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Music, Opera & classical

Rigoletto, a review by Eva Marloes

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out of 5 stars (3 / 5)

At the core of Rigoletto is the tragedy of an overprotective father, Rigoletto, who wants to kill his daughter’s suitor, the Duke, a well-known womaniser, but has his daughter killed instead. Gilda is a victim of her father’s control, of the Duke’s seduction, but also of the often misogynistic notions of love as self-sacrifice that lead her to her demise. Yet the Duke is also tragic.

Verdi moved away from Hugo’s story Le roi s’amuse, on which Rigoletto is based. The Duke is not just a womaniser with no scruples, making fun of women in La donna è mobile. He is a dissolute man but one who is seduced by Gilda’s purity and perhaps even falls really in love with her.

It’s a tragedy that is never staged. Most productions are seduced by the need of being relevant, contemporary, even topical. There are times when, thanks to fortuitous timing, the contemporary political setting works. This is the case of the WNO’s production of Rigoletto in 2019 set the opera in Washington at the height of the #metoo era. The staging, direction, orchestra and performances were superb.

This production of Rigoletto is pleasant, with good performances but tame with a subdued orchestra and no clear take. Adele Thomas’s direction has no clear and consistent interpretation of the drama. There are references to politics and the Bullingdon club but in 18th century costumes making the staging confused and confusing. The direction constraints the performers and fails to convey the contrasting elements of the seductive myschief, tragic love, and suspence of the opera.

Daniel Luis de Vicente, Alyona Abramova, Raffaele Abete and Soraya Mafi in Rigoletto. Photo Richard Hubert Smith.

Soraya Mafi, as Gilda, has a beautiful voice and performs Caro nome impeccably, yet her Gilda is a little too fragile. Raffaele Abete, as the Duke, sings well. His voice is agile but not powerful enough to carry the persona of the Duke. The direction and interpretation makes this Duke a bit of a lightweight. He’s not seductive, he’s not even a bad boy, he’s merely vain. 

Daniel Luis Vicente excels as Rigoletto cutting a very tragic figure and, at times, stealing the scene, including the final quartet. Notable are also the performances of Nathanaël Tavernier as Sparafucile and of Alyona Abramova as Maddalena. Abramova performs soulfully, but being a mezzo rather than a contralto, does not provide a sufficient contrast with Mafi’s Gilda in the final quartet. 

The strong performances make this production pleasant but constrained and at times, especially in the final quartet, disjointed. The orchestra, conducted by Pietro Rizzo, lacks power. The scene of the storm is disrupted by the rather ill-conceived idea of firing lights onto the audience instead of letting the music conjure the wind and thunder.

The WNO can do a lot better than this, as shown recently in Il Trittico. It can excel. Let’s hope this is a blip, perhaps the result of the cutting of funding and constant insecurity over their future. The WNO is a treasure in Wales and should be supported and allowed to grow.

Theatre

Review A Visit by Sian Owen, Papertrail in association with Clean Break, YMa,Pontypridd

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Lizzie Caitlin Bennett, Siwan Morris and Bethan McLean in A Visit at YMa, Pontypridd. Photo: Kirsten McTernan

out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

Papertrail’s tale of crime, justice and childcare has been in R&D since 2021, reflecting exactly how important it has been to the company to portray this important story with empathy, realism and impact. Sian Owen’s text is based on real life stories of women and young people; the tale of what happens when a mother is imprisoned, what happens to the child left behind and the life ‘outside’ for those who are left picking up the pieces. Knowing that the text was, in some cases, verbatim for what the team had been told, really made every single line hit home that little bit harder.

