Reviews

This is a welcome revival of Sir David McVicar’s magnificently dramatized and designed 2015 production for Opera Australia.

Many of the original, international cast superbly reprise their roles, notably Ukraine’s Andrei Bondarenko as the autocratic and lustful Count, Russia’s Ekaterina Sadovnikova as his anguished wife and Italian bass Paolo Bordogna as his scheming servant Figaro.

Willoughby’s Fiddler on the Roof is all life, joy and heart. There’s a zest and warmth in this show that makes it feel fresh and engaging, instead of the respected museum piece it’s usually treated as. After years of watching (enduring?) too many Fiddlers I prepared myself for a plodding ordeal. How wrong I was. The Willoughby Fiddler had me wanting to move to a Russian village and become Jewish.

On the anniversary of their last show with the Pops Orchestra, Queensland’s Three Tenors, Adam Lopez, Nathan Kneen and Gregory Moore, were back for more of the same to the delight of a capacity audience. Singing solos, duets and trios made famous by the original three tenors (Domingo/Carreras/Pavarotti), plus putting their own spin on some recent tenor standards, and with the orchestra in top form, it was a fitting finale concert to a year of outstanding work by the Pops.

How would you explain ‘normal’? This collaborative show tackles the subject through movement, dance, comedy and music. Explain Normal is a collaboration between director, Daniele Constance, the Aha Ensemble and the Phluxus2 Dance Collective – groups that work with artists who identify as having a disability. Explain Normal looks at very personal experiences as the artists define ‘normal’ through their own eyes.