BY MYLES OAKEY
The Nose
Opera Australia
Sydney Opera House, 21 February
What’d you miss?
- Outrageous and audible sex scenes
- Tap-dancing facial appendages
- Farting noises and curse words (just another day at the opera?)
The Nose is utterly ridiculous, widely irreverent, hilariously childish, and squeamishly awkward.
If you take your opera–going to be a serious affair of the utmost sophistication and class, you’d be best to hang out at the Opera Bar by edge of Sydney Harbour. Because when The Nose takes place inside the theatre, you’ll be returned to a childlike innocence. I, just like young boy in the row behind me, found myself giggling at a farting noses, curse words, slapstick, nonsensical noises, and all-round silliness.
Through all its satire, The Nose takes its audience to human depths of despair, however unusual. The opera is set to Nikolai Gogol’s story of Kovalov, a man who collapses under the tragic struggle to retain his stature in society (as well as his many women lovers) while being turned away and ridiculed for his bizarre case of “de-nose-ification”: his nose has literally left his face, and run away. Never mind the tap-dancing of the facial appendage, burlesque dancers, drunken police, and a barber with stinky hands – the plot that unfolds is so bizarre that Kovalov’s suffering is always simply and hilariously stupid.
Opera Australia seems well-aware of the absurdity. The company isn’t taking itself too seriously in this production directed by Barrie Kosky. Moments of reflexive self-parody and critical commentary are interwoven throughout the performance, interjecting from on and off the stage. For me, this is totally refreshing. Having seen Opera Australia’s production of Bizet’s Carmen in the recent past, I’ve held criticisms of the company’s predictable and tired programming, conservative themes, and inability to engage a younger audience at a reasonable price point (read another point of view from our writer Joseph Asquith). For this one, if you’re a student, you can get a seat in The Nose-bleeds (sorry) for less than the one-hundred-dollar mark. Get a whiff of that! (not sorry). Even from the back of the Opera House’s Joan Sutherland Theatre, you won’t need to squint to see the most outrageous and audible sex scenes you’ll find on an Australian opera stage, or catch a glimpse of Kovalov’s tighty whities as they’re man-spread for your crass humour. And no need to keep an eye on the surtitles: the production features an English translation of the libretto that creates a whole new experience for English-speaking monolinguals familiar with the typical repertoire.
Below the theatrics on-stage, the orchestra, conducted by Andrea Molino, performs Shostakovich’s quite peculiar and precise score in a quick 1-hour-50-minute sitting – no breaks. The score, first premiered in Leningrad 1930, shifts between atonality and sparse textures of polyrhythms and glissandi connected to the action on-stage. The two are inseparable. Still perhaps a challenging score for contemporary listeners, it’s no surprise that an attempt to perform the score as a concert piece proved to be a bad idea. However, Shostakovich does compose scenes that feature moments of tonal choral music and folkloric song that become quite stunning in melodic shape and affect against the context of the overall score.
To make a worthwhile criticism, The Nose’s irreverence and absurdity is at once its hilarity and its hindrance. One or two scenes began to feel their length as recitative between characters dwelled on the circumstance of the lost nose, which one can recognise is not the most intriguing plot line. However, these moments are brief. The sleek monochrome and effectively simple set design, vivid and detailed costuming, and contemporary and hilarious choreography are always entertaining.
A special mention ought to go to Martin Winkler, whose standout performance of lead character Kovalov was surprisingly captivating and equally hilarious, offering impressive musicianship, stage presence, and comic timing.
If you’ve never been to the opera before, you’ll find this one, if anything, is a great conversation starter, and an inviting experience you won’t forget anytime soon. If you’re an active opera-goer, or if you’re one a bit tired of what’s on offer, I’d pick The Nose for some golden nuggets of 20th Century opera.
Images: Prudence Upton for Opera Australia.