This is my first visit to the YMa in Pontypridd and the space is utilised to great effect by Designer Lucy Hall. The stage is filled with chairs that are on the same level as each of the levels of the raked seating opposite. The grey chairs are interspersed with numbered, red chairs; the places where the inmates sit whilst their families visit them. The set is confronting, there is nowhere for the characters to hide as they deliver their monologues; there, on display for every audience member to see, especially given the levels are equal to our seating levels. The movement around the set is purposely awkward and difficult, with Carys and Angharad having to look over their shoulders to address Ffi or move closer towards her, around numerous chairs which are stagnant and imposing. This is purposely done to show us the difficulties of breaching topics, the distance between the sisters and the daughter, echoed by the distance between them on the maps projected behind them.

Sound is a fantastic addition, ably designed by Josh Bowles. The music is an aide to the action rather than distracting or detracting. When the sisters argue, there is a tapping noise which rises in volume and frequency until its almost unbearable. At first, I wondered where the noise was coming from, it’s so subtle and barely there, but, as the argument increased in its fury, so did the tapping. It makes you uncomfortable, it makes you feel tense, it makes you feel exactly like Angharad must feel as the two most important women in her life argue around her.

The accessibility of the piece is exceptional, some of the best, most integrated work I’ve seen. The BSL interpreters are performers in their own right; prison officers who perform alongside the actors. A concept by Director, Bridget Keehan, the interpreters Claire Anderson and Cathryn McShane move alongside their respective characters, standing as they stand, moving as they move and not just interpreting, but performing the piece alongside their counterparts. It’s accessibility at its very best, it becomes seamlessly part of the action, meaning that deaf and hard of hearing audience members do not have to split their attention between the action and interpreter who would usually be stood to the side of the stage. Claire and Cathryn are excellent; the actors talk over one another in arguments, and they can do that too, performing in BSL alongside their respective characters.

 Siwan Morris excels as Ffi; the tears and anguish are evident as she lives these real-life accounts of parents who have become a part of the system, ripped from their families and left in turmoil, their lives suspended on the outside. Siwan delivers this turbulent character with ease, turning from pleading to anger, from tears to shouting. Bethan Mclean and Lizzie Caitlin Bennett are excellent, presenting a united front in their desires initially and then fracturing as the story reaches its climax. Bethan perfectly captures the fear that Carys feels that she is not enough and cannot do enough for her niece Angharad, longing for her escape into the skies and across the oceans as Cabin Crew for EasyJet. Lizzie is heart-breaking as Angharad, pleading with these matriarchs in her life to break the inevitable ‘Newton’s Cradle’ of their lives. As a trio of performers, they clearly feed off one another’s energy and are perfectly cast as their respective roles.

‘A Visit’ has clearly been a labour of love and care for all involved, but particularly Sian, the Writer, and Bridget, the Director. Their work alongside Clean Break and the Prison services means that the piece is poignant without being condescending, truthful and respectful of those lived experiences without detracting. It’s a play made up of so many working parts that really come together to create a hard hitting, relevant piece for our time, excellently delivered by a talented cast and production team.

Opera & classical

Review, French Song Exchange, Wigmore Hall, London by James Ellis

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out of 5 stars (3 / 5)

Dame Felicity Lott and François Le Roux have done a bang up job in getting students who sing, the chance to develop their craft in the French repertoire. These recitals at Wigmore are fun, the promise of a gig in Paris is also enticing.

I might be wrong, but it appeared the programme was in the wrong order. I knew little to none of it, so I’d would very much like to discuss the singers and pianists who joined them. This programme (see below) was a mostly 19th century affair, conventional in some regards, filled with invention the other. The word piffy would apply for a lot of it, charming and regal as well.

Soprano Bella Marlen began with Debussy, effective in the murky pool of mysteries. She is decent to listen to, promise a word often used though here would apply greatly. It all seemed a breeze in her vocal ranges. Eliran Kadussi was a fascinating outing for countertenor, sweet and lively in his selection. His high range was sumptuous, acting decent with the material, hand gestures and eyes bulging. Baritone Johannes Moore was a standout as well, a fine actor with a voice that could easily suit Mozart, Wagner and Mussorgsky. He seems to relish the fun in these songs, the most animated out of the trio for sure. Fitting tributes to Fauré, who’s 100 anniversary of his death was a few days prior lingered, his delightful La bonne chanson selections pleasing to ears.

