Opera Bites: Opera Fools – REVIEW
Image: Opera Bites at The Harold. Image: operabites.com.au
Opera Bites returned to the Harold Park Hotel on 2 April, much to the delight of the approximately 70 audience members seated in the loungeroom setting on the 1st floor of the Harold Park Hotel in Glebe. About forty of them were newcomers to an Opera Bites show. Called Opera’s Fools, the program comprised 19 arias that ranged across the operatic repertoire, from Verdi to Puccini, from Mozart to Gilbert and Sullivan.
The troupe of four cover the four main “fachs” of voice.
Rae Levien is a powerful soprano with an imposing presence as she wanders around the room.
Peter-John Layton is a mellifluous tenor who is a real pleasure to listen to, and Murray Dahm is not only a booming bass but carries a magisterial authority as the MC.
Eliane Morel is a spritely mezzo with a humorous spirit. Her show, Carmen the Cabaret, was awarded the prize for Best Artistic Merit at the Newcastle Fringe Festival. It is a reframing of the opera Carmen to tell the story from Carmen’s perspective.
Rae opened the show with Musetta’s flirtatious aria “Quando m’en vo’” from La boheme, which loosely translates as “When I walk along the street, people stare at my beauty”.
Eliane and Murray sing the duet “Bei Mannern, welche Liebe fuhlen” (“Men who Feel the Call of Love”) between Papageno and Pamina from The Magic Flute.
Eliane introduces a very funny “trans” element to Cherubino’s aria “Non so più cosa son” (“I don’t know anymore what I am”) while the audience is invited to contribute a “ta-ran ta ra” while all cast members sing “When the Foeman bares His Steel” from The Pirates of Penzance.
Many of the arias focused on the comedy of love and marriage, but Peter-John sang one heart-breaking aria, “Vesti la giubba” from Pagliacci, which ends with the clown Pagliacci singing “Laugh, Pagliaccio, / your love is broken! / Laugh at the pain, that poisons your heart”.
My companion, who is not a fan of opera, was thrilled with the show. He said it was a “crazy eccentric program” and was really impressed with the singers’ “crystal-clear voices”. He is another convert for Opera Bites.
And don’t forget, you can have your evening meal at The Harold before or during the show. I had the scrumptious Chicken Leek Mushroom Pie with pancetta, green peas, mash and gravy, while my friend wolfed down a Tajima Wagyu Beef Burger with lettuce, cheese, tomato, pickle and burger sauce. I washed my meal down with a glass of Phillipe Bouchard Gamay Beaujolais, which was a very pleasant accompaniment to the pie.
Jack the manager was really welcoming with his bright smile and excellent customer service, making The Harold a great place to visit and enjoy.
All in all, a fabulous night!
Opera Bites’ next show at The Harold will be Opera Goes to the Movies.
