Marta Fontanals-Simmons picture Credit Alastair Muir |
Jonathan Dove - The Adventures of Pinocchio: Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Reviewed by Robert Hugill on Mar 8 2014
Star rating:
Vividly imaginative production of Jonathan Dove and Alasdair Middleton's opera
The Adventures of Pinocchio was Jonathan Dove's 21st opera, with a libretto by Alasdair Middleton. Commissioned by Opera North, it was premiered by them in 2007, with the production coming to London in 2008. The opera has since been premiered in Germany (2008), North America (2009) and Russia (2011). The production of the opera by Guildhall School of Music and Drama represented the work's first performance by students, and a welcome return to London for the opera. Martin Lloyd-Evans production at the Guildhall School's Silk Street Theatre (we caught the performance on 8 March), was designed by Dick Bird and conducted by Dominic Wheeler. The production was double cast, we saw Marta Fontanals-Simmons as Pinocchio, Piran Legg as Gepetto, Lauren Zolezzi as Cricket, Anna Gillingham as the Blue Fairy and Joshua Owen Mills as Lampwick.
Reviewed by Robert Hugill on Mar 8 2014
Star rating:
Vividly imaginative production of Jonathan Dove and Alasdair Middleton's opera
The Adventures of Pinocchio was Jonathan Dove's 21st opera, with a libretto by Alasdair Middleton. Commissioned by Opera North, it was premiered by them in 2007, with the production coming to London in 2008. The opera has since been premiered in Germany (2008), North America (2009) and Russia (2011). The production of the opera by Guildhall School of Music and Drama represented the work's first performance by students, and a welcome return to London for the opera. Martin Lloyd-Evans production at the Guildhall School's Silk Street Theatre (we caught the performance on 8 March), was designed by Dick Bird and conducted by Dominic Wheeler. The production was double cast, we saw Marta Fontanals-Simmons as Pinocchio, Piran Legg as Gepetto, Lauren Zolezzi as Cricket, Anna Gillingham as the Blue Fairy and Joshua Owen Mills as Lampwick.
Dick Bird's designs (with Susannah Henry as Associate Designer) make highly imaginative use of the space as well as being a brilliant solution to doing the opera on a budget in a small theatre. The opera opened with the chorus dressed in black Victorian formal gear, and they were present throughout the entire opera. The basic set was a large brick structure reminiscent of a Victorian industrial building, and when not singing the chorus watched the action from the sides. They didn't just watch, they also took part by fetching and carrying props as well as manipulating them. Most of the theatrical magic required by the plot was thus created by the performers themselves. This extended to details such as the sea monster's mouth and Pinocchio's nose, when each time it got longer one of the watching spectators put a new nose on Fontanals-Simmons. There was much use of puppetry, both for the scene in the puppet booth but also to give Pinocchio a tiny body for parts of the action, again this was done by the cast in front of the audience to magical effect. Perhaps the most thrilling moment was the act 1 finale, with chorus members manipulating the sheets representing waves and the two singers (Piran Legg as Geppetto and Marta Fontanals-Simmons as Pinocchio) manipulating small models of themselves, creating the most vivid kind of theatrical magic.
Frazer B Scott, Marta Fontanals-Simmons, Alison Rose, Lawrence Thackeray picture credit Alastair Muir |
Because of the picaresque nature of the plot, there are few large roles in the opera with the exception of the title role and that is huge. Fontanals-Simmons gave a mesmerising performance as the naughty puppet. Present on stage for virtually the whole opera, her account of the role was a tour-de-force made all the more remarkable for seeming so natural and clear. In the first half she did not allow charm to get too much in the way of Pinocchio's annoying naughtiness and there were certainly moments when you wanted to slap the character; but that is the point. In act two her Pinocchio made a very poignant journey learning the result of his mistakes.
The Blue Fairy is a curious character, her raison d'etre is never explained. Anna Gillingham was dressed in black with black hair, looking rather like Elizabeth Barrett Browning except with a blue face; an effect which served to exacerbate the rather creepy nature of the characters. Gillingham sang the parts coloratura with poise and beauty, this fairy certainly was magical. Piran Legg brought a remarkably depth and gravity to his performance as Geppetto. Legg never made you feel he was acting old, and gave a finely centred performance as the old man, with some profoundly touching moments.
Marta Fontanals-Simmons, Samuel Smith picture credit Alastair Muir |
The orchestra under Dominic Wheeler made Dove's score expressive and exciting. There were a few moments when you were aware that Dove's exciting scoring makes life hard for the younger singers but overall the orchestra accompanied very finely.
No surtitles were used, which was admirable and generally diction was good. One or two of the singers were not singing in their native language rose to the challenge.
I still think that the opera is too long. No amount of dazzling theatrics and fine performance could disguise the fact that at 75 minutes the first act had rather too many adventures in it and the way Pinocchio meets the Cat and Fox twice does have an unwelcome element of Groundhog Day to it. Only when we get to the second act, where Pinocchio gradually learns and where his journey has a clear emotional arc does the narrative grip from start to finish. The performances at the Guildhall School did much to disguise the work's shortcomings and the combination of Wheeler, Lloyd-Evan and Bird with the absorbing performances of the students gave the work a very strong hand.
This was a superbly imaginative evening in the theatre, and one of the biggest shows that the Guildhall School has mounted. It certainly paid off and the only pity is that after four performances this piece of theatrical magic will disappear.
Elsewhere on this blog:
- CPE Bach Centenary: CPE Bach's Magnificat from RIAS Kammerchor & Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin - CD review
- ETO: Mozart's Magic Flute at Hackney Empire
- CPE Bach Centenary: Florilegium CPE Bach anniversary concert
- Poised and stylish: Arise my muse - Iestyn Davies & friends - CD review
- Imaginative and unfussy: Handel''s Arianna at the London Handel Festival
- Challenging expectations: Flow my tears: Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen
- Pimlico Opera in Prison: Sister Act
- Fallen Women at WNO: Henze's Boulevard Solitude
- Handel's Rodelinda at the London Coliseum
- Fallen Women at WNO: Verdi's La Traviata
- In Dance and Song: Tom Poster recital disc - CD review
- Fallen Women at WNO: Puccini's Manon Lescaut
- Cantus Cölln at the Wigmore Hall
- Home
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