Hats off to Opera Queensland for its experimental direction and daring in presenting a radical remix of Henry Purcell’s compact Dido and Aeneas.
Opera has long been a collaborative art form and adopting technology as in Opera Australia’s The Ring Cycle or featuring movement and dance isn’t a huge leap of faith, especially when the supporting art forms enhance the opera.
Yet in boldly combining opera with contemporary circus (Brisbane’s own global outfit Circa) and giving double billing to each, the split focus demanded a lot from the production’s gifted performers and the audience. It also necessitated slotting additional incidental music by Purcell’s contemporaries Matthew Clark and Jeremiah Clarke into the dramatic arc.
Dido and Aeneas is thought to have been performed at Josiah Priest’s School for Girls about 1689. Refreshingly, the story places a bunch of formidable women in the limelight– there’s Dido,the Carthaginian Queen and the Sorceress, both characters admirably incarnated by mezzo soprano Anna Dowsley; and then there’s Sprite, deftly sung by mezzo soprano Hayley Sugars (replacing Jessica Low on opening night) and a brace of witches, one convincingly portrayed by Shikara Ringdahl and, of course, Belinda portrayed by soprano Katie Stenzel.
The work was also likely to have been presented at court given that Purcell’s style mimicked French Court opera much favoured by Charles II and James II. Pageantry involving jugglers, acrobatics and clowns was popular during these monarch’s reigns, which gives credence to Circa’s involvement. The two companies previously collaborated on the production Orpheus & Eurydice, which was a huge hit.
Visually, Yaron Lifschitz’ stage design was stark yet elegant with an interplay of red, black and white colours shimmered to perfection by lighting designer Matthew Marshall. Streamed text pontificating on romantic love crossed the stage’s backdrop intermittently and created a pictorial riff. Libby McDonnell’s black lace costumes and trousers worn by the acrobats, singers and chorus unified the large cast. Plenty then to keep the eye content.
The blank set accommodated Circa’s remarkable tumbling, aerial stunts, displays of physical contortion, heart-stopping pyramids and complex rope work. At best, these stunts probed the agonies and ecstasies detailed in the arias. At other times, Circa’s busy choreography, while entertaining, was distracting, making it hard to fully commit to OQ and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra’s stunning realisation of the music.
Under the direction of conductor Benjamin Bayl the QSO gave a excellent light and airy account of the Baroque score. The Continuo Ensemble, like a rhythm section, with Bayl and Mark Connors on harpsichord, Jeremy Stafford on theorbo and cellist Hyung Suk Bae, contributed a supportive rhythmical and harmonic undertow.
A red-haired Dido, authoritatively sung by Anna Dowsley, wears a sleek black evening dress. Dressed in a tuxedo, Aeneas sported a rakish James Bond meets Michael Bublé look. A celebratory couple, Dido and Aeneas are the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce of Carthage, and the news of their eternal love springs off everyone’s lips. Not everybody approves, especially the wicked sorceress who dreams up a scheme to split them up.
The singers impressed. When soprano Stenzel appeared, the stage purred in welcome. She sang a gracious Belinda, a voice of reason when Aeneas is conned into going to war and an abandoned Dido is distraught. There was a great moment when Stenzel’s compelling narrative was backgrounded by a pyramid of acrobats in a massive doorway and their precision represented logic in the maelstrom of Dido’s despair. But there were other places when Circa’s busy routines inhibited immersion in the story’s heart.
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When finally, Purcell’s much-loved hit Dido’s Lament is aired it was an anti-climax despite Dowsley’s earnest, strong account supported by a responsive orchestra. Ultimately, this thought-provoking, ambitious production’s parts are more distinguished than its coherence overall, although it was a privilege to witness the large cast’s staggering talent.
Dido and Aeneas, Opera Queensland in association with Circa, until July 27, Playhouse, QPAC
oq.com.au
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