OTELLO

Simon Phillips’ production of Verdi’s Otello clearly falls into the category of ‘event theatre’ – six Southern Hemisphere opera companies as producer, an international cast, and a ‘cutting edge’ concept it ticks all the right boxes.

These days, to keep the opera repertoire relevant, companies give director’s carte blanche to re-imagine the classic works, think Baz Luhrmann’s inspired Bollywood version of Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream or even Simon Phillips’ fun 1914 Aussie re-setting of Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. Phillips’ re-imagining of Otello taking place on an aircraft carrier during the Gulf War is certainly a revolutionary idea, and with computers, mobiles phones and guns, nightly-news contemporary, but what was happening on stage bore little resemblance to the libretto.

Musically the production was glorious. Could there be a better villain than Douglas McNichol’s Iago? His tour-de-force performance was not only brutally evil but outstanding. Cheryl Barker proved why she is one of Australia’s most renowned sopranos giving Desdemona a depth that was compelling with her “Willow Song” achingly beautiful. Frank Poretta in the title role sang masterfully but at times his OTT acting felt at odds with the contemporary setting. Still his long Act 2 duet when Iago convinces him his wife is unfaithful was one of the vocal highlights.

Thrilling is the only word to describe the Opera Queensland Chorus in their choral passages, while the Queensland Symphony Orchestra has rarely played better under the baton of Johannes Fritzsch. Never too loud, you could hear every word the principals sang. It was perfect.

Dale Ferguson’s set gave the claustrophobic feeling Phillips was after, while Michael Mitchell’s Navy fatigue costumes may have been authentic but looked incredibly dull on-stage.

The production premiered in Cape Town, South Africa, in April 2013 and is due to roll-out around Australia and New Zealand in the next few years. Perth gets it in February. Although the concept may be flawed, Verdi’s the winner. On his bi-centennial the Italian maestro still enchants.

Peter Pinne      

Image: Douglas McNicol as Iago Created by Mike Curtain.