La Traviata

This is a stunning production that exudes confidence, charm and elegance. Stacey Alleaume is outstanding as Violetta. The power of her voice conveys enormous depth of emotion and gives a sincere level of substance to what can seem like a superficial romantic story.  Alleaume is able to portray Violetta’s fiery yet extremely compassionate nature and this makes her character and her actions very comprehensible. Ho-Yoon Chung as Alfredo takes some time to warm up to his role and at times his voice is overpowered by the intensity of the other performers. However, the warmth he gives to Alfredo is a perfect accompaniment to Alleaume’s Violetta. The strong cast includes a variety of local, international, established, and emerging performers. Mario Cassi as Giorgio Germont is both passionate and refined and also clearly contributes to elevating this production.

The production design doesn’t hold any great surprises but the attention to detail is striking. The party scene in Act I is so richly decorated it immediately conveys the opulence of the era. A deep red tone dominates the colour scheme highlighting the fervour and hospitality the setting creates. The scene is complimented by a full cast of chorus singers giving it a truly festive flavour. The presence of so many performers adds to the plethora of information, and the stimulus becomes quite a feast for the eyes. At times the stage appears like a moving piece of art from La Belle Époque. 

This creates a dramatic contrast with the more austere and sombre settings of the country retreat where Alfredo and Violetta take refuge and the setting where Violetta eventually expires. This contrast accentuates the emptiness and greyness which characterise the décor and echoes the tragedy of Alfredo and Violetta’s separation. This is especially evident when Violetta is placed back in the same set as the opening scene in Act I where it is stripped of all its colour and vibrancy.

This production has an exceptional synergy between the performance, the production design and the magnificent music of Verdi’s composition, which is so beautifully executed by Orchestra Victoria. The audience is given ample opportunity to enjoy the ensemble work as well as the more intimate moments and exchanges between the primary characters; the adoration between Violetta and Alfredo is marked and Germont’s admiration for Violetta is so genuine it clearly fuels the remorse that he increasingly expresses as her death nears. 

This production has many truly exceptional qualities and the performance unequivocally offers the audience a profoundly intense experience of La Traviata’s incredibly amorous universe. 

Patricia Di Risio 

Photographer: Jeff Busby