A thoroughly charming adaptation that relocates Donizetti’s L’Elisir D’Amore to an English country fair. Rating
Excellent!
The first thing I notice when entering the beautiful main space of Wilton’s Music Hall for this modern, English adaptation of Gaetano Donizetti’s L’Elisir D’Amore is the positively charming staging by Ceci Calf. There is no doubt, from the outset, that this performance is set in the quintessential English countryside, all pink and pale blue with bunting, flowers and fruit boxes centred around a giant maypole in the middle of the stage. What a lovely start!
This Waterperry Opera Festival production, in association with Charles Court Opera, is on a brief visit to Wilton’s as part of its late-summer line-up; perfectly timed as the temperature drops and the days get shorter, to remind us of brighter days.
As if opera singing isn’t enough of a talent, having the ability to do so whilst acting, with a subtle comic undertone to boot, is no mean feat. Still, the entire cast and chorus here do all with great aplomb from the outset. We meet the ensemble having a lovely time at the country fair, all vigour and enthusiasm, carefree and looking for love. This includes young Norman (Xavier Hetherington), a local farmhand who is totally besotted with chocolate factory owner Adina (Madeline Robinson). Hetherington and Robinson are vocal powerhouses throughout the performance, each with a quite magnificent range and acting ability, bringing their central characters to life. Norman’s affection, though, is sadly unrequited, and when a group of army officers arrive in town, Adina’s attention is somewhat reluctantly drawn towards the form of Brad (James Geidt). This is all emotionally portrayed, with the chorus adding much background entertainment.
Poor Norman is determined to garner the attention of Adina, no matter what the cost and when the wildly eccentric Dulcamara (Matthew Kellett), a local brewer, arrives at the fair offering his wares, Norman is keen to try a new elixir of love. Matthew Kellett is superb as the zany Dulcamara, wildly experimenting with his potions and ingredients to get the right mix for Norman. As the story progresses, the shenanigans ramp up to produce an eclectic, but very passable, comic and operatic mix, much to the enjoyment of the present crowd.
The overall production is a delight and alongside the staging and props, the subtle yet clever lighting, by Jake Wiltshire, turns the mood from dark to light and back again as we go along with Norman’s emotional journey. Making full use of the sizeable stage, and even venturing out into the wider auditorium, the chorus do well to enhance the story and really add to the already powerful voices from the lead cast.
Music, by Musical Director and solo pianist David Eaton, provides the perfect accompaniment to the operatic tones, but also matches perfectly to the English country fair vibe.
Having the original piece translated into English and relocated to a rural English setting really makes this an easy-to-understand opera (perfect for me as a non-regular), and the conversion is a huge success all round, with an extremely talented ensemble. This is not a particularly complex narrative; in fact, it’s a very simple story and the overall timing of one hour and fifty minutes is the perfect length, with great pace and flow throughout. At times, some of the vocals being sung over each other, with different lyrics for each character, becomes a challenge for the audience to understand what is going on, but that does not detract from a thoroughly charming adaptation of a classic piece of work and a lovely evening out.
Artistic Director: John Savournin
Musical Director and Librettist: David Eaton
Director: John Wilkie
Set & Costume Designer: Ceci Calf
Lighting Designer: Jake Wiltshire
Choreographer: Merry Holden
Elixir of Love plays at Wilton’s Music Hall until Saturday 19 September
