Theatre Review: Eugene Onegin (WNO) - Liverpool Empire Theatre, Liverpool

Image Source: ATG

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Opera
Genre: Drama
Date: November 9 2017
Location: Liverpool Empire Theatre, Liverpool, England

The Welsh National Opera (WNO) recently brought their newest opera performance, Eugene Onegin, to the Liverpool Empire Theatre.

Originally written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and first performed in Moscow way back in 1879, the focus of Eugene Onegin is the character after which the show is named. Tatyana, the daughter of Madame Larina, happens to meet Eugene by chance, as he visits her house alongside his friend Lensky, who happens to be the fiancé of Tatyana's youngest sister Olga. Having been in the process of reading a romantic novel, Tatyana soon realises that she has fallen in love with Eugene, and after telling their home nurse Filippyevna that she cannot sleep about her feelings, she sits up all night writing a letter to Eugene to express her love for him.

However, when Tatyana sees Eugene again, he makes it clear that he is not interested, being unsuited to marriage and advising Tatyana on how to express such feelings in the future, which breaks her heart. It becomes the talk of the town, including at a ball for Tatyana which Eugene attends. As a reaction, Eugene tries to dance and flirt with Olga, much to the disgust of his soon-to-be-hitched friend Lensky. A verbal confrontation between the two friends shocks everyone at the ball, and ultimately the stage is set for a duel. But while Eugene comes out on top there with a gunshot, the killing of his best friend weighs heavily on Eugene, as does the fact that the subsequent years are irrelevant within his life, convincing him to go home.

By this time, though, things have changed. Tatyana has now matured, both physically and emotionally, and of particular note, she is now married to Prince Gremin. Eugene is shocked to see how Tatyana has changed, and Tatyana is even more overwhelmed when she spots Eugene. Eugene realises that he does now have feelings for Tatyana and tries to tell her by visiting her house, but it's clear that he will not get what he wants. Although Tatyana admits that she still loves Eugene, she emphasises that circumstances would not allow the two to be together, and ultimately as the show ends and Eugene breaks down in tears, he realises that his own character flaws and misguided decisions have led to him being alone as opposed to the lady who once expressed her love for him.

As is the case with WNO productions, the opera singing is of a high standard, which of course carries the dialogue and much of the acting. Natalya Romaniw is very impressive as Tatyana, and her vocal renditions are probably the strongest across the show as a whole. But Nicholas Lester also does a fine job as Eugene, going from the unmoved, almost-emotionless character of the first Act to the psychologically-fragile, weakened man of the final Act. The settings are absolutely stunning: though the Acts have short breaks as scenes are switched around, it is worth it when you see the lavish surroundings of Madame Larina's ballroom, the ice-cold backdrop for the duel between Eugene and Lensky, and in particular the noble architecture that recreates Prince Gremin's palace. True opera fans will recognise the songs, and for those who do not (bearing in mind that the entire show is performed in Russian), a handy screen showing English translations is situated above the stage.

In terms of downsides: the show lasts almost 3 1/2 hours from start to finish, which is incredibly long. This includes two intervals and several mini-breaks for scene changes, but I felt that it could have been trimmed down significantly; removing the second interval, which takes place around 150 minutes into the performance, and shortening the second scene of Act 1 where Tatyana speaks to Nurse Filippyevna in her room (which in itself lasts almost 30 minutes in total), would have downsized the running time significantly, and made for a better overall experience for the audience. Though it's a minor thing, I think the subtitles screen should have been lowered a touch: bear in mind that the vast majority of the audience will be reading them, meaning that they would have to bob their heads up and down many, many times during the production. Having the screen a touch lower would have made this a bit easier without compromising the show itself.

Otherwise, though, the WNO team treated the audience to a strong portrayal of one of Tchaikovsky's best and most-loved works. For those that really have a passion for opera, they will have come away from here feeling mighty pleased, but even those who are new to one of the longest-running forms of art and culture in British society will appreciate the effort and the talent on display in this thoroughly enjoyable retelling of a classic story.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10 - Excellent

Kiss Me, Kate WNO

Image Source: ATG

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Opera
Genre: Comedy
Date: October 5 2016
Location: Liverpool Empire Theatre, Liverpool, England

Kiss Me, Kate is the latest nationwide offering from the Welsh National Opera group, following Sweeney Todd last year. In contrast to Sweeney Todd, where the tone was darkly comical at times and the overall premise was sinister, here we have a feel-good comedy story, with opera music explaining the plot and providing some additional memorable musical moments. The story is mostly easy to follow, the cast perform very well and the songs are of a high quality, which results in this being another strong production by the WNO team.

