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| Sarah Chae (Lesbia), Monwabisi Lindi (Brunoro), Owain Rowlands, (Brikbrak), Charlotte Badham (Clizia), Jonathan Eyers (Don Lopes) & Dafydd Allen (La Rose) © Anthony Hall |
A Frenchman, an Italian, a Spaniard and an Englishman all walk into a barn… And if that sounds like the start of a joke, well, Gazzaniga’s take on L’Isola d’Alcina, or Alcina’s Island, is a jolly romp, packed full of witty jibes at national stereotypes, all done with affectionate wit, and director, Jeremy Gray’s production really brings out the playful comedy throughout. So librettist Giovanni Bertati’s take here on the original story in Ariosto’s Orlando Furiosa (which in turn, drew on Circe in Homer’s Odyssey) is that the four men declare an oath to resist the enchantment of Alcina, but it takes the efforts of Alcina’s servants, and the late arrival of a German, Baron Brikbak to secure their escape (or do they?...). With three performances behind them in Oxfordshire & Gloucestershire, Bampton Classical Opera visited the charming setting of The Barn at Old Walland in East Sussex for another outing, before their final performance at Smith Square Hall (Friday 13 September).
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| Magnus Walker (James), Monwabisi Lindi (Brunoro), Jonathan Eyers (Don Lopes) & Inna Husieva (Alcina) © Anthony Hall |
In the considerably smaller space provided by the stage at The Barn, the cast nevertheless delivered a joyful performance, the restrictions of space somehow even adding to the comedic effect. For example, Brikbrak and Lesbia creeping back and forth across the stage in their attempt to escape from Alcina, only a couple of feet away from them made the nonsense of it all even funnier. However, I was nervous, thankfully unnecessarily, that someone – particularly the very tall Don Lopes – would crack their head ducking on and off the stage. Apparently, some scenery items had to be jettisoned (a lion was banished to sit on the lawn outside the stage door), but the staging and simple lighting effects were effective nonetheless. Costumes were bright and eclectic, with ample use of beachwear and props, and identifying features for the men – a fedora and red cape for the Spaniard, striped top for the Frenchman, you get the idea. Alcina had a couple of costume changes, ending with a glorious cape revealing lights and dragons for her parting curse on the escapees.
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| Owain Rowlands (Brikbrak) & Sarah Chae (Lesbia) © Anthony Hall |
The music is lively and bright throughout, and Blunt and his small band of players took things at a spirited pace. Ensemble was on the whole pretty tight, apart from a couple of pickups, and there was some fine playing from the horns in particular, with incisive harpsichord accompaniments to the brief recitatives from Alex Norton. Whilst there aren’t really any showstopping arias, the music pushes along the action well, and the balance between the band and singers was carefully judged throughout. And there are some fine ensemble pieces, with a glorious opening chorus from the four men, and a joyous septet at the end of Act I. Gilly French's translation also added fizz to proceedings, with some great rhyming puns and even a reversal of 'Your tiny hand is frozen' for Alcina when she realises Brikbrak's power in a handshake. 'The Frenchman has gone doolally' led to a clever string of rhymes, but unfortunately I couldn't quite catch them all at the rapid pace. And the Eurovision Song Conests even gets a look in, when the singers compete to find the best 'Arietta' to make La Rose feel 'better' after drinking too much of Alcina's potion.
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| Bampton Classical Opera at The Barn © Nick Boston |
Inna Husieva’s Alcina began on the lighter side, but gained in power as her role developed, achieving suitable scariness by the end. The strongest vocal performances of the evening came from Dafydd Allen as La Rose, with mellow tone and great comedic gusto throughout, and Charlotte Badham as Clizia, delivering the most assured vocal line with equally strong comedic instincts. But when it came to comedy, Owain Rolands as Brikbrak took this to even greater heights with a fine line in gestures and silent actions alongside his rich baritone lines. Monwabisi Lindi’s Brunoro had a suitably Italianate tenorial twang, with some deft coloratura, and Jonathan Eyers was commanding as Don Lopes, with some fancy cape work as well. Sarah Chae’s Lesbia was bright and playful, and Magnus Walker’s James was light and engaging, with suitably English reserve. As a company, they blended well together in the ensemble pieces. Although squeezing all eight on stage at once was clearly a challenge, they made it work and clearly were all having a ball.
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| The Barn at Old Walland © Nick Boston |
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| Inna Husieva (Alcina) © Jeremy Gray |
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| Alcina's Island at The Barn © Jeremy Gra |
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