Everything Theatre Reviews, interviews and news for theatre lovers, London and beyond
A whimsical journey through the world of opera is undermined by its vague plot.Summary
Rating
Ok
Opera Locus races through some of the most famous pieces of music, weaving together classics from iconic works, such as Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Verdi’s La Traviata and Puccini’s La Bohème. It’s brought to life by the Spanish theatre company Yllana whose cast features a quintet of talented singers; soprano María Rey-Joly; mezzo-soprano Mayca Teba; tenor Jesús Álvarez; baritone Enrique Sánchez-Ramos andcounter-tenor Michaël Koné. They wear vibrant costumes designed by Tatiana de Sarabia, with Rey-Joly and Teba donning bright blue wigs. White face paint and bold outlines in make-up are drawn on to comically exaggerate their facial features, adding a touch of silliness and visual spectacle to the performance.
Rey-Joly’s impressive vocal prowess is particularly deserving of a mention. Her fiery rendition of ‘Queen of the Night’ from Mozart’s The Magic Flute is excellent. Additionally, within the bizarre dream sequence, Sánchez-Ramos’s singing and funny, lively dancing is highly entertaining.
Other hilarious moments derive from audience participation and an ‘impromptu’ singing lesson. This feels spontaneous and introduces a sense of novelty into the production, contrasting with some archaic, sexist jokes, which become tiresome to encounter.
Throughout the show, the cast attempts to divulge the plot through mime and physical comedy. However, as there is next to no storyline, a lot of this is reliant on repetition, resulting in the production lacking depth and leaving the audience disengaged.
The lighting design, by Enrique Toro, endeavours to propel the show forward. Bright hues dance across the stage, enhancing the climactic moments of each opera excerpt. However, at this performance the house lights kept coming back on, disrupting the theatrical experience. These interruptions unfortunately slowed down the pace of the production, making it feel sluggish.
A familiarity with opera is needed to understand the foundations of some of the jokes and to be able to join in with the singing. Although billed as having pop songs, there is a noticeable lack of them, which was disappointing. Despite the talent of its performers, the show’s limited storyline leaves the production feeling disjointed. Revisiting the plot would allow comical moments to be included and would contribute to a newer, fresher approach to opera. Yet, it is clear the cast are enjoying themselves and their stage presence is apparent.
Created and Directed by: YLLANA
Artistic Directors: David Ottone and Joe O’Curneen (YLLANA)
Musical Directors: Marc Álvarez and Manuel Coves
Choreography by: Carlos Chamorro
Set Design by: Tatiana De Sarabia, David Ottone, Yeray González
Light Design by: Enrique Toro
Costume Design Tatiana de Sarabia
Makeup Design Tatiana de Sarabia, Sara Álvarez, ARTMAKERS
Opera Locus plays at Peacock Theatre until Saturday 11 May. Further information and booking can be found here.