In this case, there is a show within a show. The premise is that a Broadway version of the classic Shakespeare tale The Taming Of The Shrew is about to present its opening night performance. Adding to the intrigue, the lead performers in the show - Petruchio a.k.a. Fred Graham, played by Quirijn de Lang, and Katherine/Lilli Vanessi, played by Jeni Bern - have previously been married but have now been divorced for one year; however, some friendly teasing and dancing seems to rekindle their romance prior to show time. Which creates an awkward situation when Fred has one of his assistants deliver flowers and a romantic card intended for another cast member, only for it to fall into Lilli's hands, who only discovers the truth by reading the card during the course of the show, when she is playing Katherine and Fred is playing Petruchio.

From there, there is a side-story of Fred trying to keep in character and to persuade his former lover and co-star to also remain professional, despite her obvious frustrations, and to stick to the script. At various points, she even threatens to quit mid-show. In the meantime, though, we learn that Fred has been linked to an unpaid debt, with two representatives of a local gangster keeping a watchful eye on Fred to ensure they receive their payment. But he manipulates the situation so that it is a mild form of blackmail towards Lilli to keep her performing, otherwise she could face some serious consequences for a debt she is not responsible for. The intrigue comes as we look to see whether or not the show will run smoothly right up until its finish, as well as finding out what happens with the owed debt and, of course, how the relationship between the Katherine and Petruchio characters will develop as we approach the show's big finale. The name of the main show is Kiss Me, Kate, but within the Shakespearean tale, the Katherine character is now very reluctant to adhere to the planned lip-lock due to the off-stage problems, despite it being the crux of the entire musical. So, will the audience receive the desired ending, or will there be an awkward conclusion that leaves everybody involved feeling unsatisfied?

What makes this show work is that the story is told through the regular use of mild comedy. It's clearly light-hearted, from the bait-and-switch when it comes to passing over the blame over the debt to the deliberately bad production gaffes (performers being out of place, a scene being cut out because Lilli can no longer sit properly due to an earlier altercation with Fred). Even when the show takes on a more serious and slightly sad tone, there is nothing overly emotional which should alter the perception of the show as a whole. And besides some occasionally mild swearing, the show is almost entirely family-friendly. It feels like something you would watch in the afternoon on a Bank Holiday Monday; a feel-good, light-hearted story.

Of course, we have to also mention the music. While there is a greater emphasis on the dialogue telling the main story compared to the previous WNO show Sweeney Todd, there are still plenty of opera songs throughout the entire show, from the very beginning right up to the very end. Many of them help to move the plot along, such as Another Op'nin', Another Show; Tom, Dick, or Harry; I Hate Men; Too Darn Hot; and, of course, Kiss Me, Kate. Some of the tunes are a little on the lengthy side, but they are all performed very well, occasionally with an obviously comedic tone (especially Tom, Dick or Harry). Many are accompanied by first-class dance moves, with the backing crew being able to showcase their more contemporary dance skills in a contrast to the more traditional moves by the central characters during the bigger numbers. You'll definitely find yourself bobbing your head and singing along with some of the tunes, and there are several songs which will stick in your mind when all is said and done.

Elsewhere, Quirijn de Lang does a great job as Fred/Petruchio, acting as both the lead performer and the (storyline) director of the Shakespeare production. Jeni Bern is also very convincing as Lilli/Katherine, particularly during the scenes when their characters can't be seen by the audience. And even Joseph Shovelton and John Savournin do a nice job as the two gunmen, who later get involved in the show as a whole, leading to some interesting situations for the obviously inexperienced and unprepared duo. Elsewhere, the Shakespearean-era costumes are superb, and the old-style settings, from the outside of the castle to the grand hall backdrop, are fantastic; a lot of work has clearly gone into the settings, including the behind-the-scenes backdrops like the off-stage curtains and the performer dressing rooms.

The big negative I would have about the show is that it lasted far too long. A lengthy show at the theatre isn't always a bad thing (Blood Brothers being a perfect example), but with a first half that lasted just shy of 90 minutes, and the second half helping to bring the show at north of three hours including the intermission, both myself and other members of the audience were getting restless towards the end. It probably isn't unfair to suggest that the team could have chopped around 20-30 minutes out of the show, and the story would barely have been affected, if at all.

