“I was stunned to see how extremely involved every single viewer was.”
If opera for you is a theatre dripping in gold, a huge symphony orchestra and a grand production, you might find yourself uncomfortable watching Tosca in the King’s Head Theatre. But If you are tired of sitting at the top of the amphitheatre in Covent Garden and you are craving to see the real human expression of this musical masterpiece, you should definitely see this emotional, and well thought through adaptation. To truly enjoy the new English production by Becca Marriott and Adam Spreadbury-Maher, you will need to leave all the snobbery aside. It is a spectacle that is meant to be intimate, straight-forward and sincere yet wonderfully ambitious.
The curiosity of the evening was of course the completely new production itself. Now set in Paris in 1944, it carried us to the world at war and Nazi tyranny. This was naturally suited to the original story of romance, sacrifice, and tragic death. The characters of Tosca, her beloved Cavaradain (originally Cavaradossi), and the villainous Scarpia stayed unchanged. Jacob Cohen, a Jewish London bus driver before the war, replaced the character of Cesare Angelotti. Spoletta/Sciarrone was given a name of Alexandre Villaplane, a French football player who was later executed for his collaborations with the Nazis.
The small cast had a far from easy task. Contending with the extremely dry acoustics, a small set consisting mainly a table and a painting and the close proximity of the audience, they needed to deliver one of the most popular operas of all times. If the reaction of the audience can determine the level of success, the cast should feel extremely proud. I was stunned to see how extremely involved every single viewer was. There was a lot less clapping and cheering than one experiences in big opera houses. This was no vanity fair of big arias and high notes, the singers and producers had made a clear attempt to transform the opera into a real theatrical experience. Even the small instrumental ensemble helped establish the organic character of the show, although the quality of the arrangement and the subtlety of the performance had a lot of room to improve.
Momentarily, it was amusing how this great old classic now somewhat resembled a musical; the piano accompaniment, the English dialogue, and the not entirely consistent quality of singing, acting, and playing. The great Becca Marriott as Tosca was the star of the evening. Roger Paterson as Cavaradain sounded a bit unrefined until the famous aria E lucevan le stelle, when he reached a remarkable warmth in his voice. Michael Georgious’ voice and acting abilities did not suit the evil and imperious character of Scarpia, which was a shame as Puccini is believed to have said that to be performed successfully, this character needs both a very decent singer and a fantastic actor.
This new version of Puccini’s classic made it so easy for us to relate to the characters. How appropriate to sit in a small bunker-like theatre, watching a spectacle about war, love, and torture. Although there were some important elements that could definitely be refined, I would be keen to see more of such ambitious productions from this team. I hope their efforts will attract more great singers and instrumentalists who don’t usually imagine small theatres as their dream-destination. The King’s Head Theatre takes pride in its avant-garde shows and fair treatment of artists. They should now take pride in bringing a great operatic work back into the everyday thoughts of all their audience.
“combines some excellent dramatic performances with some interesting physical theatre”
Written by Piers Beckley and directed by Ray Shell, this was a brave attempt to retell the story of Gilgamesh, the Sumerian demigod of superhuman strength who built the citadel of Uruk to defend his people. The original story is found in the Epic of Gilgamesh, a poem which is cited as the first great work of western literature and is thought to have been written between 2150 and 1400 BC.
This production combined some excellent dramatic performances with some interesting physical theatre. However these were joined by some points of a less impressive nature. The character of Enkidu, the wild man sent to humble Gilgamesh, stood out as one of the better elements. Played by Toby Wynn-Davies his convincing performance gave weight to the production as a whole. This, together with a solid performance by Luke Trebilcock as Gilgamesh, provided the show with two strong central characters.
The sex scene between Shamat, played by the Countess Alex Zapak, and Enkidu was somewhat spoilt by unnecessary post-coital singing. In contrast, Enkidu’s rejection by the natural world after he had become ‘civilised’ was both thought provoking and performed with true feeling. The developing relationship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu is also sympathetically and subtly portrayed as is Gilgamesh’s grief when Enkidu dies.
Some of the aspects of physical theatre were well executed. Scenes which stood out were the forest with its clever sound effects, the use of twigs in the portrayal of scorpions and the ark during the flood scene. Occasional live music added atmosphere and more texture to the piece.
This quest for eternal life portrayed most elements of a true saga – the perilous journey, fighting the mythical beast and the crossing of the uncrossable river but the message we were left with at the end was unclear. Gilgamesh did not return to Uruk triumphant, so was the message that eternal life is, after all, unattainable? Was it that knowledge is the source of evil and unhappiness and turns us against nature, or was the message finally that the love between two men is a powerful force?