On piano Archie Bonham and Jong Sun Woo were partly overshadowed by the fluff and allure of the voices. Each brought sombre, pristine accompaniment when necessary for this French set. The response from the audience was positive. That final duet of Gounod’s L’arithmétique saw flustered finger counting aplenty, aside operetta stylings.

May we please suggest for the concert in October we have each singer billed as playing each exact pieces. We had the translated words to follow as we went, why not something clearer about who is doing what? Merci to all involved.

Programme:

CLAUDE DEBUSSY: Ariettes oubliées – C’est l’extase & Fêtes galantes Book I – En sourdine

EMMANUEL CHABRIER: L’île heureuse

PAULINE VIARDOT: Lamento

HENRI DUPARC: Chanson triste

GABRIEL FAURÉ: La bonne chanson Op. 61 – La lune blanche luit dans les bois, L’hiver a cessé

HENRI DUTILLEUX: 3 sonnets de Jean Cassou – Il n’y avait que des troncs déchirés

CÉCILE CHAMINADE: Mignonne

EMMANUEL CHABRIER: Villanelle des petits canards

MAURICE RAVEL: Histoires naturelles

CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS: Pastorale

CHARLES GOUNOD: L’arithmétique

Wigmore French Song Exchange continues at the Salle Cortot, Paris on 30 Sept, then Wigmore Hall on 18 Oct 2024.

Theatre

House (UK Premiere) by La Colline – Théâtre National (Paris) at the Barbican by Tanica Psalmist

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UK premiere of House, written and directed by award-winning Israeli-French filmmaker Amos Gitaï. One of France’s most prestigious national organisations, La Colline – théâtre national, produces this large-scale multi-disciplinary stage adaptation of Gitaï‘s ground-breaking documentary trilogy.

House was written by Amos Gitaï, a 1980 documentary about a stone house in West Jerusalem that changed hands with changes in government.

Beautifully shot in both colour & black & white, the film focuses on Palestinian stonecutters chopping building blocks at a stone quarry, focusing & working on the building.

House examines the complex relationships between the residents of the former stone quarry – Eastern European immigrants, survivors of the camps and Arabs who have also been expelled from their homes due to the wars in Israel. Amos Gitaï magnifies the valley by turning them into a symbol of a possible coexistence.

The introspective & biographical elements within family origins depicts the interlink to generations, the architectural studies, the making of the House and its effects; and the experience of the Yom Kippur War, which had reflected communities & the unique stories untold.

The production ‘HOUSE’ presents an evocation of an ongoing intimate and common experiences served with sensitive base of individuals sharing Israeli-Palestinian background history.

Overall, the house (which functions as both a character and a metaphor) holds different meanings for both the people who worked on it and those who lived there, including: the Palestinian Dajani family who owned it until 1948; the Algerian Jewish couple who acquired it in 1956; the Ashkenazi professor who is the current owner; the Iraqi Jewish contractor; and the stonecutter from near Beit Jalah. This play soulfully responds to thoughtful connections with undemanding honesty.

Festivals, Theatre, Uncategorized

Review, From Holyrood to Hollywood, Lawrence Chaney, Ed Fringe, By Hannah Goslin

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out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

Ru Paul’s Drag Race has skyrocketed through society in the last couple of years, bringing out new Queens every year and from, almost, every country. As one of the OG fans, its been a wild ride to see this trajectory, but also wonderful to see the UK represented. And well represented it is, with artists such as Lawrence Chaney.

A young, scottish Queen, Chaney jumped onto our screens and stole our hearts. In their early 20’s at the time, it was astonishing for us to see someone so well curated and with their drag act essentially down. No wonder they became the Queen of the season.

I have only seen Chaney once, on the UK Huns Tour, and in an old nightclub from my youth. The focus was very much on the UK Huns song, and lipsyncing from all the girl group. There were elements of stand up from Chaney, but not enough to really see the charm they showed on the show.