Despite this, Kiss Me, Kate is a very entertaining (yet overly long) opera production that fans of the genre and of comedic situations in a theatre environment should thoroughly enjoy.

Overall Rating: 8/10 - Very Good

Sweeney Todd WNO

Image Source: Sweeney Todd WNO

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Opera
Genre: Thriller
Date: November 13 2015
Location: Liverpool Empire Theatre, Liverpool, England

The tale of Sweeney Todd is an unusual one. Whether you're familiar with the general plot, or if you remember the recent movie adaptation starring Johnny Depp, it cannot be denied that it is a complex and therefore difficult story to tell, especially considering that in some aspects Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, is considered the good guy despite his horrific acts of self-pleasure and business practice.

On Friday November 13 (a fitting date, eh?), the Liverpool Empire Theatre played host to this current version, presented by the Welsh National Opera (WNO), and with the story largely told in the form of opera. It was a potentially risky move, not only in terms of being able to establish characters and plot developments purely through song (even "normal" musicals have breaks which rely on speech as opposed to song, especially at times of crucial moments), but also in terms of entertaining those who may not be familiar with the music-heavy aspect of opera, especially given the three-hour running time.

However, the WNO crew managed to deliver a truly unique experience which was never less than enjoyable and intriguing. Unlike recent musicals hosted by the Empire, this one has a more negative feel to it, implementing elements of horror and gore through the presentation of characters and their actions. The music actually proved to be a very effective technique in explaining the plot, and at times one almost didn't realise that we were hearing songs, as the audience would be so familiar with the musical nature of the storytelling.

The show is set in London in the mid-1800s. Having been wrongly imprisoned for 15 years, the one-time Benjamin Barker (played here by David Arnsperger), previously a barber, discovers that his wife was murdered and his daughter taken to live with the corrupt judge, Judge Turpin (Steven Page). As revenge, Barker renames himself Sweeney Todd and becomes a barber again, with the intention of using his throat-slashing shaving methods to gain revenge on human society and, eventually, the Judge. Making money is equally as important, with the dead bodies converted into pies by Mrs Lovett (Janis Kelly), who brags that her pies are the worst in London, and the two eventually fall in love.

In the meantime, though, a sailor who accompanied Barker/Todd back to London, Anthony Hope (Jamie Muscato), discovers a young lady named Johanna Barker (Soraya Mafi) and falls in love with her - but, unbeknownst to him, she happens to be Todd's unseen daughter. Judge Turpin ensures that Anthony and Johanna have no further contact, but disturbingly has plans to marry his own step-daughter of sorts to shield her from potential love interests like Anthony.

Over time, Todd meets the Judge again, but a murder attempt is ruined by Anthony's untimely visit to the barber's. Todd gets even angrier, but tries to focus on business and still vows that he will take revenge at some point. The teenage lovers continue to develop their feelings towards each other behind the judge's back, and in the end a situation comes about whereby all loose ends will be tied. However, there's still the matter of Todd's murderous business practices, for which the plot's central figure surely wouldn't go unpunished ... would he? There are other aspects to consider, like whether the Judge's demise would truly satisfy Todd. And what of Mrs Lovett and her true motives, especially when it comes to Todd's relationship situation? Is all as it seems?

There are several plot branches, but none which should confuse the audience as each tale is told with patience and with enough layers and detail to ensure that everyone's motives are perfectly clear. Other characters also rise in prominence as the story develops, such as Tobias Ragg (George Ure), once an assistant to a dodgy barber but now a faithful if simple third wheel in Todd's operation. The final scenes are dramatic, occasionally terrifying and also quite sad, but whatever way you look at it, no questions are left unanswered and each story arc is brought to a conclusion. Whether one would consider it a happy ending or not is highly debatable, but there is a definite feeling of finality once the curtain comes down to close the show.

