 |
| Emma Mathews (Fiorella) and Paolo Bordogna (The Turk, Selim) |
Music: Gioachino Rossini
Libretto: Felice Romani, after a libretto by
Caterino Mazzola
Conductor: Andrea Molino
Director: Simon Phillips
Designer: Gabriela Tylesova
Lighting Design: Nick Schlieper
Opera Australia, Sydney Opera House until 12th
February 2014.
Performance 5th February reviewed by Bill
Stephens
 |
| Luciano Bortelho as Narciso |
Opera shouldn’t be this much
fun! One suspects this rarely performed Rossini opera wasn’t either until Simon Phillips, in cahoots
with his designer, Gabriela Tylesova,
came up with the brilliant idea of moving the action into the 1950’s. This fits
the characters and situations like a glove.
Tylesova has provided
dazzlingly colourful costumes to which Phillips has added outrageous surtitles,
and just about every bit of comic stage-business he could think of, to expose this
little gem of an opera, and in doing so, provides a sunny evening of
deliciously wicked, hilarious entertainment embellished with highly
accomplished, stylish singing.
Indeed one of the surprises
of this production is Rossini’s inventive score, which at times sounds almost
like a send-up of grand opera, but is full of lovely melodies and rousing
choruses all of which are given full measure by the cast.
 |
| An awkward moment - cast includes L to R Paolo Bordogna, Graeme Macfarlane, Anna Dowsley,Emma Mathews, Luciano Botelho,Conal Coad, Samuel Dundas on table. |
Unsurprisingly the storyline
is inconsequential and complicated, involving a rich businessman, Geronio
(Conal Coad), his flirtatious wife,
Fiorilla (Emma Matthews) , a Turkish Pasha with a roving eye named Selim (Paolo Bordogna), a gypsy girl
called Zaida (Anna Dowsley), who’s in love with Selim, the scruffy leader of
the Gypsies, Albazar (Graeme Macfarlane), an Italian dandy named Narciso
(Luciano Botelho), and a poet by the
name of Prosdocimo (Samuel Dundas), who’s
looking for inspiration for a play. Do you need to know more?
 |
| The Turk loses his trousers - L to R Anna Dowsley, Paolo Bordogna, Emma Mathews Samule Dundas and uciano Botelho on table. |
Each of the cast grasp with
relish, the comic opportunities their roles offer. Tylesova’s witty beachfront
setting and eye-wateringly colourful costumes provides lots of excuses to
remove or don clothes. Almost every character removes some of his/her clothes
at some point and Botelho manages a full-strip change while singing a
complicated aria. In fact the show begins with a fashion parade of colourful
fifties swimwear, as the chorus arrive and sun themselves on the beach during
the overture.
The playing is broad and
audience inclusive, and the physical and vocal comedy very funny. With more
than a nod to Gina Lollabrigida, Emma Matthews is quite wonderful as the
sex-crazed wife, Fiorella, tossing off showy cadenzas like there’s no tomorrow
while never once losing her characterisation. Her cat-fight with Anna Dowsley,
herself channelling Guiletta Masina in “La Strada”, provides one of the more
outrageous highlights.
 |
| Emma Mathews (Fiorilla) Paolo Bordogna (The Turk) Luciano Botelho (Narciso) |
Paola Bordogna exudes a
delicious combination of sleaze, charm and excellent comic timing, as the
object of Guiletta’s affections, the Turkish Pasha, Selim, and is well- matched
by Luciano Botelho’s sweet voiced, ineffectual, if remarkably persistent rival,
Narciso.
 |
| Conal Coad as Geronio |
Conal Coad is in his element
as Fiorella’s long-suffering, foolish husband, Geronio, while Samuel Dundas
shows off some impressive cocktail-waiter skills as the poet, Prosdocimo, while
Graeme Macfarlane is practically unrecognisable as Albazar, the dour and dirty leader of the gypsies. Even
Elvis Presley gets a Guernsey when at the masquerade ball everyone shows up dressed
either as Elvis or Marilyn Monroe.
 |
| Samuel Dundas as poet/barman Prosdocino with Anna Dowsley (Zaida) |
Despite all the hectic
comedic business, the singing is never compromised, and conductor Andrea Molino
made sure it was beautifully supported by the excellent Australian Opera and
Ballet Orchestra.
According to director, Simon
Phillips, “Comedy is about an honest idea taken to ludicrous extremes”, and he
certainly proves his point with this deliciously refreshing, brilliant
production, which, judging from the
audience reaction at this performance, could very well become a crowd-pleasing
staple in Opera Australia’s repertoire .
 |
| Gabriela Tylesova's set decorated by the ladies of the chorus. |