From Holyrood to Hollywood takes us, post Drag Race, across Chaney’s life since, from fame to their personal life, to the show the night before with questionable audience members. It’s a laugh a minute, despite Chaney’s failing voice, peppered with lip syncs, specially sliced together with verbal snippets, adding so many levels of comedy to the performance.

Chaney is a true comedian, taking on the audience when they go rogue, quick witted and fast with the jokes and come backs. They are very comfortable on stage, and treats us as if we have known one another for a long time. A big space feels intimate, and as if this show is only for us. They are also crude, rude, with no barriers and not a moment of holding back. They are for sure a comedian who isn’t afraid to offend, but somehow does it in a lovely, personable way. And not to mention, they are fabulous, in thier chic purple air stewardess get up.

Drag Race fans will eventually be absolutely delighted, when they bring out their winning sceptre to finish off the show. We get to re-live the crowning moment and, after some time feeling as if we have had a lovely chin-wag, we feel personally very proud of our purple Queen.

Lawrence Chaney, From Holyrood to Hollywood is every Drag Queen Comedian lovers dream, with a sense of intimacy in amongst the rude jokes and quality lip syncing.

Festivals, Theatre, Uncategorized

Review, The Ghost Tours Bus Edinburgh, Ed Fringe, By Hannah Goslin

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out of 5 stars (2 / 5)

Noted as one of the most haunted cities in the UK, and a stone throw from the notorious Greyfriars Kirkyard Cemetary, Ed Fringe regulars would have seen the Ghost Tours Bus parked up and taking visitors on a spooky ride through the city.

I’ve always wanted to go on the bus tour, but never found the time to squeeze it in. But, with it being fringe, press tickets were available and, as it is conducted by trained actors, it felt apt to take part.

Joining, coincidentally, at just outside the Frankenstein pub, we are admitted to an old bus that has been kitted out inside with tables and seats, velvet curtains, old lamps, reflecting gothic culture and old horror films. It is plush and feels like taking part in a seance. However, the initial induction was in want: we are greeted by our tour guide, dressed ghostly but who did not seem to want to engage with us. Taking our tickets however, was an man dressed in an ordinary manner, breaking the illusion quite instantly. It was a real shame to have this initial introduction and likely impacted how the rest of the tour felt.

Throughout the journey, there are snippets pointed out to us, of mass grave sites and places where reported ghost sightings have been. These are sometimes elaborated upon, others not. The ones that are are very interesting, but others that would seem likely stories visitors would be more interested in e.g. the ghosts of the castle, are merely commented on existing and swept over, leaving us wanting a lot more.

We have the opportunity to jump off at the oldest graveyard, which did have this spooky feel and started to get your hopes back up of returning to the good ol ghost tour. Sadly, however, our tour guide of the day, while following his script in both spooky facts and the story line, often broke character to bring his own commentary such as a dislike of Ed Fringe, a moment of warning to not venturing a certain way in the graveyard due to thefts resulting in his shouting at the tourist who didn’t listen, and commentary on the traffic. Again, it sadly broke the magic slightly and, perhaps he was just having a bad day, but did not seem relevant information or part of the experience at times.

Throughout, we are introduced to a story line of a supposed ghost lady who slowly breaks down the bus. We are introduced vocally to the driver, an alcoholic ex-prison inmate, and this gave an interesting element to our story. We’re told the bus once carried bodies, we end up in an exorcism, and there are plenty of jump scares through speakers and the screens. Myself as a complete wimp was jumping at all of this, but only proved its sufficiency in this way.

Overall, the Ghost Tours Bus is certainly an experience and a novel way to explore a haunted city such as Edinburgh, after you have done the traditional sightseeing. It adds another element to its past, and the experience is something for all horror lovers. It just happened that this particular tour had many moments of the illusion broken and felt slightly disappointing when so much has clearly been put into the aesthetics and planning.

