L’ELISIR D’AMORE (THE ELIXIR OF LOVE)

This was my first-time seeing Bristol Opera, the 1532 Performing Arts Centre or I’Elisir D’Amore so this was an evening of discovery for me. And what a discovery it was, as Bristol Opera had cleverly put together an excellent and entertaining production for today’s modern audience, whilst still being true to the essence of the original Italian work. The setting had moved to a more modern-day Country situation, featuring rich landowners, poor stable hands, country folk and polo players – and it worked really well.

The performing venue  was lovely and working stage space of a really good size. The fixed but open set was very effective, with a raised section mid-to-upstage left, a small barn upstage right and a series of benches to create some levels and points of interest.  The set was changed for Act 2 as the action moved more from the outside to the inside. The various entrance and exit points were well used, though the double doors at the rear was the most dramatic and used frequently to great effect. The free-standing ladder added some great height and levels to Adina and Nemorino’s duet in Act 2, but a more in keeping way of getting it on and off would have been of benefit.

The translation of the Libretto to English by Cast Member Graham Billing was a real feature and really supported the whole production. Much of it was genuinely hilarious, with some terrific plays on words, rhyming for example “knowledge and college” and “polo and solo” to good comic effect. I particularly enjoyed Adina’s “I am not a stable person” in Act 1 when discussing Nemorino.  The comedy was maintained throughout – I loved the whole scene with Dr Dulcamara’s Elixir sales pitch, from his assistants through to changing the signs on the pop-up displays from Bath to Bristol. The appropriate humour and touches of detail here made the whole production a real joy.

The Lighting covered the stage well. It didn’t seem to do a lot else, other than add in a little colour for Act 2 and add in a set of hanging lights across stage. This could have enhanced the production more if it could be varied somewhat, particularly for the principal vocal numbers. However, this may not have been possible in the venue or without resource to do it.

The Orchestra produced an excellent sound overall under the very effective control of Arne Kovac and his reduced orchestration worked really well. I also spotted hm playing in the piano too at times! The orchestra were based on the Stage Left of the stage behind a side curtain so the audience could see them but the cast couldn’t, which I guess was for sound-proofing purposes. The TV screen at the front for the cast to see the Musical Director on via a video link was a good idea as vocal entries and exits were generally very good.  The orchestra did occasionally over-power the singing when both chorus and some or all of the principals were singing. The fact this did not happen more often was impressive as no microphones or other amplification were used for principals or general chorus  (as far as I could see). This may be something to consider in future, particularly where principals have differing levels of power in their voices as in this production.

Costumes, Hair and Make-Up were well put-together for the whole company – from the stable hands, right through to the polo team, the summer dresses for the older ladies and the evening wear for the Wedding scene. Principals were well dressed too, from Adina’s riding attire right through to Captain Belcore’s Uniform. Dr Dulcamara’s ‘Steam Punk’ outfit was the real highlight, ably supported by the dress of his two assistants. The few properties seen were all where they should be and effectively managed.

Principal performances and the singing overall for this production were excellent.

• Adina was the total package in this production. Not only was she incredibly strong vocally (some of her arias, particularly at the end of Act 2 seemed particularly challenging) but her acting, including all of the comedy requirements were excellent too. A terrific performance.
• Nemorino. His softer tenor voice brought the necessary delightful innocence to this role, with some terrific comic touches too and made a charming drunk! He had the audience’s sympathies from the very start. Very nicely done!
• Captain Belcore. The actror decided to send up the dashing but pompous soldier and polo captain from the very start, which really worked well and to his advantage. Vocally I suspect at times this was particularly vocally demanding, but the singing performance was excellent. Very well done.
• Dr. Dulcamara. This is a great fun part and the performance was a real highlight of the production. As well as his terrific singing voice, he brought a real charm and humour to the part. “Silly Asses by the Score!” as a phrase will stay with me for sometime!
• Gianetta. Not a huge part, but you made it your own and both acted and sang extremely well.
• Dr. Dulcamara’s assistants. Good fun parts well-executed with great humour to support the Doctor. Well done both.

The good-sized chorus were on quite a lot in this production, with a good range of cast ages too. Everyone seemed to have little roles and characters, which was a joy to watch, without ever intruded significantly upon the principal performances – a credit to everyone.  The chorus singing was general very good, with some good harmonies formed particularly in the opening scene and when standing together. As with many choruses, the vocals did drop when the chorus moved, which is difficult to address. Sometimes more regulated choreography and repetition helps as people they have less to think about works in this type of situation, but there is no easy answer. Overall though, the Chorus Singing complimented the Principal performances really well.

In summary, I loved this production – it was joyous, fun, entertaining and had some exceptional principal singing and chorus work, all executed by a talented and enthusiastic cast and production team.  Thank you for keeping Opera alive and relevant in Bristol.  I look forward to your future productions!

Matthew Heaton

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.