The great thing about Puccini’s opera Tosca is its timeless appeal. It hasn’t dated at all since its première in 1900. That’s because human nature hasn’t altered in all that time. This production is set in an imagined present day, at a time of war and the occupation of Rome by a foreign power. Originally set during the Kingdom of Naples’ occupation of Rome in 1800, the story moves easily to the modern day with much of our media flooded with news and images of conflict and war. For many, I’m sure, the background in which the tale is set is all too familiar.
Floria Tosca is not a sweet heroine but a famous diva with the ego and temperament to go with it. She is very beautiful, voluptuous and talented, but also deeply flawed. She has a hot temper, and is possessed by jealousy and righteousness. Her lover, the painter Mario Cavaradossi, is captivated by her, as are all the men in this story. And this is where it goes so terribly wrong. Without her character flaws, there would be no story, and it is mesmerising to watch her world unravel as she tries to control the tragedy she has unleashed.
Soprano, Karah Son is perfect as the diva. She enters the chapel, where Cavaradossi is painting a fresco of Mary Magdalene on the ceiling, like Joan Collins in an episode of Dynasty – all full of self-confidence on the surface, but underneath, deeply insecure and volatile.
Cavaradossi is beautifully sung by tenor Diego Torre, his magnificent voice blending seamlessly with Son’s. They are well matched in vocal power throughout, and although it’s a big sing, they lose none of it over the course of the piece. All of the action occurs over a 24-hour period, so one gets the feel of the story happening in real time. Combined with Puccini’s almost film-like incidental music and leitmotifs, the story moves quickly and takes the audience along for the ride.
From the beginning, you know it’s not your normal nineteenth century opera that starts with an overture of excerpts from the piece itself. It just starts much like a modern film, incidental music straight into the action. We see Angelotti, a political prisoner, freshly escaped from prison, dropping down to the floor of the cathedral from the dome. He looks for a place to hide, all the while the action underscored by plucked strings to emulate his desperate search for a hiding place. David Parkin brings the role to life with his dark, rich bass that makes a poetic counterpoint when he sings with Torre as they rekindle their friendship as members of the resistance.
Searching for the missing prisoner is the chief of the occupying forces, Baron Scarpia, a sadistic and menacing character, who uses Tosca’s jealousy and temper to find the elusive Angelotti. Giving a flesh-crawling performance was British baritone Robert Hayward. A veteran in this role, he piles on the sleaze so well, it had me thinking of Harvey Weinstein and Donald Trump with hints of Russian Oligarch thrown in. He knows the way to find his quarry is through Tosca and he manipulates her without mercy. What follows will destroy them all – a truly wonderful example of melodrama in all its glory.
There are of course the great show-stopping arias that display the calibre of singers in this cast – the most famous being “Vissi d’arte”, Tosca’s song of despair as she bargains with Scarpia for the life of Cavaradossi. Karah Son gives this familiar song life, singing it in the moment as she looks back on what her life has become. “I lived for art”, she laments. Cavaradossi’s Act 1 aria, “Recondita armonia”, was just heart-melting, Torre’s flawless tenor turning another often heard piece into the song of true love it was always meant to be. It was a real treat to hear and see it performed so well. Torre also showed his vocal range with the final act aria, “E lucevan le stelle”. It starts small as just a recurring leitmotif, seamlessly becoming the aria proper. It then builds as Cavaradossi sings, recalling happier times with Tosca as he awaits his execution.
A favourite scene of mine was the Act 1 finale, which sees Scarpia prominent among the great and the good of Rome. It was so effectively staged and brilliantly sung that it was a thrilling way to send the audience to the first of the two intervals. The visual effect of the religious pageantry and garish opulence of the dignitaries and guests together with their spoilt children and overdressed wives had me thinking of a Trump rally!
The opera is based of an 1887 play La Tosca, a melodrama starring the great actress Sarah Bernhardt. And this is important to remember, in that opera is the last vestige of this art form. Today we are used to realism in the acting we see on stage and screen. But in the nineteenth century, melodrama was the norm. Opera is a perfect vehicle for it, as composers could let their imaginations soar with the heightened drama of that style. I mention this because this opera appeared to be marketed as an event, an experience and a suitable piece for a first time opera audience. However, although there were warnings in the program that it contains “depictions of violence, including violence against women, murder and suicide”, certain elements of the audience were quite shocked at the graphic nature of some scenes, especially when Tosca delivers “Tosca’s Kiss” to Scarpia at the end of Act 2. It is in fact an execution, together with her ceremonial placement of candles beside his cruciform corpse and her gloating, “And Rome once trembled before you!” It was a scene of such gravity that it drew gasps and nervous laughter from some audience members, who didn’t return for Act 3.
So be warned, this Tosca is not just a light piece that has tunes you can hum on the way home and turn you into an opera lover for life; it has serious dramatic content and those tunes might haunt you forever. These performers aren’t just great singers but skilled actors too. They make this story come alive every performance despite performing in a sports venue and not an opera house.
Due to the redevelopment of the State Theatre, the company’s usual home in Melbourne, finding an available 3,000 seat venue led to adapting the much larger Margaret Court Arena into an opera house. This has some limitations, especially regarding sound, since, as a sports arena, it has poor acoustics and the sound has to be generated through a sophisticated sound system. Sound designer, Jim Atkins has done an amazing job in making a barn like MCA sound like a theatre. It isn’t perfect, but it works. If anything, the vocal soundscape was a little “dry” against the lushness of the orchestra. Which brings me to another drawback with the venue. It has no orchestra pit, so Orchestra Victoria and its Scottish conductor, Garry Walker, remained unseen behind the action. They were revealed once briefly at the close of Act 1.
This production by Opera North, a company from Leeds in the UK, comes complete with the set, costumes, director and conductor to keep it true to their vision. It must be noted that Tom Scutt’s set works brilliantly for this non-theatre venue. It is easily adapted to become the three different settings for each Act. The fresco on the cathedral dome is shown in various states of completion, with the dome itself moved to various positions to become whatever the scene requires.
The costumes by Fotini Dimou are contemporary in style and in mostly muted colours except for flashes of colour and sparkle for Tosca and of course the cardinal red of the clergy. The dark tone of the set and costumes is an effective foil for this often dark and moody work. Credit should also be given to the supporting cast and children’s chorus, who lifted the richness of the choral sound to another level.
The alternate cast has English soprano Nadine Benjamin as Tosca, Korean tenor Young Woo Kim as Cavaradossi, and well-known Australian baritone Warwick Fyfe as Scarpia.
This is a fine setting of Puccini’s work, It isn’t for the faint hearted, but it is a good meaty drama that will satisfy even the pickiest of opera buffs. And a warning: Margaret Court Arena does not have the plush red carpet and velvet armchairs of the State Theatre. It is well heated, but the seats are hard, moulded plastic. I wish I’d taken a cushion.
Photo credit: Jeff Busby
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Jon Jackson reviewed “Tosca at Margaret Court Arena”, presented by Opera Australia on May 24, 2024.
