| Excellent singing but an almost tasteless show of excess. |
Welsh National Opera |
| Welsh National Opera- Otello , Wales Millennium Centre , September 20, 2008 |
I am sure the Bard must have somewhere written Opulence doth not Excellence maketh. If not he would have after sitting through Welsh National Opera’s blingtastic new production.Otello, the Less is Moor of Venice, is a tragic personal story played out on, metaphorically speaking, a huge stage. Director Paul Curran was indeed given a huge stage, literally, to play out this drama but it was only when he stripped his excess down to the minimum that this show worked. Yeah, audiences will have a few gasps in awe when they see over the top lavish costumes which probably commanded a millinery bill that would rival the national debt of a small African state and I am sure the wheeling in of a vast shiny Lion of St Mark was not meant to prompt the titters of one gentlemen sitting near me. I was waiting for the gold chain to appear and someone to try to hang it round their neck. No I am being silly. But then so too was this almost tasteless show of excess. I can see what the director is getting at. The super rich of the day were, well, super rich. The not as rich were, not as rich. Beckham-Posh tasteless bling is nothing new. Point made, move on. Unfortunately it was very hard to sit in the audience and try to watch our great dramatic characters act out the story and focus on where on earth the singing on stage was coming from amidst this gargantuan fashion show. The problems had started right at the beginning when the storm scene, as the crowd watch as Otello’s ship heads for the shore of Cyprus, resembled a crowd wrapped in grey blankets staggering around a set that could have been anything from the Ring Cycle to, well, anything. And do we really need a daft snake slithering behind some rocks where an apple tree is growing and Iago coming out the other side. Subtle. Er no. Right then. Now the important stuff. The singing was stunning. Carlo Rizzi in the pit was fantastic and my dramatic high point of the whole evening was the glare on his face when someone’s mobile phone went off as Desdemona started her deathbed scene. I have not heard or seen Dennis O’Neill in a more convincing, enjoyable performance for many a year. His Desdemona, Amanda Roocroft, looked and sounded good enough to eat and I liked the fact that at one stage she loses her temper with the stupid jealous fool. Cassio was sung well by Wynne Evans but I found his portrayal as a bit of a bumbling oaf who had to be chased away by the sensible Emilia, splendidly acted by Claire Bradshaw, uninspired. Much if Chirk-born David Kempster’s work after he represented Wales in BBC Cardiff Singer of the World was outside Wales and it was excellent to have this strong voiced, dramatically accomplished performer on the Welsh stage. Again I have problems with the direction which lacked enough distinction between the clever and charming manipulator and the explosions of evil when he releases his true nature. He dramatically overpowered Otello which undermined the role of the great leader and general, making his fall less remarkable. Another good performance from David Soar this time is singing Lodovico, the Venetian ambassador, while new associate artist, Irish tenor Robin Tritschler can be happy with his Roderigo. There are further performances at WMC on September 24, 27, October 4, October 11; Swansea Grand Theatre, October 17 and Venue Cymru, November 25, 28. |
Reviewed by: Mike Smith |
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