Falstaff

Published Monday 19 May 2008 at 14:40 by Thom Dibdin

There is a strong sense of theatre about Dominic Hill’s direction of this clever new production of Falstaff for Scottish Opera. Using Tom Piper’s uncluttered design, which helps bring this into the Victorian era, Hill has found motivating factors which give the opera a basis in realism. Piper’s other piece of excellent design work is his incorporation of antlers into the set, ensuring the cuckold’s horns remain at the heart of the piece.

Peter Sidhom makes a rumbustious Falstaff. There’s a warm strength to his voice and he creates a character who is quite capable of bouncing back, no matter what Windsor’s merry wives throw at him. Sally Burgess proves herself quite his equal, vocally and in wit, as a lively Mistress Quickly as she sets him up with her mistresses. Leah-Marian Jones and Maria Costanza Nocentini as Meg Page and Alice Ford have a sauciness about them, particularly in the Act II bedroom scene.

While all the comedy is being played out, Lucy Crowe and Federico Lepre provide brilliant romantic relief as the lovers, Nannetta Ford and Fenton. They find and relish the soaring beauty in their recurring duets, while using Hill’s direction to ensure that the audience is in no doubt about their intentions for each other.

Hill and Piper do not make the mistake of going for out-and-out theatrical glory in the final witching scene in Windsor Forest, which bursts on to the stage through the rest of the scenery. While this makes the ending seem slightly prosaic, it ensures that the storytelling is paramount.