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Kieron Quirke's rating
, Coronation of Poppea ups the ante
By
Kieron Quirke
13 Apr 2011
The Little Opera House at the King's Head was founded on the back of its controlling company's remarkable La Bohème - the Olivier Awards' best new opera of 2010.
Yet the LOH's first six months of follow-up shows have been more than a little disappointing. The dream of regular, high-quality Fringe opera was beginning to look unlikely.
This Poppea - translated and directed by Mark Ravenhill - has changed all that. Scantily-clad sex-pot Poppea and confused tyrant Emperor Nero declare their desire to marry on a semi-glamorous all-white thrust stage, with central water feature. This pond becomes the focal point for the tragi-comic upsets that ensue a bath for the disapproving Seneca to slit himself in, Marat-style; a pool for gender-bending assassin Otho to fall into, Benidorm-style.
Such different tones abound in a production of mongrel vigour.
Monteverdi most likely wrote this opera with collaborators, and the sparse score that survives is here interpolated upon further by both Michael Nyman - who provides a pulsating new aria - and Alex Silverman, whose arrangements for piano, bass and sax are the show's greatest asset.
It comes out like a set of peculiarly beautiful jazz standards, while losing none of the original's wilful variety or dramatic rhythm.
Beautiful singing helps and, odd blip aside, is there right through the cast. Martin Nelson's Seneca is dead by half-time, but aces two arias of wistful Stoicism. Adam Kowalczyk - in effect a single-man Chorus - gives us a spirited Prologue and a gorgeous lullaby.
Zoe Bonner's Poppea purrs warm and lusty. Jessica Walker's Nero gleams and suggests a searching mind gone wrong. Their final duet is wondrous.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Reader views (2)
A wonderful evening. Possibly the best production I've yet seen of my favourite opera.
- Richard, London, 17/05/2011 10:15
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I first saw it done at the Colesium London, in style. but would like to see this version done on a shoestring. The music is great.
- dhan raj, basildon, 13/04/2011 17:21
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