Tosca Review

The Lowry, Salford – until 16th November 2018.

Reviewed by Joseph Everton

5*****

During the second of two intervals we met Barbara, an operaphile who informed us that stating that you ‘didn’t like opera’ was very much like saying you ‘didn’t like film’ as, from one performance to the next, it could be so very different. She told me that if I was going to give the opera a try, this performance would be a good place to begin. It pained me to admit that I couldn’t share her sentiments as, with my apologies to the opera purists, I accepted the invitation to review Edward Dick and Opera North’s modernisation of Puccini’s ‘Tosca’ at the Lowry with little to no knowledge of opera, having never been to one before. I might have hated it but all I can write is that when Cavaradossi (Rafael Rojas) sang, his death seemingly certain, that he hadn’t ever enjoyed being alive as much, I really felt like I knew where he was coming from. The whole performance was an utter joy.

The sights and smells of the first act were enchanting and accompanied by a beautifully melodic score. I was transfixed by the orchestra, conducted by Antony Hermus, and could happily have listened to them alone. Cavaradossi and Tosca (Giselle Allen) played charming artist and Rome’s star opera singer in a dramatic tale of love, jealousy and corruption. Tosca’s uncontrollable jealousy was used by the terrible Baron Scarpia (Robert Hayward), who was later booed off stage by a thoroughly entertained audience, to hunt down Cavaradossi and the escaped prisoner he was harbouring, Cesare Angelotti (John Savournin). Expressions of love were beautiful and soaring; moments of pain and grief were gripping and driven by a powerful score. The plot moved quickly, leaping from one moment of drama to the next, and three acts drew to a conclusion in a tear-filled blink of an eye.

Lee Curran’s warming lighting cast a Mediterranean glow on Tom Scutt’s eye-catching set which brought a modern twist to Renaissance Rome. The chorus of Opera North, as they sang together, was a sensory delight, filling the Lowry with sound. On reflection, now that I am of course a lover of the opera, I really think Barbara had it right. Tosca was a delight.

Tosca is on at the Lowry, Salford this week only, until Friday 16th November. Whether you’re an opera expert or a novice to this kind of theatre, I urge you to see it.