera Australia
not to continue to produce souvenir programs, are welcomed, surely the omission
of these names is demeaning, not only to the artists, for whom the printed
program is the only record of their participation in a production, but to the
many in the audience who would like to know the names of the artists whose
performances they are watching and listening to.
Photos by Prudence Upton
This review also appears in AUSTRALIAN ARTS REVIEW. www.artsreview.com.au
