Review – Tosca (Opera North)
Date Reviewed: 26th February, 2009
Venue: The Lowry
Well over a hundred years since its premiere Puccini’s ever enduring thriller remains as popular and brilliant as ever it was. Despite being regularly performed in the repertoire of most major opera companies the piece proves time and again that it’s a winner and continues to easily fill theatres right to the rafters.
However, it’s always refreshing to see a new interpretation of an old classic and Leeds based Opera North’s current tour is a tour de force of a production maintaining the essential elements that make Tosca such a winner whilst brimmng with enough new ideas to provide the piece with a whole new lease of life.
Puccini’s basic plot remains; Tosca and Cavaradossi are lovers, Scarpia, the Police Chief, has a passion for Tosca and after Cavaradossi is arrested for helping an escaped convict Scarpia physically tortures Cavaradossi, which in turn emotionally tortures Tosca until she agrees to give herself to him. However, as Scarpia claims his reward Tosca kills him but unbeknown to her Scarpia, even in death, has one final and deadly deception.
There may be some traditionalists out there who will object but I think it requires a very brave director to take one of the most popular and enduring operas, update the plot and significantly alter the famous ending but Christopher Alden succeeds in this task and his updated storyline with a contemporary Italian setting builds beautifully on the source material and provides a solid backbone to a production that soars from its opening strains right through to its shocking, unexpected and dramatic finale.
The action is played out on a very classy set by Charles Edwards where attention to detail is phenomenal. Clearly no expense has been spared in ensuring that all of the elements serve to enhance the drama rather than detract from it. Likewise, Jon Morrell’s costumes are perfectly designed for each character and add much to the overall effect.
The entire cast are uniformly excellent. As Mario Cavaradossi, Tosca’s lover, Rafael Rojas is lovelorn enough to convince of the depth of his feelings but maintains an air of strength and conviction in the face of the torture he faces. The supporting cast all work well as an ensemble and should be commended for their superb characterisations throughout. But ultimately this show belongs to Susannah Glanville and Simon Neal as Tosca and Police Chief Scarpia respectively. Neal gives Scarpia a dangerous and sadistic quality that contrasts brilliantly with Rojas’ doomed Cavaradossi and Glanville’s performance as the passionate but unstable heroine is extremely powerful. Their scenes together often make for uncomfortable but strangely compelling viewing and they both portray their characters descent into madness masterfully.
Under the baton of Martin Pickard the Orchestra of Opera North are on fine form and Puccini’s magnificent score sounds as fresh and new as it surely did on the opera’s 1900 premiere.
For Opera lovers, this production is an unmissable treat and for newcomers to the genre, Opera North’s Tosca is a perfect introduction.
-Malcolm Wallace