This is a story which begins with warring factions in a street, brandishing guns, facing off against each other and it concludes with two people who chose to die rather than to live without the other.
It is a story which contrasts the reality of superficial and worldly concerns with a complete and absorbing love between two young people.
It is a story told with sublime music, played out in the rapture of first love and the cold reality of violence and death.
It is finally not war and ugliness we see but a darkened tomb lit by a circle of candles, heralding a new realisation of what is valuable in life.
It is State Opera’s production of Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette.
The combined talents of director, Rodula Gaitanou and takis, set and costume designer, together with the work of the lighting designer Bernie Tan-Hayes forming a foundation from which the singers, chorus, and musicians could flourish.
Intrinsic to the success of this opera is the casting of Romeo and Juliet. Siobhan Stagg and Kyle Stegall are both ideal, completely convincing as lovers. Their singing is spine-tingingly good, displaying nuance and colour, brilliance in the discovery and joy of their love, dark in longing and despair.
The story may be a familiar one but in this opera it is fresh and dramatic. At the beginning Juliet sings that her marriage bed will be her tomb, as she realises who Romeo is, and near the end, she sings it again, foreseeing her fate.
Forming a background to their love is the bizarre and brilliant scene at the beginning; a wild masked ball, at the home of the Capulet family, with very effective choreography by Jo Stone, which the chorus manage with aplomb. There is the balcony scene and a hurried wedding, beautiful in spite of lacking the usual trappings, a brutal street fight, resulting in death and the banishment of Romeo, Juliet’s courageous drinking of the draft which will cause her to appear dead for a short time, and the final horror of Romeo’s realisation that he has taken poison believing that Juliet is dead. It is Gounod’s sumptuous music played by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, as always ably conducted by Dane Lam, fine singers, including the chorus, prepared by Anthony Hunt, that leads this story to touch the heart.
Following The Magic Flute this production by State Opera continues the concept of Opera without Borders, bringing the world to Adelaide and showcasing Adelaide to the world. It is a co-production with West Australian Opera and Irish National Opera, initiated and built in Adelaide. We should be proud.
Her Majesty’s Theatre
23 October -1 November
Images – Andrew Beveridge
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