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| Sarahlouise Owens as Anna Bishop in "Opera's Bad Girl" |
Conceived, written & performed by Sarahlouise Owens.
Associate Artist: Lucas Allerton
Directed by Tony Turner & Cate Clelland – Set designed
by Cate Clelland
Costume design by Cate Clelland – constructed by Robyn
Pearson
Lighting design by Michael Moloney & Tim Levy
Presented by CantaViva - Canberra Rep Theatre 3rd – 5th April
2025.
Matinee performance on 5th April reviewed by BILL
STEPHENS
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| Lucus Allerton & Sarahlouise Owens performing "Opera's Bad Girl" |
Well before Melba, there was Anna Bishop, an English soprano who, at the beginning of her career married composer, Henry Bishop, best known as the composer of the sentimental ballad, Home Sweet Home.
Having borne him three children and built a reputation as
one of the finest sopranos of her day, Anna Bishop created a scandal by abandoning
her husband for a French harpist, Nicholas-Charles Bochsa, with whom she toured
widely before he died during their first tour to Australia and was buried in
Camperdown Cemetery.
Undeterred, Bishop continued touring internationally, enduring travel by ship, coach and even donkey. Along the way, she survived a shipwreck in which she lost all her costumes, jewellery and musical arrangements, was accosted by marauding Mexican bandits, and re-married, this time a diamond merchant. She gave her last public concert at age 73 and died at 74.
Although Bishop is largely forgotten now, her story fascinated
Sarahlouise Owens, herself an accomplished soprano with international
experience who, following extensive research, wrote a script, enlisted the
services of directors Tony Turner and Cate Clelland and much sought-after
accompanist, Lucas Allerton; to devise and perform this remarkable little gem
of a show.
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| Lucus Allerton & Sarahlouise Owens performing " Opera's Bad Girl" |
Introduced by Allerton, elegantly attired in concert tails, Owens, assuming the persona of Anna Bishop, sweeps on to the stage, splendidly costumed in a crimson gown and jewels. Surrounding her are souvenirs from her travels which she draws upon from time to time to illustrate her stories.
Perfectly equipped to portray a prima donna, Owens draws on
her own considerable stage experience and superbly trained voice to represent
Bishop as imperious, cultured and dignified, but with a wicked sense of humour
and certainly not averse to sharing juicy snippets of gossip about famous
contemporaries with whom she vied for audiences.
Eschewing microphones, Owens commands the room as Bishop,
sharing her anecdotes about her triumphs and trials, shedding crocodile tears when
recalling the pain of leaving her children, and demonstrating the voice which
won her fame by offering no fewer than sixteen vocal items, all of which were
significant to Bishop’s career.
Besides familiar melodies like Flotow’s The Last Rose of
Summer, Packer’s Little Nell, the folksong The Harp That Once
Through Tara’s Hall and her husband’s famous Home Sweet Home, also included
were demanding arias from operas in which Bishop appeared including Let the
Bright Seraphim from Handel’s “Samson”,
Spargi d’amaro pianto from Donizett’s “Lucia di Lammermoor” and Di tanti palpiti from Rossini’s “Tancredi, which Bishop
premiered.
Of particular interest was the inclusion of arias from
operas now virtually forgotten such as Mercadante’s “Francesa Donato”, Balfe’s
“Maid of Artois” and Boschsa’s “Linda di Chamonix”, all sung in the language in
which they were written, and all superbly accompanied by Lucus Allerton.
Besides his flawless accompaniments, Allerton also added gentle humour to the proceedings by risking the ire of the diva by inserting cheeky musical embellishments to her descriptions.
An artistic combination of travelogue, history lesson,
classical recital and parlour concert, “Opera’s Bad Girl” is a thoroughly
entertaining, brilliantly presented tour de force by Saralouise Owens.
One is hard- pressed to think of another singer capable of sustaining
character throughout the long, detailed monologue which frames the musical
content, while delivering superbly judged renditions of demanding arias, with
such restraint, finesse and humour.
But then, just when you think her performance couldn’t be
bettered, she dazzles further with an encore; a blissful rendition of Bellini's Casta Diva from his opera
“Norma”.
Images by Sabine Friedrich
This review also published in AUSTRALIAN ARTS REVIEW. www.artsreview.com.au
