Eire Donizetti, L’elisir d’amore: Soloists, Refrain and Orchestra of Irish Nationwide Opera / Erina Yashima (Conductor). Gaiety Theatre, Dublin, 31.5.2025. (RB)
Solid:
Nemorino – Duke Kim
Adina – Caludia Boyle
Belcore – Gianluca Margheri
Dr Dulcamara – John Molloy
Gianetta – Deirdre Higgins
Truffaldino – Ian O’Reilly
Creatives:
Director – Cal McCrystal
Set & Costume designer – Sarah Bacon
Lighting designer – Sarah Jane Sheils
Refrain director – Richard McGrath
Choreographer – Paula O’Reilly
Cal McCrystal’s new manufacturing of L’elisir d’amore for Irish Nationwide Opera is likely one of the funniest, most outrageous productions of this opera I’ve ever seen. It’s bawdy and touching in equal measure and it ramps up the comedy in exuberant methods whereas on the identical time giving house to the singers to ship really memorable arias.
McCrystal reimagines the characters as archetypes from Western motion pictures and their trendy offshoots. Nemorino is reworked into Woody from Toy Story whereas Adina morphs into Scarlett O’Hara from Gone with the Wind. Dulcamara is the ever present snake oil salesman from Westerns who arrives in a sizzling air balloon (a nod to The Wizard of Oz). Belcore can’t fairly determine whether or not he’s a gunslinger or a male stripper as he strikes provocative Freddie Mercury-style poses for the women. Gianetta takes on the position of Calamity Jane as she sings homespun ditties to the townsfolk. Members of the refrain had been dressed as Laurel and Hardy and the ominous couple from the American Gothic portray. On the opening of the manufacturing, the President (Abraham Lincoln fairly than Michael D Higgins) took his seat within the field.
Sarah Bacon’s set consisted of a superb old school ranch on a prairie with a cactus and bales of hay exterior. There have been mountain peaks within the distance and the colors had been brilliant and vibrant giving the manufacturing a cartoonish really feel. The arrival of Dulcamara in a sizzling air balloon was a coup de théâtre whereas the buffalo stampede in direction of the tip was equally eye-catching. The costumes completely mirrored the Wild West interval or cartoon setting within the case of Nemorino. Adina wore an array of glittering outfits together with a white meringue gown originally and a stunning ball robe in direction of the tip.
Cal McCrystal used an intriguing combination of bodily comedy, music corridor routines and bawdy humour to energise the manufacturing and have interaction the viewers. The manufacturing opened with John Molloy’s Dulcamara and Ian O’Reilly’s Truffaldino delivering a Morecambe and Smart sort routine in English to provide the viewers the low-down on what they had been about to witness. There was a good quantity of bodily comedy all through together with a comic book routine from Laurel and Hardy to accompany the singers, scenes of Belcore being mobbed and fondled by the ladies, Truffaldino performing as a ventriloquist’s dummy with Dulcamara pulling the strings and a few camp dance strikes from Belcore’s troop of troopers. McCrystal’s manufacturing was frequently ingenious, and I can truthfully say there was by no means a boring second.
The solid and refrain had been on high type and positively let their hair down. Claudia Boyle was first price within the position of the entitled Adina. She introduced a flirtatious vitality and enthusiasm to this Southern belle that made it simple to see her irresistible attraction. It’s not at all times simple to grasp why she step by step falls for Nemorino given her obvious indifference to him originally, however Boyle made that transition totally plausible. Boyle has an extremely agile voice and Donizetti’s vocal fireworks had been dealt with properly though I felt she was vocally a bit subdued within the first half of the opera most likely to tempo herself. Her voice opened up magnificently within the second half notably in her Act II aria, ‘Prendi, per me sei libero’. She introduced beautiful wealthy vocal colors to the aria and the coloratura had been dazzling.
Duke Kim appeared completely solid because the endearing, doughty Nemorino. He introduced a sweetness and attraction to the position that made it attainable for the viewers to root for him. He displayed glorious comedian timing within the scene the place he drank the elixir (which was actually pink wine) and in addition within the scene when the assorted girls within the village had been chasing him for his cash. He introduced a beautiful Italianate heat and lyricism to the vocal line. His rendition of ‘Una furtiva lagrima’ was very good and I beloved his easy lyricism and the way in which through which he soared by way of the phrases and adjusted color in the course of every stanza.
John Molloy was completely solid because the rip-off service provider Dulcamara. His booming bass-baritone voice projected effortlessly in each scene. He dealt with Donizetti’s quick-fire patter with vocal aplomb in ‘Udite, udite, o rustici’ whereas concurrently working the gang. He and Ian O’Reilly’s Truffaldino fashioned a formidable comedy double act and had been extremely entertaining all through. Gianluca Margheri was additionally very spectacular because the swaggering Belcore. He introduced a comic book, outrageous braggadocio to the position as he strutted across the stage placing horny poses, tearing his shirt off and flirting with the women. Margheri has a really highly effective voice that projected effortlessly to the again of the theatre, and he was in a position to conjure wealthy darkish vocal colors. Deirdre Higgins additionally had a profitable night and was spectacular within the position of Gianetta.
The INO Refrain had been eager to hitch within the festivities, they usually introduced an infectious vitality and enthusiasm and highly effective vocal heft to the large set piece numbers. At numerous factors within the manufacturing, members of the refrain seamlessly inserted themselves into the motion. They supplied a comic book commentary on the proceedings e.g. when the Laurel and Hardy duo carried out a comic book dance quantity behind the singers, or when the camp troop of Keystone Cops had been twirling across the stage behind the hyped up Belcore. They helped to maintain the comedy and frothy exuberance of the manufacturing alive in methods which enhanced the vocal numbers.
German conductor, Erina Yashima, ensured the solid, refrain and orchestra remained on observe. Her pacing of the fabric, and the stability between the singers and the orchestra, had been properly judged. The Irish Nationwide Orchestra supplied an exemplary accompaniment to the singers e.g. the woodwind, strings and harp produced a stunning mix of colors in ‘Una furtiva lagrima’. Yashima efficiently introduced out the frothy exuberance, the mock pomposity and wealthy lyricism of the rating.
This was an excellent manufacturing from Irish Nationwide Opera that deserves to be seen far more broadly. I hope there will likely be alternatives for a lot of extra folks to see it on tour or on a future event.
Robert Beattie
