BY ANGUS MCPHERSON
La Traviata by Verdi
Opera Bites
Cello’s Restaurant, The Castlereagh Boutique Hotel, March 11
Violetta and her admirer Alfredo move between tables of champagne-drinking guests, clinking glasses with them as they sing a vibrant Libiamo ne’ lieti calici in the opulent surrounds of The Castlereagh Boutique Hotel’s Cello’s Restaurant. Verdi’s well-loved opera La Traviata tells the story of the consumptive courtesan Violetta, who abandons her party lifestyle in Paris for a life of love with Alfredo in the country. She returns to Paris, however, when Alfredo’s father appeals to her to leave Alfredo and save the family from scandal. The sumptuous 1920s art deco décor is a marvellous backdrop for Opera Bites’ bite-sized production of La Traviata, where the audience is not just watching, but is actually at the party.
In this extravagant setting, the boutique opera company manages to achieve a lot with very little. Set changes are simple but effective: the addition of a writing desk transforms Violetta’s salon into a country house for the second act, and a cover of green felt makes it the card table at Flora’s party in Act III. The tight-knit cast of five covers all of the necessary roles, filling out chorus lines when necessary, and Musical Director Zsuzsa Giczy’s piano stands in for the orchestra.
While the piano reduction doesn’t convey the richness of Verdi’s orchestration, the excellent singing more than makes up for it. Rae Levien is a spirited Violetta, her honeyed soprano strong and intoxicating in her Sempre libera degg’io. Peter-John Layton’s tenor is smooth and crisp as Alfredo, though he doesn’t quite match Levien for volume. Rik Dawson’s stentorian baritone was a highlight as Giorgio Germont (Alfredo’s interfering father), his full-bodied sound a brilliant rival for Levien’s in their Act II duets. Keara Donohue covers the roles of Violetta’s friend Flora and maid Annina with aplomb and dramatic flexibility. Bass Murray Dahm serves as Master of Ceremonies, welcoming the guests at the beginning of the evening, chatting during the interval, and switching dextrously between the roles of Baron Douphol, Doctor Grenville and the narrator. Dahm introduces each act by reading a ‘letter’ from Verdi, which serves as both program note and plot synopsis, cleverly compensating for the absence of surtitles. Judicious cutting tightens the drama of Verdi’s opera (for example, the popular Matador’s Chorus is omitted), breaking it into easily-digestible portions. The audience is refreshed with the main course (of food) during interval. Levien and Layton are brilliant in the final duets, their raw emotion washing over the audience, almost overwhelming at such close proximity.
From the opening glass of champagne and the mushroom cappuccino entrée, Opera Bites’ production is a very different experience to seeing La Traviata on an opera house stage. With good food and plentiful wine, this is a feast for all the senses, and the intimacy and immediacy of the performance makes for a compelling and affecting night.
Image supplied. Credit: Michele Mossop.
