BY ALISON PARIS
Opera Galactica
Brisbane City Opera
Metro Arts, 14 March
With its wonderful blend of pop culture, opera, comedy, and drama, Opera Galactica seemed to have something for just about every audience member. Whether you’re a sci-fi novice or unfamiliar with opera, this hilarious production would probably keep you as entertained as the concertgoers I witnessed in this Brisbane City Opera event (myself included).
The cast used the space of Metro Arts’ Lumen Room to its full capacity. With only a small stage and such larger-than-life onstage personalities, the room never felt bare, even with only one character on stage at a given moment. A plain black backdrop with curtained windows was used to great comedic effect on several occasions, with cast members popping up behind them intermittently. Costumes and props were also effective, with an overall minimalist but clear imitation of iconic looks, from Princess Slayer’s double buns in her hair to Guru’s oversized, hooded cloak. Even to a novice, the production had enough clarity to understand what was happening without cluttering things with expensive and over-the-top replicas.
The ensemble cast, consisting of Dark Invader’s lackeys, provided a great deal of physical comedy, as well as some hilarious musical numbers. Opera Galactica excelled musically, with first-rate singing from every cast member, and phenomenal accompaniment and conducting throughout the entire show from Brisbane City Opera’s musical director Mark Connors. The musical highlights for me were Princess Slayer’s (Annika Hinrichs) impressive rendition of Sempre Libera from La Traviata, which showed a great deal of vocal skill and endurance. There was much more to come after this long aria, all of which was handled with a great deal of musicality as well as effective comedic timing. Another great moment was the use of the famous Les Pêcheurs de Perles duet, performed as Duke (Oliver Samson) slowly learns the ways of the Guru.
As always, the cast of BCO was incredibly entertaining and charismatic. It was clear that each cast member was thoroughly enjoying themself, which made the show a blast to watch. Guru (Joshua White) and Duke had hilarious chemistry with their increasingly frustrated banter, and their voices blended together wonderfully for an equally enjoyable musical experience alongside the comedy.
Daniel Smerdon played well the menacing but pathetic villain Dark Invader. His voice really suited the role, often sounding incredibly intimidating, but easily switching to a more light-hearted tone when suited.
Hinrichs shined as Princess Slayer, the captured princess whose damsel-in-distress archetype was cut short by her own wit and sarcasm. Hinrichs played her as a woman who, despite being held captive by the galaxy’s infamous dictator, the Dark Invader, isn’t afraid to show how fed up she is with the whole situation. Vocally, this role is extremely challenging, drawing from operas such as Verdi’s La Traviata, Wagner’s Die Walküre, and Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.
Opera Galactica was an absolute blast. With the perfect balance of comedy, great music, and drama, this production was all that it aimed to be.
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Images supplied.
