‘Elixir of Love’

Press, 13 November 1987, Page 6

‘Elixir of Love’

Donizetti’s “The Elixir of Love,” conducted by Martin Turnovsky and directed by Elric Hooper, presented by Canterbury Opera and the BNZ at the Janies Hay Theatre, November 12 to 21. Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes. Reviewed by Philip Norman. The performance of Donizetti’s “The Elixir of Love” last evening rarely rose above the standard one might except from a moderately successful dress rehearsal. For polish and sparkle, it was but a pale imitation of the opening night of the Canterbury Opera’s winning season of “Carmen” earlier in the year. One can overlook basic slips in stage craft (such as a skittled prop and a door left embarrassingly ajar) if the level of performance elsewhere is of consistent quality. Sadly, in many respects, it was not.

The weakest link in the production was the musical content.

Even with his wealth of international experience as an opera conductor, Martin Turnovksy was not able to keep control of his forces. There were few choruses or ensembles that did not at some point decline into a rhythmic jumble. With the exception of an elegantly delivered opener in the fourth scene from the women, the tone of the chorus was lament-

ably thin. The combination of suspect orchestral intonation and poorly pitched choral lines in a number of places produced moments of harmonic discomfort that were far from fleeting. The shining light of the production, and to a large extent the saviour of the opening performance, was Suzanne Prain as Adina. Here was a performer who had thoroughly digested her material. As a result, she was able to step inside her character and offer a confident, charming and disciplined portrayal. With regards to mastery of the music, James Baines ran an easy second to Suzanne Prain. His account of Belcore was notable for a strikingly military stage presence and a clear articulation of his solo lines.

In places, Christopher Doig and Graeme Gorton offered brilliant characterisations in their respective roles of Nemorino and Dr Dulcamara. Doig quickly won the sympathies of the audience for his bashful, lovelorn antics. Gorton drew much laughter for his sprightly comic actions.

However, the performances by this pair of experienced opera principals was at best uneven. Passages of superb singing were all too often undercut by either an ailing pulse or a meandering pitch.

What the production lacked in aural appeal and musical finesse was to a large extent compensated for by the splendid visual content. Though Tony Geddes’s set seemed to offer an unnecessarily cramped working space for the performers, it provided an unfailing source of entertainment.

One’s eye was riveted by the splashes of harvest colour on the backdrops, and by the extraordinary detail of its line drawings. The costumes, designed by Pamela Maling, admirably completed the set. They were rich with colour and bold in line.

Elric Hooper’s direction was in general lively and inspiring. Touches of genuine comic invention helped freshen the stale libretto and with the exception of a few static patches towards the close, the opera bubbled with movement. Considering the confines of the working space, the chorus was handled with especial dexterity. Most of the problems of the performance will undoubtedly solve themselves as the performers grow more familiar with both their material and stage surroundings. I suggest that by midway through next week “The Elixir of Love” will be up and running as a well-oiled production. By then it should be well worth the price of admission.