Lyric Theatre, The Lowry, Manchester – 18th November 2017. Reviewed by Julie Noller
5*****
This was my first taste of Opera, it was also the matinee performance from The Little Greats selection of short operas by England’s national opera company in the north – Opera North. It was refreshing to see so many young faces in the audience, all delighting in taking in the sight of the orchestra warming up. Conducted by Martin Andre the sounds were delightful to listen to. At only 45 minutes long with no interval, it’s the perfect introduction for those young faces and indeed myself.
Having read the synopsis before arriving at the theatre and noting that L’Enfant et les Sortileges was a tale firstly written by Colette over 100 years ago as The Great War was bringing Europe to its knees. I simply wasn’t expecting upon curtain up to be met by cast in bright colours attempting to take a selfie, it could be said that boys will be boys no matter what year this is. Although Revel had not added his musical touches until 1924, If you are to dig deeply into the emotions, you could say there are parables of Europe being destroyed, of deep mistrust, hatred. Yet it must’ve been so refreshing in 1925 at that first Monte Carlo performance to watch a child learning to trust himself and care of others once again. I wonder did they view the child as Europe at war or simply a child? This is where my puzzlement comes in, is this simply the story of a child quite like my own stamping their feet at the thought of more homework, throwing a temper tantrum leading to total mental exhaustion and dreams of the animals and people around them all of whom have been hurt. We must praise the voices the exceptional singing all in French – impressive, even more impressive was my ability to recognise words after all these years. Thank You equally to The Lowry for the two screens either side of the stage with Engish translations on them for those of us slow with French to English – although my enjoyment of the opera was not entirely dependent on this, it did enhance it.
The Child (Wallis Giunta) is present throughout the entire performance, you see him angry, defiant, scared and finally accepting of his life and of those lives around him. It was a very brave decision to wear a blue football kit in Manchester, but no one complained. Our other characters each took on multiple roles, each connected. Ann Taylor we saw as The Childs Mother ‘Maman’, the childs favourite chinese cup as he desperatly tried to piece it back together and also as the squirrel, injured and hurt with the child wanting to ease the pain. Fflur Wyn had made me giggle when she first appeared in a pink velour tracksuit, smoking a cigarette, Vicky Pollard anyone? She represented both the fire and the princess who the child lost due to his inability to protect her. Quirijin de Lang played out the dance of the frisky Tom cat well, ignoring the child as insignificant. Typical Cat, basically is what any cat owner would say, we are but mere servants to their demands. I do believe the biggest laughs came from both children and adults alike, albeit for different reasons – when John Graham-Hall appeared as Tea Pot, in his words black and shiny. To children he looked silly holding the lid with his spout, well that’s where the adults laughed at the extremely phallic placement. We all understood the child’s depression upon arithmetic appearing and firing those hard sums at him, how is he expected to know these things, why should he? The Child manages to learn a valuable life lesson at the end, don’t destroy those closest to you, for you will need them. He calls out for his Mother and after helping the injured squirrel the animals of the forest see the goodness in him and help him to reach her.
Would I go to another matinee performance at The Lowry? Absolutely. Would I watch another operatic performance? Yes certainly, I liked the way I felt puzzled, questioned. Did I need to think too deeply into history and time or is The Child just another child questioning us parents as children will continue to do. I guess as with all art, interpretation is down to the individual and I look forward to hearing what you thought when you see L’Enfant et les Sontileges. To those who don’t watch opera because its confusing or just for posh people, then I challenge you to let go of your poor judgements. These shorts are perfect at just 45 minutes long, slightly longer than a soap opera (note the name). I enjoyed this challenge today and who knows maybe I’ll see you at the next performance.