SINGER-actor, chairman of the company, set mover … first-time director – John Clark certainly took on a lot of roles for Bath Opera’s summer tour of Verdi’s La Traviata. An experienced director of plays and musicals and regular performer, John has this year also tackled the challenge of directing one of the best-loved of all operas.
And he did it with courage and imagination, moving the tragic romance from 19th century Paris and its glittering salons to the Middle East, with the background of a fashionable casino. He chose the setting – which you may imagine as Beirut or Cairo – because he wanted a patriarchal society, where the restrictive attitude of a father can still override the feelings of a son, let alone his “wrong side of the tracks” lover.
Hassan al Freyd (John Haque – and yes, you may catch a nuance of Verdi’s original hero) is in love with Zuleikha (Cecilia Zhang), who is the senior hostess in a grand casino owned by the archetypal Levantine spiv, Abdullah (John Clark, complete with white tie, black shirt and Reservoir Dogs shades). Despite her misgivings, Hassan persuades the beautiful but obviously ailing Zuleikha that they must be together, so they move to her house in the country, from where she sells her possessions to keep him in the lifestyle to which he is accustomed.
When his father, Mohammed al-Freyd (David Palmer) arrives unexpectedly, pleading for Zuleikha to leave Hassan, so that his sister – Mohammed’s daughter – may make a planned and socially acceptable marriage, the courtesan/hostess sees no way to escape her fate, and leaves Hassan. The plot of this new adaptation for a cast of seven – stripped of some of its big choruses – roughly follows the original story, and Zuleikha’s death from TB is as tragic and heart-breaking as it is predictable.
The success of any Traviata stands or falls on the quality of the voice and acting of Violetta (Zuleikha) – and here in the Beijing-born soprano Cecilia Zhang, Bath Opera has a real star. Her voice is rich and well able to handle the demands of this coloratura role, which includes some of the most famous arias in grand opera. She also acts beautifully – with painful dignity in the long and moving scene with Hassan’s father and with tragic composure in her final moments, reunited with Hassan and, for a few brief seconds, believing that love has transcended death.
John Haque, whose vast repertoire ranges from Wagner’s Siegmund to Monostatos in The Magic Flute, has a ringing heroic tenor voice and brings real passion to his character. David Palmer, in a role that can seem cruel and selfish, brings an austere humanity to the great Act II Duet with Violetta/Zuleikha.
The other cast members are Bethan Maria Evans as Zuleikha’s friend Reema (and also doubling as the doctor in the last act), Mehreen Shah as Zuleikha’s maid Amira– and John Clark, making the most of his great height to bring a sinister edge to his casino owner character.
Musical director and pianist Dominic Irving got a very well-deserved ovation for his accompaniment – capturing the many shades of Verdi’s familiar and much-loved score from his keyboard.
Was I convinced by the modern setting in the Middle East? Not really – there were too many little jarring details, from the doctor in high heels and short skirt to the mismatched furniture and European paintings on the walls of Zuleikha’s house. The lack of chorus meant that the casino scenes were not convincing – not even a roulette wheel in sight – and the utter humiliation of Hassan hurling bundles of money at Zuleikha lost its impact without an on-stage audience for his cruel gesture.
But musically, this was really enjoyable and delighted the audience who braved the July heatwave for the performance in Wincanton’s Memorial Hall. We are fortunate to have great opera brought to us at affordable prices – for one audience member, this was her first opera and she was thrilled by the experience. Quite simply, she loved it.
FC