Ireland Wexford Festival Opera 2024 [3] – Donizetti, Le convenienze ed inconvenienze teatrali: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of Wexford Festival Opera / Danila Grassi (conductor). O’Reilly Theatre, Wexford, 25.10.2024. (RB)
Every so often you come across a work that you have not encountered before and ask why it is not better known and performed more often. Donizetti’s Le convenienze is one such work. Wexford Festival Opera’s outstanding new production was outrageously funny and featured some of the best singing, dancing and playing I have heard in years.
The opera was originally a one-act farsa which premiered at the Teatro Nuovo in Naples in 1827, before Donizetti revised it as a two-act work with added recitatives and other material. It was inspired by two comedies written by Antonio Simone Sografi between 1794 and 1816. The title refers to the customs and drawbacks of the theatre. Convenienze or customs in this context refers to the ranking of singers (primo, secondo) in nineteenth-century opera and the number of scenes and arias they were entitled to expect.
The plot concerns a regional and mediocre opera company and the obstacles they need to overcome while staging a new production called Romolo ed Ersilia. The obstacles are created for the most part by the performers they have to deal with. The prima donna, Daria, is a diva and refuses to rehearse while displaying condescending attitudes to the other performers. The tenor, Guglielmo, finds himself in the wrong production and is out of his depth. Agata, the mother of the seconda donna, arrives and demands that her daughter be given a more prominent role. Agata gradually tries to take over all aspects of the production in spite of not being able to sing or read music; she causes mayhem. When the production eventually collapses, the company try to flee under cover of night rather than paying back all the investors.
The success of this production is in large part due to the work of the director, Orpha Phelan. There is no definitive score for this work and Phelan had to do some preparatory investigative work to come up with a suitable score. In accordance with authentic 19th century tradition, she has incorporated music not written by the composer himself, including music at the beginning of Act II. She has also included three aria de baule including ‘Edelweiss’ from The Sound of Music and ‘Glitter and be Gay’ from Bernstein’s Candide. Phelan clearly encouraged the performers to have fun and ad lib with the material and they certainly did not hold back. She also included energised dance routines to enliven Donizetti’s glittering ensemble numbers. As the events in the opera careered out of control, it was impossible not to get swept up in the outrageous comedy and ebullient energy of the production.
Madeleine Boyd’s sets and costumes were perfectly judged. In the opening act the set consisted of a desk, an upright piano and chairs scattered about conveying a rehearsal room in a provincial theatre. The assorted costumes signalled a mid-twentieth century time period. In the opera within an opera section, there was a backdrop of Classical columns and marble steps, while the cast all wore traditional Roman togas and stolas. Amy Share-Kissiov almost stole the show with her amazing dance routines. These routines combined brilliantly with the buffa patter coming from the singers and they enhanced the comedy while bringing energy and fizz to the production.
One of the earlier titles of Donizetti’s opera was Viva la Mamma, a reference to Donna Agata. In this production, it was the bass-baritone, Paolo Bordogna, who had the task of bringing the larger-than-life Agata to life. Bordogna threw himself into this drag role with camp abandon. Agata made demands, pouted and grimaced, threatened and intimidated, charmed and cajoled, kicked and slapped her competitors to get her daughter a bigger part in the opera. She allowed nothing to stand in her way; in spite of not being able to sing she performed some of the numbers herself when other performers dropped out. She also opted to perform the ballet, dancing herself to hilarious effect. Bordogna performed the rapid-fire coloratura brilliantly while bringing out the humour in the vocal line with impeccable coming timing. His Agata was a human juggernaut steamrollering all before her and causing general mayhem and uproar.
Coloratura soprano, Sharleen Joynt, was magnificent in the role of the prima donna, Daria. Joynt brilliantly negotiated Donizetti’s demanding coloratura while soaring up to the top notes with ease. Her performance of Leonard Bernstein’s ‘Glitter and be Gay’ was a showstopper, and I was amazed at how well it seemed to fit into this production. I enjoyed the disdainful attitude Joynt displayed to all those around her and the casual way in which she flung her gloves at her husband. The latter was played by baritone, Guiseppe Toia, who acted as Daria’s minder and enforcer. Toia gave an impressive performance of his aria in Act II while contributing well to the ensemble numbers. Alberto Robert also gave a strong performance in the role of the tenor, Guglielmo. He seemed confused and bewildered most of the time, singing numbers from The Sound of Music, although he rose well to the challenge of Donizetti’s buffa score. The rest of the cast all acquitted themselves well.
Conductor, Danila Grassi, and the Wexford Festival Orchestra brought dynamism and buoyancy to Donizetti’s score. Grassi ensured the big set piece numbers were tight, and the orchestral entries were well co-ordinated. The Wexford Festival Chorus slotted seamlessly into the big ensemble numbers and clearly enjoyed being part of the drama and high jinks.
This was an outstanding production on every level – bravo to all concerned.
Robert Beattie
Creatives:
Stage director – Orpha Phelan
Set & Costume designer – Madeleine Boyd
Lighting designer – Daniele Naldi
Choreographer & Assistant director – Amy Share-Kissiov
Assistant Lighting designer – Paolo Bonapace
Chorus master – Andrew Synott
Cast:
Daria Garbinati – Sharleen Joynt
Donna Agata Scannagalli – Paolo Bordogna
Procolo – Giuseppe Toia
Biscroma Strappaviscere – Matteo Loi
Luigia Castragatti – Paola Leoci
Guglielmo Antolstoinoff – Alberto Robert
Cesare Salzapariglia – William Kyle
Pippetto – Hannah Bennett
Impresario – Philip Kalmanovitch
Director of the Theatre – Henry Grant Kerswell