Cranford Review 2019

English National Opera
60
On
the 12th March 2019, I
and the other A Level
Drama students were given the
opportunity to see the dress
rehearsal for Mozart’s ‘The
Magic Flute’ performed by the
ENO at the London Coliseum.
This visit was part of on- going
opportunities offered as part of
the year- long partnership with the
opera company.
While I have seen multiple operas
before due to my participation in
the ENO Youth Company, this
particular performance stood out
for me. Maybe it was the fact
that I had already heard some
of the famous pieces such as the
Queen of the Night’s aria, or
perhaps it’s my affinity to fantasy
and comedy. Whatever the case,
this piece quickly became one
of my favorite operas for many
reasons; The blatant breaking of
the 4th wall through Papageno’s
interactions with the audience
adding to the hilarity, the mix
between dialogue and song making
it a less conventional opera, and
this particular production’s use
of Foley art and live drawing
which was used to create the
background of each new scene.
This production was directed
by Theatre Complicité’s Simon
McBurney which was very clear
through the fine physical theatre
and innovative use of technology,
and as we had been studying him
for our A ‘Level drama piece, we
came to love his work. This may
have increased my love for this
production in particular.
I have seen quite a few operas,
but this one was different. There
was a very minimal set with only
the hand drawn projections to
identify the different areas where
each scene was played, and a large
square platform made of wood
which was lifted and moved around
using wires creating levels and
adding to the whimsical feel of the
piece as it was ‘floating’ in scenes
like the prison and the maze. Also,
the orchestra was raised for this
production from its usual position
of the pit so that you could see
all the different instruments, so
breaking the 4th wall even more,
as well as allowing the characters
to interact with the orchestra
members which resulted in some
more comedy. Most operas have
conventions where the orchestra is
hidden from most of the audience
(in the pit), there is very minimal
if any breaking of the 4th wall, the
story is often a tragedy of some
sort, and if there is a narrative the
dialogue is sung in a recitative
where it mimics the aspect of
natural dialogue but is still sung.
This piece does the opposite of
all these which I love, and while
there are comedic operas like
those by Gilbert and Sullivan, this
one seems to rely more on wit and
observational humour as opposed
to G & S’s often more physical
comedy which I appreciate.
If you are looking for an opera to
start with, I would suggest ‘The
Magic Flute’ as it is enjoyable for
all ages; there is childlike humour,
beautiful imagery, a fantastical
tale of love, and absolutely
amazing music.
Aria Cundall (year 13)