BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
We’ve all had those dud years (2020, anyone?). But we’re not all posh enough to call one an “annus horribilis”. The late Queen Elizabeth II was, though — so she used that term to summarise the vibe of 1992.
For context, it was the year in which Princess Diana and then-Prince Charles separated; the year Princess Anne and her husband divorced; the year Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson split up (toe-sucking scandal included); the year Windsor Castle burst into flames.
So 1992 was a bit of a tragedy for the British royal family — but a comedy for the masses, if you experience it through the latest production from Thomas Rimes. This Tasmanian composer-librettist has created a comic baroque opera fittingly titled Annus Horribilis, using song and dance to retell the tragic tales that took place in 1992.
Thomas, you’ve created a brand spanking new opera called Annus Horribilis. How did you come up with the concept for this story of royal scandals?
The idea for the show came to me while I was still living in Germany. I had a sudden flash of inspiration to combine a well-known story from the recent past with baroque musical and theatrical forms. The focus on the calendar year of 1992 gave the show a logical framework which fit the drama-rich forms of baroque opera perfectly!
The drama revolves around 1992 in the British royal family. What happened during this year that you found fascinating enough to spin into a show?
Looking back on the British royal family in 1992, it seems that this year was a turning point in the way the press portrayed the family, and the way the public perceived them, with many of their private struggles — divorces, financial scandals, etc. — played out in public for the first time. The idea of telling the stories of these well-known personalities through rich and dramatic music was too good an opportunity to pass up.
You’ve written a comic baroque opera with all the key players — the late Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana, and the new King Charles. How do you navigate the tricky territory between making a comic opera about the royal family, but acknowledging Elizabeth’s very recent passing with some level of sensitivity? Did you need to rethink how you were creating things?
The beauty of this show is that is set very clearly in the world of 1992, with none of the characters knowing anything about what will happen to them in the coming years. The audience will be able to enjoy many moments of rich irony where they have the advantage of knowing about what the future after 1992 will hold for the family!
In developing this show over the past three years, our production team discussed whether we would need to alter anything in the event that the Queen died, or whether we’d need to alter any of the content. With the Queen’s passing in 2022, we have experienced a surge of nostalgia for stories about her reign. By staying (mostly!) true to the facts of what happened in 1992, albeit through the surreal lens of an opera dramatisation, I think we will be able to create a show that celebrates the warts-and-all version of this year for the royal family.
How do you shed new light on these royal events?
The story of the royal family has been told in many different ways in the past few years. I believe that telling the story through dramatic opera singing is a unique way to do justice to the scale of the emotions and family tensions that were at play in that year.
So talk us through it! How do you condense the events of a single year into this production?
The show is constructed chronologically through the year 1992, starting with the preparations for the anticipated 40-year jubilee celebration of the Queen’s. These celebrations soon collide with the machinations and intrigues of the British press, spearheaded by memoir writer-extraordinaire Andrew Morton. As the year progress through spring, summer, autumn, and winter, the crises accumulate and the pressure on Queen Elizabeth builds to breaking point.
The show reaches its final climax at the Christmas get-together where a seasonal miracle is required to remedy all troubles.
Why do you feel baroque opera is the perfect way to share this narrative?
Baroque opera typically distil dramatic stories into their most explosive and concentrated forms, with characters going from one emotional extreme to the next – a bit like characters in a Mexican soap opera! This density of drama in baroque opera is a perfect match for the trials and tribulations of the royal family in 1992.
How do you hope audiences will receive this opera, which premieres just a few weeks ahead of the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla?
I hope that this story told through music will take audiences on a huge emotional journey alongside the characters as they navigate through this difficult year.
I also hope that the familiarity of these characters will allow many non-regular opera and classical concert followers the opportunity to experience the beauty and the drama of this style of music theatre.
Parting words about Annus Horribilis?
Please come and expect to see and hear the members of the royal family — and their pets — as you have never seen them before!
Watch a trailer below for Far Too Soon Productions’ Annus Horribilis before its world premiere in Hobart. For details about this event in St. David’s Cathedral from 21-23 April, visit the booking page.
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Headshot supplied. Featured image by Mark de Jong; memorial photo Samuel Regan-Asante via Unsplash.