Festivals, Museums & heritage, Theatre, Uncategorized

Review, 5 Mistakes That Changed History, Paul Coulter, Ed Fringe, By Hannah Goslin

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out of 5 stars (3 / 5)

If you’re part of the generation who was informed by Horrible Histories books and later the television show (let’s be honest, it was on CBBC but was purely for us adults) then you grew up with a sense of history not being the stuffy, serious topic and actually one of comedy.

Out of this, podcasts such as You’re Dead to Me and Oh What A Time have developed, and now there is much more appreciation of history and the comical aspects of times gone by. We are also a species who love to know “what if” – what would have happened if that event did or did not happen? Paul Coulter takes us on this journey, spanning decades and lifetimes, to tell us about just 5 Mistakes that Changed History.

We are swung from Alexander The Great, all the way up to Churchill in this lecture meets stand up comedy show. Performed in what actually looks like an old coliseum style lecture hall, Coulter uses multi-media, referencing modern elements such as memes and his own childhood to reflect and relate these ancient tales to us, a modern audience. This has this structured pattern, seen in many solo stand up performances, and is used well to create extra elements of comedy, separate to those from the story alone.

Perhaps it was the choice of venue, but it did in fact feel like a lecture, with a professor who was trying to engage his students. It had its comical moments, but more in an astonished way, mostly at the stupidity of the past. It was of course informative and educational, and as a history lover, I did in fact enjoy it immensely… but as a piece of theatre or stand up? It felt that this could be a loose connection.

5 Mistakes that Changed History is educational, fun and a great modern approach to bringing history to the masses. However, adding this into a comedy or theatrical genre felt slightly tenuous, no matter how entertaining it was.

Circus, Festivals, Theatre, Uncategorized

Review, Crying Shame, Sweet Beef, Pleasance Dome, Ed Fringe, By Hannah Goslin

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out of 5 stars (3 / 5)

As life goes on, it is becoming clearer that society is becoming lonelier, mental health is on the downward track, and its affecting the young and the queer community in a disastrous way.

Sweet Beef, with their show, Crying Shame, aims to bring this epidemic to light, using verbatim interviews mixed in an unreal cabaret, where we are reminded that, while we may be suffering, we are not alone.

While this sounds intense and deep, there are elements of comedy within, in a little bit of a bittersweet way. The characters are all clowns of some sort, with clown-like names, make up and crossed cabaret/circus outfits. They start out engaging us as any cabaret show: we have the compare, the introduction to different acts, they interact with us like friends and welcomed guests… but as time ticks on, it becomes more unhinged, the characters break down, it all goes wrong. There’s this philosophical approach to the production, almost starting with “putting on a smile” to engage us, but pushing us away as soon as things become too much and too real – it resonates, if not ambiguously.

The characters are each fully formed and so when they break, it is very clear that their clown facade has disappeared. However, some moments of chaos were almost too chaotic. Each breakdown seems to draw the other characters out and it becomes a little overwhelming, with competing voices and faces engaging you. The compare continues to keep peace until they themselves break and we get this beautiful moment of their reflection, of a slower and calmer analysis of loneliness. If there were more peppering of this, it would feel more poignant and not at a high energy level that felt a little hard to keep up with.

Crying Shame is visually beautiful, with a socio-political approach that is needed since the pandemic and in an ever downward spiral in our mental health system. It is an important and clever production, but needed a occasional change of pace to allow us to sit in our thoughts on the topic.

Festivals, Music, Musical, Theatre, Uncategorized

Review, Tit Swingers, Le Gasp! Productions, Pleasance Courtyard, Ed Fringe, By Hannah Goslin

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out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

The best thing about the Fringe are the hidden gems. It’s often rare and difficult to find, when the “hidden gems” get critical acclaim and become the talk of the festival. However, this production was certainly one that should have been picked up as a real gem.

