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PAGLIACCI
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5 2005
The (opera) wizard of Oz
PAGLIACCI
Esplanade Recital Studio , Singapore
AUSTRALIAN opera troupe company Co-Opera has made a name for itself by proving that opera can be presented on a modest and economical scale yet still pack a big punch. Bearing this out was its chamber-sized production of Ruggiero Leoncavallo's verismo classic Pagliacci within the intimate Esplanade Recital Studio.
Pagliacci is just the kind of opera that takes well to such downsizing, as it is intimate in theme and tone with tis tragi-romantic intrigues within a small travelling troupe of actors.
The story begins with a character named Canio, who suspects his wife, Nedda, of having an affair with their troupe mate Tonio. Their real-life predicaments are played out in their public performance in a village square. Things build to a head, and Canio winds up stabbing Nedda and Tonio to death onstage.
Co-Opera delivered what it promised; a production that engaged the audience from beginning to end. It did so not only by performing an English translation of the opera, but also by drawing the audience into its circle of performers. The actors were only an arm's length away from the onlookers, which allowed the latter a detailed view of this old favourite as never before.
Co-Opera's scattering of half of its 10-member cast among the audience, making for a play within a play, was a fairly familiar theatrical trick. But in its hands, it played out very well indeed by dint of the verve, commitment and vocal prowess of the ensemble.
Vocally, this small cast was strong, even among the chorus. The men, in particular, stood out with their impressive resonance. Among the leads, Jeremy Tatchell as Tonio sang the Prologue with a firm, focused voice. David Perry as Silvio matched Tatchell in focus, although he failed occasionally to mould phrases in the love duet according to how his will must have intended it.
As Nedda, Jillian Chatterton had no trouble with her climatic high notes, but was tonally opaque elsewhere. As Canio, Stuart Neilson-Kemp exuded Othello-like chills, but could have found finer nuances in his jealous rages. Although his performance was not without impact, it would have glowed with better tonal focus throughout its range.
These observations aside, Co-Opera is an epitome of laudable and enjoyable opera stripped down to the essentials; that is, fine singing, inventive staging and attentiveness to the dramatic truth of the performance.
Amazingly, the company even has the epic Aida in its repertoire. It would take Herculean creativity to downsize that work, but there is no doubt that Co-Opera has the chops for the job
Sonny Lim.
Right opera in the right place
The acoustic marvel of the Institute Hall at Echunga in the Adelaide Hills caresses the voice and carried every inflection to the listener.
This may not be true of sound projected from the stage, but it was for that coming from Co-Opera's transportable sound shell set planted on the hall floor in front of the proscenium.
It was the perfect venue and Pagliacci, here a travelling show about a travelling show, was the right opera.
Director Tessa Bremner innovated by placing the select chorus of five among the audience in a cabaret format. This was particularly effective in cheering and shushing during the play in the second act. The drama was all around. The musical precision of Brian Chatterton's ensemble, the bloom of young voices, the attention to nuance and the dramatic commitment made this a Pag to remember.
Despite the cabaret seating the audience denied any temptation to clink glasses or chomp chips and enjoyed the work of Peter Deane (Tonio - taking all the top notes), Jillian Chatterton (Nedda), Tasso Bouyessis (Canio) and Lindsay Day (Beppe). Daniel Help's Silvio found some machismo, but to realise his potential he must exude more.
Co-Opera are planning to bring Pagliacci to South Australia's regional centres. If it maintains this standard the group will make friends for opera wherever it goes.
John Lanigan-O'Keeffe, Opera Australia, June 1993.
Modest crowd thrills to Pagliacci Opera
A smaller than expected crowd were on hand to witness Co-Opera's performance of Pagliacci on Sunday evening at the Coonamble Bowls Club. Despite reduced numbers the crowd were roundly entertained by the skill of Co-Opera's talented ensemble cast.
Pagliacci was written by Ruggiero Leoncavallo and first performed in Milan in 1892.
It is the story of a travelling clown who must perform while his heart breaks because of his wife's betrayal.
In the play Canio is the leader of the troupe of clown and is married to the femme fatale Nedda played by Teresa La Rocca who is having an affair with another man Silvio.
Canio discovers his wife's infidelity just before having to perform in front of the town folk and in a classic case of life imitation art he has to play the role of the cuckold once again to his wife's character Columbine who is in love with the character Harlequin.
As the play within the opera continues Canio/Pagliaccio becomes enraged and the audience are unsure whether it is part of the play or for real.
They discover all too late when Silvio the lover is discovered and stabbed on stage and Columbine (Nedda) is strangled for her infidelity.
In a clever twist the towns folk and the audience that usually appear on stage in the opera secreted themselves into the real audience and interacted with the players and audience, often to startling surprise.
Deniliquin born troubadour Tom Bult was superb as Canio and it was surprising to find out that Tom as a police officer for fifteen years before he decided to chase his dreams as a tenor.
Multiple talent runs through the cast and following interval Jeremy Tatchell who played the misshapen Tonio during the opera pulled out his Viola and played a faultless version of the intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana.
Traditionally both operas are double billed together and have come to be known as just 'Cav' and 'Pag'.
Once again a dedicated group of opera buffs from Gilgandra arrived by bus in black tie and pearls and formed their own dress circle leaving all but a few Coonamble locals looking shabby.
Following the performance the audience was able to mingle with the cast and funnily enough not all conversation revolved around opera.
Musical director Brian Chatterton arranged all but one piece of music to be sung in English and Tom Bult performed the famous aria from the opera in its traditional Italian, thankfully.
Depending on Coonamble's desire to see opera again Co-Opera will return later in the year with a performance of Die Fledermaus.
Coonamble Times, Wednesday 5 May 2004.
