đ Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi
đ The Lyric, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Royal Parade, Plymouth, Devon, PL1 2TR
đ Saturday 19th October 2024
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TWO ACTS, TWO OPERAS, ONE SENSATIONAL EVENING
SUOR ANGELICA and GIANNI SCHICCHI are actually part of a trilogy of one-act operas called IL TRITTICO, but on this occasion were presented as a duo by the incomparable Welsh National Opera a part of their Autumn season.
Known for renowned works such as La bohème and Madama Butterfly, Giacomo Puccini was one of the most commercially successful composers of all time and seeing two of his pieces come alive on the stage was absolutely spellbinding.
SUOR ANGELICAÂ follows the story of a young nun. Sent to a convent to repent her sins, this is a tale of sacrifice and redemption and was utterly gripping. There was instantly a feeling of coldness and stillness as the cast sublimely captured the atmosphere with real authenticity.
As the curtain raised I was instantly wowed by the set design from Charles Edwards. Striking in both its grandeur and its blandness, it almost had a feeling of oppression which was the perfect reflection of how the central character must have felt.
This tragedy was led by the impressive Natalya Romaniw as Sister Angelica. Absolutely mesmerising from start to finish she laid her soul bare on the stage, sharing every emotion from the heart with utter believability. Her voice was absolutely beautiful and you could have heard a pin drop in the auditorium as we were truly gripped by her portrayal and her hypnotic vocal performance.
Another notable performance in this piece came from Anne Mason as The Princess. Deliciously narcissistic, she brought real drama and almost made you feel uncomfortable because of your dislike of her, which just added to the overall experience.
GIANNI SCHICCHIÂ was a complete polar opposite in both style and tone, with yet another breathtaking set. What I love about the Welsh National Opera is that you never know what you're going to get and whilst the staging of SUOR ANGELICAÂ felt very traditional, GIANNI SCHICCHI was set in the 1970s!
It was a comedy so our tears of heartbreak from Act 1 turned into tears of laughter during this piece. Somewhat farcical at times, the comedy timing of the company was impeccable, and featured the best performance I've ever seen from a cadaver! I wondered whether this is where John Cleese found his inspiration for the Fawlty Towers Episode 'The Kipper and the Corpse'!
The story is set in the bedroom of Buoso Donati just after he has died and his family are seemingly gathered to pay their respects. Their intention however is to find out the contents of the will. Bedlam ensues when they hear of a rumour that he has left his entire fortune to a monastery. On finding the will they discover that the rumour is true. The family call for the aid of Gianni Schicchi who comes up with a genius plan to help them, whilst also looking out for himself!
Dario Solari is a beautiful baritone who commanded the stage as Gianni Schicchi. From his entrance he was just enthralling and I watched in glee, always wanting to know what he would do next. Amongst all the glorious chaos I was once again drawn to Anne Mason, who this time took on the role of Zita. I also loved the performance from Mark Le Brocq as Gherardo. His natural wit shone through and whenever I looked at him I couldn't help but smile. From his nervous excitement to his hair flicks, he was a joy to behold.
Secondary to the main storyline, there was also a love story between family member Rinuccio and Gianni Schicchi's daughter Lauretta. The purity of this story was a beautiful contrast to the pandemonium of the central narrative. As Lauretta, Haegee Lee was sublime elegance, transfixing the auditorium with her rendition of O mio babbino caro which can only be described as perfection personified.
Still being relatively new to the genre I'm no expert in opera, but it's safe to say that this was my absolute favourite night at the opera I've had so far. I loved the contrast in the stories as well as the underlying similarities which bound them together.
I was in awe of the entire company and every element of the production came together with precision, meaning that we were treated to an absolutely flawless evening of entertainment. If I could award more than five stars I would. This was theatre trip 129 of the year for me and was one of my absolute favourites.
The Welsh National Opera returns to Theatre Royal Plymouth in June when they will be presenting The Marriage of Figaro and Peter Grimes. Tickets are on sale now. Click here to book tickets.
We are so honoured to have this world class company come and perform in Plymouth so often, but their future is uncertain after they have recenly lost their Arts Council Funding. Members of the company wore "Save our WNO" t-shirts during the curtain call to highlight this. Losing an organisation such as the WNO would be an absolute crime against the theatre industry.
Neill Kovacic-Clarke
All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one reviewer.
My ticket for this performance of Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi was gifted by the Theatre Royal Plymouth who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.
SUOR ANGELICA CAST LIST:
Natalya Romaniw as Sister Angelica; Anne Mason as The Princess; Sioned Gwen Davies as The Abbess; Haegee Lee as Sister Genovieffa; Helen Jarmany as Mistress of Novices; Alys Mererid Roberts as Novice; Sophie Yelland as The Sister Monitor; Sarah Pope as Sister Osmina; Fiona Harrison-Wolfe as Sister Dolcina; Yvonne Howard as The Infirmary Sister; Erin Rossington as First Alms Sister; Angharad Morgan as Second Alms Sister; Claire Hampton as First Postulant; Helen Greenaway as Second Postulant; Joanne Boag as Sister Lucilla; Carolyn Jackson as Dispensing Sister; Rahim El Habachi as Chauffeur; Paul Jenkins and Dafydd Weeks as Delivery Men; Ruby Dorise as Angelica's Child
Children's Chorus: Laurence Regan; Max Fokkens; Juliet John; Lily Manning; Abigail Marlow; Harvey Marshall; Talfan Phillips; Ffibi Rogers
GIANNI SCHICCHI CAST LIST:
Dario Solari as Gianni Schicchi; Haegee Lee as Lauretta; Anne Mason as Zita; Trystan LlĂżr Griffiths as Rinuccio; Mark Le Brocq as Gherardo; Linda Richardson as Nella; Benjamin Bevan as Betto di Signa; Wojtek Gierlach as Simone; James Cleverton as Marco; Sioned Gwen Davies as La Ciesca; William Stevens as Maestro Spinelloccio; Alastair Moore as Ser Amantio di Nicolao; Stephen Wells as Pinellino; Jasey Hall as Guccio; Paul Jenkins as Buoso Donati; Harvey Marshall as Gherardino
Orchestra Conducted by Alexander Joel
RUNNING TIME (approx):
2 hours 35 minutes, including extended interval
CONTENT WARNINGS:
Themes of death; Loss of a child; Concealment of a dead body
NOTES:
Sung in Italian with English surtitles
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