Tit Swingers is a punk concert meets unapologetic history re-telling of notorious pirates of yonder time. Anne Bonney, Mary Read and Calico Jack (though he is only the pretty male face in the background) tell us the tales of their seven seas and ambiguous sexuality and how they became feared pirate women of history.

The stories are told through a combination of original sea shanties, punk music and stand up/story telling, with electric guitars, bass and a live drum kit. The songs are catchy, they are engaging and every essence of Punk. Instantly, I knew this was my kind of show. It was one of those “musicals” that you want the CD afterwards (and saying CD shows my age, wait until I ask for a cassette…).

The interaction between the three characters is faultless, comical and with a sexual tension that could be cut with a knife. There is a real “girl power” element, with Calico Jack, part of the story, but in the position of arm candy; a serious change to the social norm. They are all fun, powerful and, while there is clearly some script or guidelines to the narrative, it feels much like we are included in a tale spoken on the spot, with the characters bouncing off one another, ad-libbing and engaging us. Sadly, the performance I went to only had a handful of audience members, and those who were not the most confident in engagement and so this led to the occasional awkward pause, changing the atmosphere. Not a fault of the performers or the content, but it sadly created drops at times that were not deserved.

The story is also very educational; while it wouldn’t be advised to bring kids, for the language and sexual references, it did deliver a element of learning that I feel many would enjoy history more if told in this media. It’s modernised, with current language and slang, and the way that the performers deliver it has you listening to every word. Names I had heard of, but not really engaged with, I came away with brand new knowledge and more love of history, and pirates.

Tit Swingers is a golden nugget of the Fringe; music, sex, comedy and pirates … I’m not sure what else you would want from a show. But you definitely come away with something extra special as well.

Opera & classical

Review, Jessica Robinson & James Southall, Opera Rara, London by James Ellis

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Opera Rara, still strive to perform the lesser heard masterworks of the 19th and early 20th century opera world. In a salon concert at a private residence, I was given a warm Welsh welcome, thanks to those performing aside the London charms of the hosts. Jessica Robinson, as seen on Cardiff Singer, might just be one of the most friendly singers I’ve ever met. Brief chats and all things Wales were on the agenda before hearing her sing on the night.

Sat near the front at this intimate concert, Jessica was never too loud nor overbearing. Everything was extremely smooth in her delivery. Her patter in Italian is lovely, years of training have really shown off her talents. This was a varied programme, Donizetti rarities ever present and other odd and compelling treats. Jessica’s acting though seen less here, was present for moments. Scarlatti’s Le Violetta, was a soft opener to guide us into a journey spanning decades and our continent. An aria from Handel’s Alcina was another vigorous triumph. James on piano also played with ease, his flow for all the songs was highly skilled, he seems to have great patience and passion for these delights.

For the first set of Donizetti songs we had varying moods, aside ‘Oriental’ musings and loved up extremities. Whilst I may not be completely taken by him as a composer, hearing these pieces hardly heard and delivered so well, it’s hard not to be pleased. Two Bellini flutters, gave Jessica Bel canto aplenty, proving she works well in the style, her trills impactful. Further Donizetti Billets chéris, interprètes de I’âme and Au tic tac des castagnetts prove his cleverness, the piff and sexed up vocal lines are never far away. Curiosities from Saint-Saëns and Reynaldo Hahn  featured words by Victor Hugo and some of the most sweet and evocative conjuring of the night.

Proudly, the programme ended with a Welsh legend: Morfydd Owen. I proudly told this London audience after how much she means to us in Wales, a female composer filled with innovation, taken from us far to early. I’ve compared her to Lili Boulanger, a sort of French equivalent to Owen. These two Welsh language choices, I doubt are hardly heard outside of Wales, though their impact ending the night was palpable. Tragedy mixes with gutsy storytelling, strong themes from her homeland, as these dramatic songs unite the traditional with the experimental structures of her day.

Like a lot of opera companies at the moment, Opera Rara are also in need of funding. Expectational concerts like this prove the professional, kind and inspiring ideas that are so much needed today.