THE FAIRY QUEEN at Jacksons Lane

★★★★

“the ensemble company of fourteen young opera singers work tirelessly well together, invested and focused throughout”

There was a lot to like about HGO’s production of The Fairy Queen, including the twelve piece on stage Baroque HGOAntiqua Orchestra led by Seb Gillot, playing Henry Purcell’s semi-opera beautifully.

The Fairy Queen is loosely based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream but in this production it is more a series of dream like Masques, without a through story line.

The five scenes are seen through the eyes’ of a photographer played by Hannah Jessop (a movement specialist, she is the only cast member who never gets to open her mouth to sing). It tells the story through her lens, her photographic fantasy of a classical Athens coming to life. Directed by Eloise Lally, the ensemble company of fourteen young opera singers work tirelessly well together, invested and focused throughout, creating lovely classical tableaux, with each performer getting their chance to shine and sing Purcell’s glorious songs.

There were some wonderful voices on show in this production and the majority of their diction exemplary, something that HGO is renowned for. Chris Murphy has a crisp base baritone and strong comedic timing; Allyn Wu has a rich voice as both Winter and Hymen; Brenhan Alleyne is a tenor to keep an eye on, as still an undergraduate; as is Daisy Livesey as Second Fairy who has a glorious soprano; and the countertenor Richard Decker sings One Charming Night with an exquisite tone – he just needs to find his light in the reflection of the stage mirror as he sings! It would be churlish not to name the whole company: Emily Gibson, Betty Makharinsky, Elspeth Piggott, Amy Kearsley, Garreth Romain, Guy Beynon, Jack Harberd, James Holt. Finally, Issy Bridgeman as Juno, gives a witty performance in act two’s wedding scene, which does get slightly out of hand in this production with a conga dance and a Baroque rendition of YMCA – which went on for too long; with several of the singers not singing out, clearly protecting their voices.

A lot of The Fairy Queen is instrumental and probably would have had a chorus line of many dancers in early productions. Here we have some lovely movement and choreography by Monica Nicolaides, who has drilled the company hard to create interesting almost Greek dancing. Few of the company can seriously dance, but that said, the choreography works very well, and is at its best with the full company up on their feet, as one. For me, dance/movement is something that truly does need to be taught early on in opera studies, so that this new generation of opera singers move better – opera stars do not just stand and sing anymore.

It was a joy to see such beautiful Baroque instruments being played by the HGOAntiqua Orchestra, particularly hearing the three long trumpets, recorders, bass violin, theorbo and harpsichord (so delicate it needed retuning during the interval). One of the highlights was the singer Betty Makharinsky singing If Love’s a Sweet Passion so majestically with oboist Katie Lewis following her round the stage, singer and oboe together – two very strong instruments on show.

To hear and see Henry Purcell’s unique seventeenth century English style in such a vibrant and, yes, charming production, just goes to show how accessible and current Purcell’s music can be.

THE FAIRY QUEEN at Jacksons Lane

Reviewed on 19th April 2024

by Debbie Rich

Photography by Laurent Compagnon

Previously reviewed at this venue:

THIS IS NOT A CIRCUS: 360 | ★★★★★ | October 2023

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★★★

“a treat to see emerging young opera stars tackle less well known works”

L’Egisto, billed as a showcase for advancing young singers by the Hampstead Garden Opera, does just that in this new version of the 1643 opera at the Cockpit Theatre. Francesco Cavalli, the composer of L’Egisto (with libretto by Giovanni Faustini), was a pupil of Monteverdi, and enjoyed great success in his own time. Despite languishing forgotten until his rediscovery in the 1970s, Cavalli is now gaining popularity once again. It’s easy to see why. The opera provides lots of opportunities for the stars to show their singing abilities, and there’s even enough drama to keep the characters interesting. Some of the tropes may seem outlandish to modern eyes (Egisto’s mad scene for example) and it’s difficult to sympathize with the gods’ petty meddling in the lives of the unfortunate lovers. But there is a freshness and charm to the unfolding of events, plus some wonderful comic roles for minor characters. This opera is a perfect choice of vehicle for young singers in that regard.

The Hampstead Garden Opera’s production of L’Egisto is easy on the ears, with a talented orchestra and some outstanding voices, but fails, however, to impress the eyes to the same degree. Some choices were forced upon the company, since we are still emerging from the pandemic. Nevertheless, staging L’Egisto with an audience carefully socially distanced on three sides shouldn’t have had problematic sight lines that could have easily been eliminated if the stage had been less cluttered. With performing space at a premium in the Cockpit, it was difficult to see how the addition of shiny disks and gauzy drapes could add much, other than to distract the audience from the performers, and the performers from focusing on each other. The production itself was long; the pace appropriately measured. This production of L’Egisto would have benefitted from more economy of staging, and perhaps more attention to the performers’ costumes which seemed at variance with the opera’s setting and themes.

Setting aside, this is an ambitious production that has two casts alternating with each other for each performance. This is a great idea given the length of each performance and the fact that the company is performing twice daily. In the matinee I attended, I saw Kieran White (tenor) take on the role of Egisto with believable passion and musical dexterity, and he was well matched with his Clori (Shafali Jalota, soprano). The baroque orchestra, under the direction of Marcio da Silva, was a pleasure to listen to. They were also well placed at the back of the performing space, so that the audience could see as well as hear them.

If you are curious about baroque opera, and have yet to make Cavalli’s acquaintance, I encourage you to see this production. It’s also a treat to see emerging young opera stars tackle less well known works like L’Egisto.

Reviewed by Dominica Plummer

Photography by Laurent Compagnon

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THE FAIRY QUEEN

★★★★

Jacksons Lane

THE FAIRY QUEEN at Jacksons Lane

★★★★

“the ensemble company of fourteen young opera singers work tirelessly well together, invested and focused throughout”

THE FAIRY QUEEN at Jacksons Lane

Reviewed on 19th April 2024

by Debbie Rich

Photography by Laurent Compagnon

Previously reviewed at this venue:

THIS IS NOT A CIRCUS: 360 | ★★★★★ | October 2023

KeyPhrase

KeyPhrase

Click here to see our Recommended Shows page

L’Egisto

★★★

Cockpit Theatre

Cockpit Theatre

Reviewed – 5th June 2021

★★★

“a treat to see emerging young opera stars tackle less well known works”

If you are curious about baroque opera, and have yet to make Cavalli’s acquaintance, I encourage you to see this production. It’s also a treat to see emerging young opera stars tackle less well known works like L’Egisto.

Reviewed by Dominica Plummer

Photography by Laurent Compagnon

L’Egisto

Cockpit Theatre until 13th June

Shows reviewed by Dominica this year:

Public Domain | ★★★★ | Online | January 2021

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice | ★★★ | Online | February 2021

Adventurous | ★★½ | Online | March 2021

Tarantula | ★★★★ | Online | April 2021

Stags | ★★★★ | Network Theatre | May 2021

Overflow | ★★★★★ | Sadler’s Wells Theatre | May 2021

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