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| Leigh Melrose as Brett Whiteley |
Composed by Elena Kats-Chernin – Libretto by Justin
Fleming
Conducted by Tahu Matheson – Directed by David Freeman
Designed by Dan
Potra – Lighting designed by John Rayment
Presented by Opera Australia
Joan Sutherland
Theatre – Sydney Opera House, 15th – 30th July 2019.
Matinee on 27th July Reviewed by Bill
Stephens
During one of the most lyrical arias in this opera,
gazing from the balcony of their home overlooking Lavendar Bay, Wendy sings to
Brett Whiteley, “Don’t look at me. Look at what I see”. It’s a moment that succinctly
pinpoints the inspiration for some of Whiteley’s most successful paintings.
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| Leigh Melrose as Brett Whiteley in "Whiteley". |
The opera begins with Brett Whiteley gazing
frustratedly at one of his final works in his Surry Hills studio. It ends with
a moving trio, set in Wendy Whiteley’s famed secret garden in Lavender Bay with
which Whiteley’s ex-wife, Wendy, his daughter, Arkie and mother, Beryl reflect on
Brett’s life. Because both these locations still exist in Sydney, and are
easily visited, the effect is startling.
Between these two events, Justin Fleming’s libretto
focusses on key events which proved turning points in Whiteley’s very public
career. His early London success in becoming the youngest-ever artist to sell
to Britain’s Tate Gallery - his failure to impress the American art market -
his expulsion from Fiji because of his drug use - his descent into drug
addiction through his efforts to capture on canvas his very darkest drug-addled
visions – and through it all, his relationship with his muse, Wendy and their
daughter, Arkie.
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| Brett Whiteley (Leigh Melrose) paints Wendy Whiteley (Julie Lea Goodwin) |
It’s a journey that is both fascinating and
frustrating, particularly for those in the audience who either knew Whiteley
personally or through his artworks or the many books and media reports spawned
by his tempestuous career. Because, by necessity, some of the references are
brief, many will find themselves compelled to trawl back through those books to
discover the significance on Whiteley’s career of some of the characters
portrayed in the opera.
Kats-Chernin’s music, as superbly interpreted by the
Opera Australia orchestra under Tahu Matheson, is lush, evocative, sometimes
atonal, but always accessible and strewn with lovely melodies. The scene in
which the Christie murder victims sing from the walls in which their bodies are
entombed, is particularly haunting, both aurally and visually, as is her music
for balmy Fijian scene, at first relaxed family
holiday mood but cleverly underscored to foreshadow the families’
unexpected expulsion for drug possession. Her big choruses are thrilling and
marvelously sung by the Opera Australia chorus.
British baritone, Leigh Melrose, makes an impressive
Opera Australia debut as Brett Whiteley. Bearing a striking resemblance to the
artist he sings strongly in a compelling performance that, despite his character's apparent penchant for pompous declarations about his place in art history, convincingly charts
Whiteley’s frustration as his powers decline with the onset of his heroin
addiction.
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| Julie Lea Goodwin (Wendy Whiteley) - Nicholas Jones (Michael Driscoll) - Leigh Melrose (Brett Whiteley) Kate Amos (Arkie Whiteley) |
As his soulmate and muse, Wendy Whiteley, Julie Lea
Goodwin also gives a memorable performance capturing perfectly Wendy’s
realization that despite their love for each other, and their daughter Arkie
(Kate Amos), she is powerless to save Brett from his devils.
Among the large supporting cast, Dominica Matthews as
Beryl Whiteley, Richard Anderson as Joel Elenberg, Nicholas Jones as Wendy’s
lover, Michael Driscoll, Gregory Brown as Patrick White, Alexander Hargreaves
as Robert Hughes, Tomas Dalton as Bryan Robertson, Jonathan Alley as John
Rothenstein, Brad Cooper as Frank Lloyd, Leah Thomas as Anna Schwartz, Angela
Hogan as Janice Spencer and Sitiveni Talei as a Fijian Police Officer all add
to the enjoyment with strongly drawn characterizations.
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| Leigh Melrose (Brett Whiteley) - Kate Amos (Arkie Whiteley) |
Designer Dan Potra has made ingenious use of huge LED
screen reproductions of Whiteley’s most famous paintings to illustrate his state
of mind at key points, as when his work is being rejected by Frank Lloyd, or
when he’s painting Wendy in the bath, or to flood the stage with spectacular
imagery for the scene in which Whitely is presented to the queen. Revolving
stages allow characters to glide seamlessly from riotous parties to romantic
bedrooms.
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| A scene from Opera Australia's production of "Whiteley" |
Brett Whiteley lived life on an operatic scale. Opera
Australia has invested huge resources to do that life justice. Hopefully the
audience response to this short season will have been sufficient to insure
“Whiteley” a place in Opera Australia’s repertoire.
Photos by: Prudence Upton
This review also appears in Australian Arts Review. www.artsreview.com.au