Mozart’s East meets West comic opera is given contemporary touches in this enjoyable new production from Opera North. Classic Arabian Nights costumes mix with modern clothing and the sets are strikingly simple.
The comedy is exuberant, dizzy and sometimes quite off the wall. Nadia Morgan is ideally cast as the Pasha’s Mute, setting the scene for each act. A running joke requiring, one hopes, little explanation. A final act chase sequence, with sound effect footfalls, has spot on pacing.
Visual aspects of the first act do puzzle such as film clips of tanks projected on to parts of the scenery, model Hummers running along the stage and characters arranging unspecified small blocks. Sit behind a substantial person and you might miss something - was that really a little dog? It is best to relax, pick up what you can and follow the letters. Knowing who wrote what, and why, will help.
Allan Clayton’s Belmonte sings of his love for Constanze with pleasing melancholy. Kate Valentine as Constanze, held captive by the Pasha, sings with convincing emotion but is less assured with dialogue. Indeed, there are some flat spots when she and the Pasha (Martin Hyder) are together.
Elena Xanthoudakis is a revelation as Blonde, the feisty servant to Constanze. Her second act ding-dong with Osmin, the Pasha’s obstructive servant (Clive Bayley), is furious comic fun. Later we see her dressed as Wonder Woman, for a fancy dress celebration. It is quite a sight and she is quite a singer. Updating to look at the clash of cultures from a modern perspective is an interesting exercise, but it is not taken too seriously.
Production information can change over the run of the show.
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