Co-Opera on the Move
I have only once before attended a Co-Opera opera and since looked forward to another very much…Co-Opera is a South Australian company dedicated to bringing affordable opera to the masses. They have a superb formula - the productions are built for travelling as they play across our wide brown state to the culture-starved way beyond the parklands. The cast comprises the essentials, and music is provided by piano - if it's a really big number, you might get a recording!
But a significant distinction from your run-of-the-mill opera is that Co-Opera presents in cabaret style - at Pirramimma Winery, long tables were set up in the red shed surrounded by stacks of leaky oak casks. And like in Mozart's day, BYO is the go - although Pirramimma had a selection of their own, with rentable glasses, at reasonable prices. Oh, yes, there's a raffle at the end with 1st and 2nd prizes!
Similar to Independent Theatre, Co-Opera is a tightly held outfit - it's difficult to imagine General Manager Brian Chatterton OAM would not be the musical director, or that Jillian Chatterton would not be singing the lead soprano.
The whole evening was absolutely delightful and the opera was more than a match for the $33 ticket. 'Pagliacci' is ideally suited to Co-Opera's format - the eponymous clown with tears lead a travelling troupe in a play where the script is much too close to reality, and tragedy results. I'm not saying anything about the Chatterton's, no - just making the point that the travelling players in the opera are played by the Co-Opera travelling players. Whew!
Jillian Chatterton chose to resemble a 'fifties housewife in her part of Nedda in the first act and sang assuredly. However, in the second act, as the character Columbine within the play, she displayed impeccable skills in the commedia dell'arte style, and reminded me of my hero, Lucille Ball.
Indeed, the entire cast moved on the tiny stage and throughout the audience with deft determination and purpose that kept the action swift and alive. This was an important accomplishment as the action, up close and personal without the trimmings, could expose the opera's inherent melodrama to a farcical extent.
The performances were wonderfully augmented by colourful costumes and clown make-up (for the leads, as least) and a suitably Punch and Judy-style set. However, somebody must have lost Laraine Wheeler's lighting plot because I don't think she would have let so many people sing in the dark.
It's pretty obvious the entire production team and cast love doing this, and the audience lapped it up, even with the odd note ringing through our wine glasses. I can heartily recommend the Co-Opera experience.
David Grybowski, dB Magazine, 1-14 December 2004.
Professional performance by an energetic cast
There was an intriguing parallel with South Australia's Co-Opera's travelling production of the tragedy-opera "Pagliacci", as an unfolding story about the real and stage lives of a travelling troupe of players performing across Europe.
Arriving in Bathurst on April 7, as part of about 30 performances across New South Wales and Queensland regional centres, the team of Brian Chatterton, musical director, and Tessa Bremner, director, conjure a wholly believable and professional performance from the energetic cast.
This new production in English - apart from the solo "Vesti la giuba" - contains the entire music and libretto as created by Leoncavallo, unlike its shortened version when coupled with another one-act opera, "Cavallaria Rusticana" by Mascagni.
A flexible, simple set placed almost amongst the audience at tables, alternated with the remainder of the hall being adapted as a wider stage for the full effects of the play within a play, to be re-enacted with Commedia dell'arte segments becoming a tragic drama of real life.
The strengths of the rotating cast's ensemble skills were revealed here with pace, precision and variation of contrasting movement, mirroring expertly the rich polyphonic vocal strands of the romantic score.
They were accompanied also by a well-travelled and slightly worn upright piano, played with authority, dexterity and colour by Brian Chatterton.
We, the audience, therefore became part of the entire production. We are engaged in the Prologue by the mysterious, roving hunchbacked clown Tomio, played by Jeffrey Tatchell, who brought dark-toned and well enunciated conviction throughout his extended solos and acted with appropriate menace.
Jeffrey also performed with assurance and lyricism three viola solos prior to Act 2, described by Brian Chatterton as "a clutch of Intermezzi" from "Carmen" (Act 3), "Cavalleria Rusticana" and "Pagliacci". He resumed then to play Taddeo in Act 2, with great verve.
The vivacious actress Nedda, who loves her passionate husband Canio and a local villager named Silvio, initially weaves her spells with traditional canny deftness.
Jillian Chatterton as Nedda, generally brought bright, resonant tone and mostly clear diction across her wide-ranging solos in Act 1.
Her clever acrobatics in Act 2 as Columbine, were gymnastically projected while maintaining equally virtuosic vocal agility.
David Perry, though restrained in his acting of Silvio, sang with an even line, well-shaped phrasing and a stronger lower register.
He was most effective in the rarely heard love duet with Nedda, in Act 1. Beppe, as a troupe member, was sung by Marco Cinque with vibrant though variable tone in Act 1, but blossomed as Harlequin in Act 2, whilst still squeezing some notes at the ends of phrases.
As the head of the strolling players and jealous husband of Nedda, Canio has a major role to embrace in Act 1, mainly in attempting to unveil the name of his wife's lover.
Bringing great energy to the part led Thomas Bult into the melodramatic at times, which he managed to rein into a more rational level as Pagliacci, in Act 2. Similarly, his singing was greatly affected by a heavy and wide vibrato, which consistently comprised the pitch in the majority of his solos.
Once again, the villagers who became an audience to the Commedia play, were very responsive to the unfolding drama and were a delight to the actual audience with the excellent vocal ensemble contributions.
Lighting was crisp, while the costumes were equally creditable in Act 1 and appropriately outrageous for the Commedia style.
The Bathurst Arts Council is to be congratulated for its determination and enterprise in promoting Co-Opera.
A fully appreciative Bathurst audience wish these touring Australian minstrels continuing success.
Max Reeder, Western Advocate, Wednesday 14 April 2004.
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