puccini – Ginger in the Theatre

Puccini’s Madama Butterfly (An Ellen Kent Production)

New Theatre, Oxford

Reviewed by Jade Prince

Seen January 25th, 2020

★★★★★

This was stunning. An easy 5 stars!

This was the second night of Ellen Kent’s opera productions at New Theatre in Oxford and I thought I’d enjoy La Bohème more. I was very wrong. La Bohème was enjoyable but Madama Butterfly took my initial thoughts of Ellen Kent’s productions to another level.

Another romantic opera set in the heart of Japan, tells the story of a young Japanese woman who falls in love with a visiting American lieutenant. It’s a heart-breaking romance.

Having seen another Ellen Kent production the night prior, it was clear to see that this production got the bigger budget and more attention. It all worked so wonderfully on stage. The initial teething problems with sound from night one had gone. It was obviously the warm up for this spectacular piece.

It was magical hearing the orchestra in all its glory. The music just radiated through you and sent chills down your spine. But then to have that accompanied by the vocals of the talented cast just heightened the whole experience. That was the vibe I expected from an opera. The cast were not holding back. They really gave their all and the outcome was beautiful.

The emotion was raw. Elena Dee was mesmerising as Cio-Cio San. I’ve heard she’s been working on perfecting her role at the end of the show (no spoilers from me! but you probably know where it’s going) and I have to say…I was blown away. It was so moving. Not only the acting but the pain portrayed in her voice.

I adore how poetic the lyrics are. Being able to read the surtitles was great. As we’re talking about the surtitles, I really enjoyed the variation in speed that people were reading them. There are some point which are quiet funny and some people in the audience were a lot quicker at reading them than others resulting in an echo of chuckles. It just made me realise that everybody was getting their own unique experience. It hit home how subjective opera can be and moves people in different ways.

I can definitely see why this production of Madama Butterfly won the ‘best opera award’ from Liverpool Daily Post Theatre awards. Just like a butterfly, Madama Butterfly was splendid to watch.

The same as La Bohème, Madama Butterfly has just began its tour of the UK with many more dates seeing it through until April 2020. Personally, I highly recommend this piece. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole show.

Click here for more information on upcoming venues and tickets.

La Bohème

Trafalgar Studios 2, London

Seen on December 14th, 2017

Reviewed by Jade Prince

★★★★

All theatre nerds will know this story as the classic opera which inspired the smash hit musical ‘Rent’. For those unfamiliar with it, La Bohème is an intertwining of addiction and love both set to collide. Which will stand tall at the end? Love? Drugs?

This is a modern take on Puccini’s classic opera which is undeniably timeless. Adam Spreadbury-Maher and Becca Marriott have created a brand new retelling of the story which made me laugh and cry.

I’ve really wanted to see this show for a long time and seeing this brand new adaptation of it was stunning. It is so contemporary. Most certainly not a traditional opera. In my mind, an opera is this huge grand affair which lasts for hours with several acts but this is the complete opposite. I found that really refreshing.

The venue itself is so intimate. The cast don’t use any microphones because they just aren’t needed. I loved the way the intimate venue was used to the performers benefit (but more on that in a short while!)

In this version the first act is very comical. Lots of jokes thrown in referencing recent politics and news. A real bromance is seen between Mark and Ralph. The first act also really showed off the set and lighting creatives’ talent. The lighting (by Nic Farman) was great. The apartment was softly lit with several lamps adding to the soft light. Whereas the next scene in the pub was a harsh chandelier radiating yellow beams with another spot light focused on the area. It was very much the typical pub lighting you would expect. The set was also fabulous, it was distressed and mismatched but it didn’t distract your eye from the performance.

Another highlight of act 1 was the use of the audience during the pub scene. With it being such an intimate venue they really used it well. A lively vibe was created. One you’d expect in a pub during the Christmas period.

The performance itself was kept very simple and the music was also in keeping with this. Throughout the whole show it was just a pianist and cellist playing. Rather beautiful.

One song shorty into act 2 was beautiful to listen to however I couldn’t understand any of the lyrics sung. This was really difficult simply because all four actors were singing at once and no microphones were used so certain voices couldn’t be highlighted at certain times. The four voices were wonderful but when all at once, drowned each other out. As expected act 2 was incredibly emotional and Becca Marriott (Mimi) handled this so well. Mimi is a very difficult character to portray but it seemed to come so naturally to her. The other stand out performer was Honey Rouhani (Musetta). I absolutely adored her performance! She had the most ad-libs in the script as she had so much interaction with audience members during act 1. She was brilliant at this and I loved how she was so comfortable with the character she could strike up conversations with some male ‘prey’ in the audience to pass the time when her dialogue went quiet during the scene. Another thing I must say is that Matthew Kimble (Ralph) can sing to me anytime! His voice! Dreamy!

If I were to describe this show in two words it would have to be ‘powerful’ and ’emotional’

La Bohème is booking until 6th January 2018. This is such a beautiful piece and if you get the chance, do go see it. More information on the show and tickets can be found here: http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/trafalgar-studios/

From The Box Office are doing a great offer currently where you can save up to 50% on tickets: https://www.fromtheboxoffice.com/city/2957-london/43OA-la-boheme/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shows%20-%20London%20Targeted&utm_term=%2Bla%20%2Bboheme%20%2Btrafalgar%20%2Bstudios&utm_content=atg_av%20La%20Boheme%2043OA