L'Elisir d'amore - Suffolk Opera, Dormy House Hotel, Broadway, Worcestershire, February 27th 2009

Bash up the M40 to the Cotswolds and there you will find the Dormy House Hotel, unpretentious luxury in exquisite surroundings.  Suffolk Opera (in Worcestershire) gave a much relished performance of Donizetti's L'Elisir d'amore in their banqueting basement.  Director Robin Martin Oliver pulled off a lively rendition of a much loved piece with a non professional chorus - I've seen worse on stage at ENO.  Despite obvious limitations - the stage was a dais under a dangerously low ceiling and lighting was stuck on boil wash - the gigantic bra hanging from a washing line upstage compensated for the lack of fly bars and rakes.

The crazy, slapstick energy of the principals was heart stopping at times.  Nemorino, sung by Alexander Anderson-Hall, was flung hard around the stage yet always bounced up, never missing a note.  The acoustics were a little dry and this might have caused Anderson-Hall to hold back until Una Furtiva Lacrima, but he sung it with the control and passion required for such a devilishly hard show piece.  Adina, sung by Clare Presland had a foxy but sympathetic slant on Adina's potential coldness.  She was secure at the top and flexible enough with the coloratura although there were moments when the voice lacked colour.  James McOran-Campbell's Belcore was the bombe surprise of the evening.  Startlingly handsome with a fine-grained bass, he showed remarkable dexterity and ease of tone with Donizetti's glittering score.  His comic timing was faultless; his lascivious gyrations hilarious.  Doctor Dulcamara was sung by Jon Openshaw, a young quack this time, with one eye on the ladies and the other on his profits.  His patter was enunciated with military precision - every word was audible and his pitch never faltered.  It was refreshing to see a younger, more vibrant Dulcamara than the stock in trade buffos wheeled on by major opera houses.

The English translation, by Ruth and Thomas Martin, was pithy and accessible.  Belcore calling Nemorino a 'pillock' straightened a few gala diners' backs, but the vernacular suited this rough and tumble production.  The singers were accompanied by music director Peter Cowdrey at the piano.  He trilled and spilled his way through Donizetti's fiery bombast, delicious key changes and fragile beauty with cool command.  The ensemble stayed intact, even during the dizzying Act II finale; a notorious banana skin for opera companies with conductors, batons and monitors.

Opera Now Magazine, July 2009.