Musical mayhem with mime and melancholic nuancesRating
Good
YLLANA The Opera Locos was conceived in 2018 by David Ottone, Joe O’Curneen (YLLANA) and Rami Eldar. Over numerous performances, it has continued to win awards and enchant audiences across Europe with a heady mix of opera and pop/rock delivery.
Having unexpectedly transferred from the Peacock Theatre to Sadler’s Wells, the props and lighting for YLLANA The Opera Locos appear diminutive and incomplete in a larger auditorium. This, in turn, undoubtedly affects staging, performance and balance of sound. Our constantly changing performers are often in shadow, or poorly lit, which makes it difficult to discern which characters are being played.
The talented operatic performances from Soprano María Rey-Joly, Mezzo soprano Mayca Teba, Tenor Jesús Álvarez, Baritone Enrique Sánchez-Ramos and Counter Tenor Michaël Koné are a joy to listen to. Their performances celebrate captivating arias, duets and ensemble opera pieces, drawing gentle applause from the audience with crowd pleasers such as Mozart’s ‘Der Hölle Rache’ (‘Queen of the Night’), Rossini’s ‘Largo al factotum,’ and Bizet’s ‘Toreador Song,’ (The full playlist is available here – Opera Locos Playlist). However, during ‘comedic’ transitions, I struggle with the tropes of size, homoerotica, attractiveness, perceived worth and unrequited love. As we are faced with themes of alcoholism and methods of completing suicide, some laugh, others, like me, are somewhat discomfited … especially given the lack of warning prior to the show. Similarly, an iterative mime sketch depicting loneliness, isolation, uncertainty, unrequited love, alcohol and the ability to sing would benefit from less repetition. The finale and concluding sketch would then perhaps be less predictable and therefore lauded appropriately.
When Enrique Sánchez-Ramos works with the audience to engage in a sing-along, both in groups and with individuals joining in via a roving microphone, some audience members relish the engagement, others join in somewhat embarrassed, and a few, like me, squirm uncomfortably, waiting to have the stage performance continue. Given how short the overall performance is (1 hour and 25 minutes, including a 20 minute interval), I found myself longing for the singing to resume so that this ensemble could show their operatic prowess. Similarly, the faltering transition from famous operatic aria to Dolly Parton’s ‘I will always love you’ is well received by some audience members but lyrically somewhat indistinct and lacking coherence.
The mime and clowning, for me, are often repetitive and create unwanted interruptions to their beautiful voices. Occasionally, the recorded tracks (Orquesta Sinfónica VERUM) and the lyrical scales of the operatic performances are slightly out of sync. This is especially evident with the ‘Flower Duet’ (Lakmé – Delibes), which is a pity since both Rey-Joly and Teba have soaring voices with beautiful tones and capability.
YLLANA The Opera Locos’vaudevillian approach to engaging audiences with a mix of mime, comedic slapstick and, of course, opera, is a marmite experience that will either transfix or repel… or perhaps both in equal measure.
Original ideal by YLLANA and Rami Eldar
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
Sound Design by Luis López de Segovia
Costume Design by Tatiana de Sarabia
Makeup Design by Tatiana de Sarabia, Sara Álvarez, ARTMAKERS
Sound Tech by Carlos Calvo
Stage & Tech Manager: Antonio de la Torre
Production Manager: Daniela Scarabino
Orchestra: Recorded by Orquesta Sinfónica VERUM
YLLANA The Opera Locos plays at Sadler’s Wells until Saturday 28 February.
