Opera Factory's Menotti double bill is a zesty celebration of the company's 40th season of fringe opera. The aperitif is Amelia Goes to the Ball, a treacherous trifle, the tale of a headstrong woman determined to go dancing come hell or high Cs.
The cast have their characters to a T. Vanessa Blake is the pretty, coquettish Amelia, Edward Scorgie the outraged husband, Jack Bourke the oleaginous lover and James Ioelu the smug cop. But despite an exceedingly neat handling of the difficult trio and other ensembles, the piece needs a little more relaxation than director Paul Barrett drew from his cast.
Rosemary Barnes' wizardry, condensing Menotti's score to one keyboard and 10 fingers, proves even more startling in The Medium.
Director Sally Sloman serves up Menotti's cocktail of melodrama and tabloid triple strength, allowing the demented Madame Flora a few high-spirited and low-kicking moments.
This is theatre in the raw, so immediate that much of my evening was spent trembling on the edge of my seat.
Smaller roles, from Sharon Yearsley's Mrs Gobineau to Jessica Smith's Mrs Nolan, are etched with infinite care, while Emma Sloman gives her strongest performance to date as the daughter Monica.
Sloman is poignant in her Black Swan aria, infectious in her waltz song, and deft in her theatrical skills when she gives voice to the mute Toby (touchingly mimed by Aidan Gill).
As the phony medium, Carmel Carroll has the presence to strike terror into the heart of anyone. As lusty with her whip as she is shameless with her dipso's paper bag, the mezzo uses her rich voice to catch every wayward mood of her character.
Yet this is no shabby shocker. My eyes moistened during Flora's aria Afraid, am I afraid, totally caught up by the consummate artistry. The season ends on Sunday. Don't miss it.
Review
*What: Amelia Goes to the Ball and The Medium
*Where: Opera Factory, 7 Eden St, Newmarket
*Reviewer: William Dart
Invitation to the ball promises high time
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