Opera by Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart
Libretto by Emanuel
Schikaneder
English translation
by Michael Gow
Directed by Michael
Gow
Opera Australia
Canberra Theatre,
September 4 – 6, 2014
Review by Len Power
September 4, 2014
‘He
looks like a film star!’ This is not a
line you expect to hear in a Mozart opera written in the late 18th
Century. Michael Gow has transported
Mozart’s opera to 1930s Egypt, Hollywood-style, and set it in an ancient tomb
with sinister shadows on the walls, secret doorways and a hero who looks like
you-know-who from a Steven Spielberg movie.
It all works very well and is a delight from start to finish.
This
production is sung in English and you can actually hear and understand the
words as they’re singing them. Michael
Gow’s translation is witty and clarifies a lot of the original story with
careful cuts to the text. It’s
especially notable that the modern words in the arias don’t stray much in
translation from the original German text.
A major change in this version concerns the Queen Of The Night who isn’t
destroyed at the end of the opera. In
addition, Monostatos, usually played as a black man who must therefore be evil,
is played as a foreigner who is subservient to people who think they are better
than him. These changes are a welcome
improvement. The punishment of the Queen
Of The Night has always seemed a bit extreme, so this change makes the ending
of the opera more human and satisfying.
The
terrific set design by Robert Kemp is very much in keeping with a 1930s
Hollywood movie designer’s idea of an ancient Egyptian tomb. The lighting gantries clearly visible above
the set add to the Hollywood feel of the production. It might be a touring set but it looks quite
substantial with secret doorways opening here and there. Matt Scott’s lighting design gives it all a
spooky Universal Studios horror movie atmosphere.
The
music, using Andrew Greene’s excellent orchestral arrangement was quite
charming. The nine piece chamber
ensemble, conducted by Paul Fitzsimon brought out the colour and vibrancy of
Mozart’s score. Sound balance between
the orchestra and the un-miked singers was perfect.
Hannah
Dahlenburg, as the Queen of the Night, had the most spectacular arias to sing
and handled them superbly. Tamino was
sung by the handsome Jonathan Abernethy and his fine singing displayed a
striking tenor voice. Christopher
Hillier as Papageno sang very well and demonstrated strong comic ability also. Emma Castelli as Pamina, Steven Gallop as
Sarastro, Benjamin Rasheed as Monostatos and Anna Dowsley as Papagena also sang
very well and gave good in-depth characterisations. The Three Ladies, played by Anna Yun, Regina
Daniel and Stacey Alleaume, were great fun bickering over Tamino and their trios
were beautifully sung. The members of
the Woden Valley Youth Choir, appearing in the Canberra performances only, were
in fine voice and moved so confidently that they looked like they had been part
of the production from its inception.
At
the beginning of the opera, Tamino has to do battle with a monster, usually
portrayed as a dragon or a serpent. In
this production, Tamino takes on The Mummy, dressed as expected in rotting
bandages. This costume and all of the
others designed by Robert Kemp were striking and nicely in period.
Director,
Michael Gow, has produced a very entertaining show with fine performances. His decision to set it in a 1930s
Hollywood-style setting was inspired and makes the opera much more accessible.
Originally
broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 ‘Dress Circle’ showbiz program with Bill Stephens
on Sunday 7 September from 5pm.