The other standout was tenor Pascal Charbonneau as Tobias Ragg, who sang with astounding clarity and nuance. She was the only member of the cast who was able to slip naturally between singing and speech, and thus formed the most coherent character onstage. Despite this, Grimsley’s excellent use of dialogue and overall commitment meant that it was still an excellent performance.Īs a result, it fell to Luretta Bybee’s Mrs Lovett to carry the show – with her rich mezzo, vibrant stage presence, and deft humour, she easily won the audience over. Regrettably, he fell victim to a cold and had to mime the role while his understudy George Masswohl was miked in from backstage – the massive disconnect between the character’s speaking and singing voices unfortunately highlighted the sub-optimal amplification used. And indeed, the production was an ideal fit for Grimsley’s animalistic intensity and presence. The production was very clearly designed for the talents of Greer Grimsley one of the reigning Wotans of our time, and very much a star attraction in Vancouver and Seattle. The set was dominated by a massive metal bridge that shifted and rotated around the onstage orchestra, which neatly suggested all of the varying locales with minimum intrusiveness. Lovett’s new pie shop to the orgiastic excesses of Judge Turpin’s glass penthouse, the crimes of Todd and Mrs Lovett became sympathetic, even inevitable.
From the discomforting lurking presence of prostitutes to the faceless McDonald’s-esque efficiency of Mrs.
Though contemporary settings are now de rigueur in the opera world, Collier’s emphasis on the themes of consumerism, corruption, and poverty proved particularly pertinent. Vancouver Opera’s new production, though, goes beyond the comfortable Victorian trappings of most productions and instead offers a contemporary one that is tense, incriminating and explosively theatrical.ĭirector Kim Collier, known for her avant-garde theatre productions throughout Canada, sets the action in what is clearly modern day Vancouver. In presenting Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, Vancouver Opera is in good company – in the past month alone, both English National Opera and Houston Grand Opera have premiered their productions of Sondheim’s musical. Vancouver Opera, not known for their daring productions, have consistently presented innovative and thought-provoking productions of classic pieces of the musical theatre world. It’s perhaps ironic that the opera world is known for being conservative in its tastes, when its musical theatre offerings tend to be never less that highly stimulating both intellectually and musically.
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