Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, November 5, 2014 - Page 63
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Cirque du Soleil returns Opera triple treat
● Rachelle Durkin with Conal Coad in Don Pasquale. Photo: Bruno Gaica ■ Opera Australia takes residence in the State Theatre with its three-show Melbourne spring season. Three different operas are on offer, so whether you prefer tragedy, comedy or Shakespeare as opera, there will be something to suit most people's operatic tastes. Kicking off proceedings next week (Nov. 12) is one of Puccini's dramatic opera, Tosca. Full of passion and heartbreak, the story follows the inevitable dark end of opera singer Floria Tosca, her lover Cavaradossi and the evil lust-driven Scarpia who causes their demise. Despite the grim story, this opera has some of Puccini's most beautiful music and the story is gripping. Directed by a man best known for his fine work in establishing Bell Shakespeare Company, John Bell, this production has been updated from 1800 and Napoleon's occupation of Rome, to the 1940s when the Nazis were in control. Bulgarian soprano Svetla Vassileva and Australian Jacqueline Marbardi will share the title role, with Mexico's Diego Torre as Cavaradossi and Italian baritone Claudio Sgura in the role of Scarpia, made famous by Australia's John Wegner in previous productions. Tosca runs until December 13, and is conducted by Andrea Molino. Donizetti's Don Pasquale brings laughs, as bass Conal Coad takes on the title role of the curmudgeonly old uncle who is tricked into sharing his fortune with a pair of young lovers. Lots of twists add humour to the plot and everything eventually ends as it should. Joining Conal Coad in the principal roles of Norina and Ernesto are Rachelle Durkin and John Longmuir. (Durkin and Longmuir will also delight Melbourne audiences on December 14, when they sing the respective soprano and tenor solos for the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic's performance of Handel's Messiah.) Don Pasquale is directed by Roger Hodgman and conducted by Guilliaume Tourniaire and Brian Castles-Onion and runs from November 19 until December 12. Final opera of the spring trio is Verdi's Falstaff, based on Shakespeare's famous ridiculous character, and described as a fast-paced farce with opera's favourite buffoon. Following on from his triumph in Wagner's Ring Cycle in Melbourne last year, Warwick Fyffe takes on the larger than life comic role of Falstaff, a character we might perhaps call a legend in his own lunchtime. With several other larger than life characters played by tenor Kanen Breen and bass Jud Arthur, the comic potential is huge. Joining her fellow Ring Cycle performer Fyffe is popular ex-Ballarat mezzo-soprano Jacqueline Dark, as Meg Page, Jane Ede as Alice Ford, Taryn Fiebig as Nanetta, Dominica Matthews as Mistress Quickly among a large cast of fine singers. Falstaff runs from December 1 until December 6, and is directed by Simon Phillips and conducted by Christian Badea. www.artscentremelbourne.com.au or call Opera Australia on 9685 3700. - Julie Houghton
● The Russian Bars in Cirque du Soleil’s 30th anniversary show, Totem. Costumes by Kym Barrett. Photo: Matt Beard ■ Cirque du Soleil celebrates its 30th anniversary with an Australian tour of Totem, opening in Melbourne from January 21, with an extended season until March 15, at the Flemington Racecourse. Written and directed by Robert Lepage, Totem tells the story of mankind’s evolution through an uplifting array of athleticism, comedy and visual effects. Since its world premiere in 2010, Totem has been seen by more than three million people across 25 cities worldwide and features a cast of 45 acrobats, actors, musicians and singers. On an island evoking the shape of a giant turtle, Totem traces humankind`s incredible journey – from our original amphibian state to our ultimate quest for flight. Along the way, it also explores our dreams and infinite potential, and the ties that bind us both to our collective animal origins and to the species that share the planet with us. Alternating between primitive and modern myths, and peppered with Aboriginal stories of creation, Totem echoes and explores the evolutionary process of species, our ongoing search for balance, and the curiosity that propels us ever further, faster, and higher. The word ‘totem’ contains the idea of the order of species. We carry in our bodies the potential of all species, all the way to our desire to fly – like the thunderbird at the top of the totem pole. Technically, Totem is the first Cirque du Soleil hybrid show, as it can be adapted to perform in indoor venues as well as under the trademark blue-and-yellow big top, without changes to the equipment. A total of 170 people travel with Totem, including 115 employees and artists, and 55 official accompanying members such as spouses and family. Tickets for Totem can be booked by visiting www.cirque dusoleil.com/en/shows/totem/tickets/melbourne/mapsinfos.aspx - Cheryl Threadgold
Choir performs twice
Observer Showbiz Briefs ■ Steve Curtis has hosted his final breakfast show on 1071 4SB Kingaroy. He began his radio career as a panel operator at 3KZ when he was 18. He's also worked at stations including 3MP. ■ Sky News boss Angelos Frangopoulos is being touted as the leading contender to replace Mark Scott as Managing Director of the ABC.
● Douglas Lawrence ■ The ethereal sounds of the Australian Chamber Choir are comingin two concerts on November 8 and 9. The final concert in their 2014 program is entitled Eternal Light - Lux Aeterna, and will feature Purcell's O Sing Unto The Lord, the title piece of the concert by Ligeti, and Pergolesi's' popular Magnificat. Turn To Page 65