A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Opera Australia
Saturday 4 December
The Arts Centre, State Theatre
to 18 December
www.ticketmaster.com.au
Review by Josephine Giles
Too long between drinks, I had almost given up hope that I
would see an opera in this country that would demonstrate on all levels just
how wonderful this artform can be. But every now and then a production comes
along that reassures me that opera can be fantastic, magical and engaging, OA’s
revival of Baz Luhrmann’s interpretation of A
Midsummer Night’s Dream is so good it is almost impossible to imagine this
opera being staged in any different way.
First produced in 1993, and subsequently toured to the
Edinburgh Festival to critical acclaim, this production has been revived a
number of times in both Sydney and Melbourne. It is a testament to the power of
the original vision, and the intelligent and informed revivals direction of
Julie Edwardson, that the piece appears as fresh as new. The perfectly cast
ensemble give no sense of recreating performances defined some 17 years ago –
each of the singers inhabit their characters with confidence and imagination,
imparting an infectious sense of enjoyment.
The success of this Dream
owes much to the glorious design by Lurhmann’s creative partner Catherine
Martin and Bill Marron. Transplanted in time and place to Indian 20s British
Raj (a change one may think the Bard himself would be well pleased with), the
stage is dominated by a three-tiered rotunda, set over a lily pond and overrun
with vines from an encroaching jungle. The Athenians of Shakespeare’s play,
embodying British upperclass properness, appear in Colonial style whites.
Contrasting are the hot, vivid colours of the Indian inspired garb of the fairy
world of Oberon and Tytania,
evoking a truly sensual fantasy land.
The middle level of the rotunda provides the stage for
Orchestra Victoria, dressed for the occasion in military band uniforms, and
conducted with sensitive precision here by Britten specialist Paul Kildea.
Strategically placed monitors in the auditorium compensate for the lack of
visual contact between the conductor and singers – made especially challenging
by the complexity of Britten’s score – and an apron stage over the orchestra
pit permits the singers to engage more immediately with the audience ( and
overcome the acoustic problems
commonly associated with this theatre).
Special mention has to be made of the OA’s children’s
chorus. As fairies and elves, they not only sing with beauty and precision, but
dance and somersault around the stage demonstrating a level of stagecraft not
always found in mature performers. Dressed in hues of red, pink and green,
their presence adds both magic and joy to the proceedings. Children’s choruses
often require a degree of forgiving compromise from an audience – that this
isn’t needed at all is but one testament among many to the excellent direction
of Edwardson, and the musical preparation by Anthony Hunt.
Time precludes me form mentioning all of the uniformly
wonderful singers, except to say that all act with the same comfortable
assurance with which they sing.
Special mentions go to Tobias Cole as the blue-torsoed dreadlocked
Oberon, whose countertenor seems to have found a natural home in Britten’s
music; Henry Choo (Lysander) and Dominica Matthews (Hermia), who too shine in
this repertoire; and Conal Coad as an hilarious Bottom and Graeme McFarlane as
a most light-footed Flute are scene stealers par-excellence. Actor Tyler
Coppin, reprising the role he created in 1993, brings the whole night together
as the mischievous Puck.
This review appears on AussieTheatre.com