I enjoyed this show, and as noted earlier even if you're not a fan of opera, it is by no means off-putting, and if anything adds to the strength of the storytelling; the power of certain moments is enhanced by a cast of 20+ opera singers dramatically emphasising what has just occurred. The story is well-paced if a little long at three hours, but it does give the plot plenty of room to breathe and helps to perfectly set up the finale. The performances as a whole are very strong (the back-up opera singers are the most high-pitched and vocally-trained members of the cast, although their deliberately scary experience makes you want to look elsewhere during their numbers!), with the characters of Todd, Lovett and Tobias standing out based on performance, visuals and generally adding believability to their roles. George Ure is particularly good considering his young age and that his Tobias character makes a huge and dramatic transformation towards the conclusion; that he can effectively pull off what are almost two separate characters is rather impressive.

There were some parts of the show which I wasn't so keen on. The serious nature and horror aspects greatly outweighed the comedic moments, so even at times when the mood was relaxed, the material was good, but it wasn't humorous enough to have everyone laughing. Obviously, humour is only a secondary aspect of this show rather than being its main genre, but I still felt that the jokes and funny songs should have been stronger if the intention was to get a rise out of the crowd. I also felt that the side plot of the Judge seemingly wanting to fall in love with the girl he had raised almost from birth was quite unsettling, although I realise that this was an important part of the story (it certainly ensured that the Judge became a more reviled character). Again, had the situation been handled a bit differently, we the audience could have acknowledged the Judge's intentions and not pondered their gravity, as opposed to almost being shown what would have amounted to rape under the circumstances. And whilst the show is aimed at those aged 12 and over, I think that some scenes were a little strong in their sexual nature (we didn't see full-on sex, but we did see certain parts being touched, grabbed and even used as a dinner plate!) and in the bloody effects towards the end. It could have been more sexual and a lot gorier, but these elements were still strong enough that I feel a 16+ rating would have been more appropriate.

On the whole, I would definitely recommend the WNO adaptation of Sweeney Todd. There are some questionable aspects to the production, but they are outweighed by the story, the sets (which are simple but look near-perfect in the case of the barber's shop, and raise laughs when the barber's chair has a trap door attached to it for some victims) and the overall performances by both the cast and those solely employed to sing. No one song stands out, to be honest, but every song is worth listening to and some are vital to telling the story. If you're unfamiliar with the tale of Sweeney Todd, without question you will get the full story here, and if you're not a fan of opera, I wouldn't let that put you off attending what I consider to be a strong musical show. Just take a careful look at the nameplate hanging outside the door the next time that you visit a barber shop.

Overall Rating: 8/10 - Very Good

Heritage Opera's Puccini Classic Madame Butterfly comes to Epstein Theatre

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: The Epstein Theatre

Heritage Opera, the Northwest’s professional touring opera company, visits the Epstein Theatre for the first time on Saturday 26 September with Puccini’s heart-breaking story of undying love and longing, presented in its own inimitable fashion.

Set in Nagasaki 1925, Madame Butterfly tells the story of Cio Cio San, a naïve girl with passionate dreams of romance who marries Lieutenant B.F. Pinkerton of the US Navy. His ideas of marital commitment are somewhat different to hers and he soon leaves her to sail back to America. Cio Cio San waits patiently for him for three years, refusing to acknowledge that she has been abandoned and firmly believing he will one day return to claim her as his wife. At last, Pinkerton’s ship, the USS Abraham Lincoln is seen on the horizon. For Madame Butterfly however there will be no happy ending.

Merseyside-born and raised soprano, Sarah Helsby Hughes directs and sings the lead role of Madame Butterfly and is supported by a professional cast of 10 singers and accompanied by an ensemble of seven musicians.

Sarah went to Maricourt High School in Maghull and, after graduating from Birmingham Conservatoire of Music, she worked in Liverpool city centre as a temp. One day, fed up with being stuck in an office on a bright sunny day she decided to try her hand at busking and soon she was singing opera to startled shoppers and office workers. Fast forward 6 years, and Sarah is now Artistic Director of Heritage Opera, the Northwest’s professional touring Opera Company.

Heritage Opera specialises in making opera relevant and accessible for everyone and they have taken opera to places neglected by other companies. Heritage Opera is also very proud of its Northern roots and another of its artistic aims is to employ northern-based singers and musicians wherever possible. This Madame Butterfly tour boasts 9 of 10 singers and 6 of 7 musicians who either live in or have strong historic ties to the North.

Sarah Helsby Hughes, director and performer at Heritage Opera, commented: "We're delighted to be performing at The Epstein, who'd have thought I'd be bringing my own opera company home to Liverpool, all those years after years of busking just round the corner! I do hope the Liverpool public come and support us."

