La Cenerentola: a new benchmark in comic opera

La Cenerentola
by Gioachino Rossini
Opera New Zealand In association with Opera Queensland Aotea Centre
Until June 5

The dream of many young women to marry a prince has been kept alive with the stories read to them, the movies they see and the real live events of commoners marrying into royal families.

The dream is not just about becoming a princess but also about shedding a life of greyness and tedium and walking into a new one of excitement, glamour and freedom.

This notion of a changed life is at the core of the Cinderella story and central to Rossini’s La Cenerentola. The opera also contains themes of the reality and illusion of love and the changing nature of love in 19th century with moves from arranged and convenient marriages to ones based on the idea of romantic love. These ideas of transformation and illusion take many forms throughout the opera; the prince swaps his elevated position with his valet Dandini, Alidorno dresses up as a beggar and the Don often appears to look like a clown, his daughters are overdressed and better suited for a bordello while many of the male courtiers masquerade as chamber maids.

Throughout the opera there are comments about whether the characters are in a real or illusory setting and there are many injokes about the deceptions the characters are involved in.

While Rossini was creating a fairy story there are also underlying themes of sexual equality and social and political change. One of the central characters Alidorno, the Prince’s tutor is actually more of a revolutionary philosopher as he manipulates the commoner Cinderella and the Prince into a liaison rather than have him marry one of Don Magnifico daughters.

Although this is classic comic opera, there are also elements of vaudeville and musical, which director Lindy Hume has integrated, making a charming and intelligent opera that sets a new bench mark for comic opera. Sarah Castle in the Cinderella role of Amelia embodies all the real and fairy tale varieties of Cinderella – Grace Kelly, Princes Diana and the various Disney princesses. She performs her chrysalis / butterfly transformation superbly. She was aided by the costuming of Dan Potra going from her plain grey dress at the beginning to an elegant black creation for the ball and a stunning white number for her second half. She adds to Amelia’s transformation by using her voice, gentle and demure in the first act but becoming more assured and embellished in the second.

In the role of Alidorno, the tutor/philosopher/social reformer Ashraf Sewailam was outstanding. With a rich compassionate voice, and a commanding presence he created a character who was both real and ethereal, a man of magic and court intrigue.

Marcin Bronikowki as Dandini upstages the Prince Don Ramiro most of the time with his outlandish behaviours and his voice had the power to capture the sense of the man overplaying his role and relishing it. As Don Ramiro, John Tessier started off with a more restrained voice, as does Castle (Amelia) but as he took on his true role as prince his voice took on more authority and what he lacked in strength was made up for in expressive qualities.

The two snobby sisters, Clorinda and Tisbe, sung by Amelia Berry and Rachelle Pike, provided great comic characters with robust voices, skilful acting and an engaging stage presence. They  mixed the charming and the grotesque, creating characters the audience loved to hate. They spent much of the time playing directly to the audience, increasing the sophistication of their comic interchanges.

The great comic character is Don Magnifico trying his best to have one of his daughters wed, trying to prove himself worthy of nobility and failing. He comes into his own with the several fast-paced tongue twister songs passing them off with a carefree nonchalance much to the delight of the audience. His singing about wine was also the cause of much laughter as he managed to insert references to Cloudy Bay, Kumeu and Villa Maria.

The sets cleverly designed by Dan Potra range from the fabulous overstuffed interior of Don Magnifico’s Emporium through to the brilliantly minimalist garden setting as well as the impressive library interior which fills the whole stage with books and also serves as an quirky liquor cabinet.

The lighting design by Mathew Marshall greatly enhances the action and the sets. When Dandini sings to Angelina about her transformation, the set lights up with strings of fairy lights and in the couple of tumultuous scenes the lighting provides a sense of drama and apprehension.

Cast members have a few numbers in which they have been choreographed by Taiaroa Royal, providing some cleverly staged sequences.

Wyn Davis as conductor again showed his ability to control the orchestra, allowing the voices to dominate by providing the just the right level of sound.