The Consul

Gertrude Opera is a new company which appears to have sprung from the Opera Studio, utilising some of their students. This was the first production I have encountered from this new group.

The National Theatre Opera School produced this opera in the seventies while I was attending, and I was fortunate to play one of the roles, so I was very familiar with it.

This was the preview performance and a couple of the singers were sick and marked their roles, hoping to recover for opening night.

It was an interesting production with a clear plastic screen separating the front and back of the stage. Behind this figures could be seen sitting in a waiting room. Often some would shine torches on the screen, like police searching for their man. It was very effective.

The simple set worked quite well with a cupboard in Magda’s house becoming the secretary’s desk at the consulate. Entrances were generally through the screen. Often a square of light would shine on the back wall to look like a window.

Costumes were of an indeterminate period with the Police Chief being dressed in black with a bike helmet. Some of the minor characters were in fairy costumes.

In the final scene Magda is to put her head in the oven and turn the gas on while she hallucinates and the other characters appear through the walls to sing the final ensemble. This hallucination aspect was started quite early with various characters helping the Magician with his tricks and other effects.

One was to remove the baby (a doll with a light inside its head) from the grandmother as she was singing her Lullaby. As this was some time before the baby was supposed to die I found this disconcerting.

There were a couple of other issues I had with the direction. In the great Papers Aria where Magda finally loses it with the secretary, Magda sang it to the audience instead of to the secretary, draining it of the emotional impact it should have had. And at the end, Magda just walked off stage instead of sticking her head in the gas oven, and so there was no phone call to miss.

The singing was magnificent, particularly from professionals Glaston Toft, Simon Meadows and Adrian McEniery. Equally impressive was student Eugene Raggio. I heard him at the German Australian Opera Grant last year and he has improved out of sight. Linda Thompson did a commendable job of the demanding role of Magda, her big voice being just right for the role.

Katherine Day handled the difficult score with aplomb and Rick Prakhoff held it all together. This will be a great opportunity to see this rarely heard work.

Graham Ford

Photographer: Jeff Busby.