For more information, click here.

The Show Must Go On!

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Liverpool Empire Theatre

Iconic operas La Traviata and Madama Butterfly are both coming to the Liverpool Empire Theatre next month as part of a national spring tour of Britain and Ireland.

Staged by award-winning producer Ellen Kent, theatregoers will have the opportunity to see stunning productions of Verdi’s La Traviata on Friday April 3 and then the Puccini masterpiece Madama Butterfly the following day on Saturday April 4.

This is the latest tour for Kent, who recently won praise for her national tours of Nabucco, Aida and La Boheme.

All soloists in Kent’s operas have been specifically chosen and directed by the producer, and feature highly-acclaimed international performers.

Kent has had many adventures over the past 22 years producing Operas from Eastern Europe, working with Presidents and national opera houses throughout.

Even encountering the Orange Revolution in Odessa, which broke out during her rehearsals of Butterfly and Traviata in 2005.

This year, Ellen set out to work on a tour with The Ukraine National Opera in Kharkiv and found herself six miles from a very bloody civil war. Kent thought: “Here we go again.” But, as she previously said in 2005, “The show must go on!”

And so she was still prepared to travel and rehearse in Kharkiv. However, Ellen was persuaded by the British Foreign Office not to travel due to fatalities and kidnappings, not to mention bombings in the area. With the support of the Kharkiv Opera, Ellen managed to transport the complete sets, props and costumes for all three productions, despite being close to the bombing and insurgents robbing transport on the Ukrainian roads. Ellen moved the entire operation to the safe haven of the National Opera of Moldova, where she has worked for over 18 years.

Ion Grosu, the director, offered Ellen the entire support of the opera house to enable Ellen to complete the project. The company on tour, where the operas are receiving excellent notices, includes Ukrainians, Moldovans and Russians all working together in perfect harmony, so it seems that Ellen’s powers of diplomacy have succeeded where many heads of state have failed in recent days.

VERDI LA TRAVIATA

Starring Elena Dee and Alyona Kistenyova, this is a love story that gripped Paris and it returns by popular demand. A tragic tale of searing passion and memorable music, La Traviata is Verdi’s outstanding interpretation of one of the most popular love stories of the 19th century, La Dame aux Camelias.

Based on a true story, it tells of the passionate loves and life of the consumptive courtesan, Violetta. There are many echoes of Verdi’s own life in Traviata and he threw himself into the music. The highlights include the Brindisi, the best-known drinking song in opera, the duet Un Di Felice and Violetta’s haunting aria Addio Del Passato. This magnificent production boasts sumptuous sets and costumes.

PUCCINI MADAMA BUTTERFLY

Madama Butterfly is Puccini’s popular tale upon which the hit West End musical Miss Saigon is based. International Korean soprano Elena Dee, whose emotional portrayal of Mimi in Ellen Kent’s recent La Boheme received such high praise, will be singing the role of the tragic Cio Cio San. Zinevych, who captured hearts via his portral of Rudolpho in La Boheme and who has sung with Pavarotti, returns with the 70-strong company to perform his Pinkerton.

Making his debut as Pinkerton in an Ellen Kent production is the Spanish Tenor Giorgio Meladze. Originally from Georgia, he has acquired critical acclaim in Europe, singing in Milan, Spain and across Europe. Giorgio Meladze sang with Jose Carreras at the Austrian opera festival Tiroler Festspiele Erl last summer. Music is provided by the esteemed Chisinau National Philharmonic orchestra and conducted by Nicolae Dohotaru.

Madama Butterfly is the heart-breaking story of the beautiful Japanese girl, who falls in love with an American naval lieutenant, resulting in a heart-wrenching drama. This magnificent production boasts beautiful sets and costumes and a large live orchestra. Highlights of the performance include the melodic Humming Chorus, the moving aria One Fine Day and the unforgettable Love Duet.

As with any of Ellen Kent’s shows, all of the soloists have been hand-picked and directed by Ellen to create a visually beautiful and moving production of Madama Butterfly.

Verdi La Traviata runs in the Liverpool Empire Theatre on Friday April 3. For ticket information, click here.

You can learn more about Verdi La Traviata by clicking here.

Puccini Madama Butterfly runs in the Liverpool Empire Theatre on Saturday April 4. For ticket information, click here.

You can learn more about Puccini Madama Butterfly by clicking here.