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‘Have you ever had an Operagasm?!’ With these words, Operagasmic founder Francesca Geach promoted the performance of Mozart’s ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ she put on in Orgasmic bar as part of her dissertation. In the cosiness of Orgasmic, Geach brushed-down opera’s dusty reputation with her sexy interpretation of Mozart’s masterpiece.
The project was all about accessibility. Not only was the text in English (originally Italian) but the wit inherent in it was brought into a cheeky, youthful frame of mind. The already juicy story of love and intrigue was given a modern twist by the insertion of texts, cars and cocktails into the two centuries old libretto. Moreover, narration by opera expert Martin Manasse clarified the scenes and bridged the gap where scenes were omitted (the full opera lasts for approximately three hours!). This, however, did not mean anyone in both audience and cast actually understood the story, which can only be decibed as ridiculously complex; only adding to the enjoyable chaos of the evening.
The venue suited this unorthodox performance well. The polar opposite of the classic opera hall, Orgasmic was soon crowded with an enthusiastic audience, sipping drinks and nibbling pizzas, which created a pleasant and diverting ambience. Instead of on some far away stage, the opera took place right in front of the spectators which made interaction easy.
However, the size of the bar made some concessions necessary. The stunning accompaniment, usually a full orchestra, was performed on an electric piano which, although skilfully played, caused some of Mozart’s magic to be lost.
The singing, however, compensated for this small flaw. By using a different cast in every scene, a large number of excellent singers could display their skills. One by one, they impressed with their strong performances. However, two of them clearly rose above the others. Marina Theodoropoulu provided gravity with her stunning performance of the beautiful aria ‘Where are those cherished moments’ (‘Dovo sono i bei momenti’).
Outstanding for a completely different reason was Natasha Best’s interpretation of Cherubino, a young charmer. She managed to capture the boyishness of the character convincingly and combined this with lovely singing. Overall, the acting was surprisingly impressive. Different actors all managed to act out the same characters with equal enthusiasm.
Although orthodox opera enthusiasts may disagree with this new progressive concept, Francesca certainly achieved her goal and proved that opera can indeed be enjoyable for everyone.
If you missed out this time around, watch this space for future Operagasmic productions...
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