King Idomeneo
August 17, 2008
Birmingham Opera Company
Shelborne Rubber Factory, Birmingham
Date reviewed: 13th August 08
Birmingham Opera Company just doesn’t do traditional. If what you are after is a performance that is only for connoisseurs and means that you won’t have to rub shoulders with the great unwashed, than this may not be for you. Then again, maybe it will: the crowd on the opening night ranged from whispering children, to boho art junkies, to the stern, suited art critics. What united all of us was the response at the end. The applause was rapturous. The air was electric. The children whooped, the art junkies cheered and even the stern suited critics deigned to applaud. The evening had been a success.
What exactly is it about Birmingham Opera that makes its events a sensation? It is perhaps the way that they take the audience member and place he or she in the middle of the vast set. The set in question is a disused rubber factory in Shelborne, filled with dirt and orange trees. The audience all become prisoners of war, fenced in, and then freed - allowed to roam the set or expertly herded around by the amateur chorus who obviously relished their chance to perform alongside the professional cast. In fact, whilst being a Trojan prisoner, I was given a POW sticker, which was ripped off me as I was freed, and given an orange as a symbol of peace. It’s not often you are given an orange at an opera, but then, its not often you experience art that truly places you in the middle of the action without it seeming amateur or silly - whatever those stern suits may say).
Three and a half hours at the opera would be a chore to many, but the constant movement and excitement of standing so close to the cast that you can literally touch them whilst they sing puts paid to any chance of that. At one point, audience members are all seated on rugs, and the night is engineered so that tired legs and achy feet shouldn’t cause a problem.
The acoustics in a disused factory will never compare to the revered Symphony Hall, but the orchestra, led by William Lacey, and the leading cast members, worked well within the space and brought some magic to what you forgot what the abandoned factory.
Anna Dennis, clad in a bondage style dress brings a power to Ilia, Mark Wilde is touching as the Idamante that Idomeneo, his father (played by Mark Nilon) cannot bear to look at after unwittingly promising his life to Poseidon, the vengeful sea god. Donna Bateman is striking as Princess Electra, a royal with a hint of chav in the gold sequinned outfit and shoes so high that she should win an award for managing to clamber over the dirt mounds in them.
Stuart Nunn’s theatrical designs and the incredible set also deserve praise, along with Graham Vick, Birmingham Opera Company’s Director. Rather than sit back and relax, he spent the evening along with the chorus, helping to shepherd the audience around the set.
The performances are now almost sold out, which is testament to the success of the show: get one of the highly sought after final few tickets, and you won’t be disappointed.
- Star Bendick
Until 23rd August
(Image: Jeremy Pardoe)
Comments
Got something to say?
Advertisement
Other Regional Sites