Down with High-Pitched Divas
By Erica Smith
I’ll ‘fess up – I am not an opera fan. I can cope with most kinds of music as I scroll through the channels on my car radio, but high-pitched divas on Radio 3 get me speed-dialling Heart FM.
Last year’s elaborate Barefoot Opera Bloom Britannia, with inclusive cast and riot of community choirs, started to change my mind about opera being elitist and irrelevant. Two hundred years ago it was genuinely the artform of the masses, and Barefoot Opera embrace that ethos. Director Jenny Miller and resident bassist Lucy Mulgan run a regular, joyful choir at Seaview – a centre supporting some of the most marginalised communities in town.
Centarola
CREDIT: Chris Parker
This season, Barefoot Opera were back in a packed St Mary in the Castle production of Rossini’s La Cerentola – ‘Cinderella’ to you and me. This was pared back opera.
The cast of eight and orchestra of three shared Andrew Sparling as clarinettist and courtier Alidoro. Other performers were delightfully young, and the production inventive and playful. Cinderella (Rachel Deatherage) shares the stage with ugly-on-the-inside stepsisters – social media influencers (Elora Ledger and Jessica Wise) – and their social-climbing step-father (Jacob Bettinelli).
Barefoot brings it up to date but Rossini’s interpretation of the traditional folk tale has the handsome Prince (James Beddoe) swapping roles with his bodyguard, leading to mis-directed fawning and batting of lashes by the ugly sisters whilst Cinderella and the prince find true love.
Hats off to Jane Bruce and Natascha Stolle who created the set and costumes from upcycled materials. Cinderella recycles plastic bottles whilst her sisters goggle at empty-framed iPads. Their hilarious fashionista costumes are the perfect props for their bad-postured, greedy flirting. Prince Charming’s ball features a massive walk-on chorus comprising Bexhill College, Voiceworks and Seaview Choir members – all sporting re-purposed charity shop treasures.
Operas are long, but this kept my focus. St Mary in the Castle was the perfect venue, the band of two-and-a-half were amazing – and yes – the singing was wonderful too!
• See www.barefootopera.com for future performances and November’s vocal workshops.
• See www.stablestheatre.co.uk for Prologue Opera’s November production Becoming Carmen.
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