Donizetti - L'elisir d'amore Opera Holland Park Matinée - 9 July 2005

L'elisir d'amore is just the sort of entertainment that a summer afternoon in the park calls for, and Opera Holland Park's new production presented it in style.

As the story begins we find ourselves outside a small town cinema. Nemorino (Sean Ruane, pictured) is putting up the lettering for the next presentation, Tristano & Issolta, and getting the spelling in a muddle. Adina (Judith Howarth, pictured) a smartly dressed business women, briskly points out his mistake as she passes. The chorus enter and much ado is made of collecting their time cards, queuing for Adina to check them and pay them, before they make for the ticket booth at the cinema. Annilese Miskimmon's direction is at its best when she is controlling group movement, and there were numerous cameo scenes. I particularly liked an episode at the beginning of Act II, when the action has moved inside the cinema and two of the basses (Henry Grant Kerswell & Howard Wong) constantly disagree over the operation of the projector - no doubt the lighting would have enhanced this further during evening performances. Peter Rice's designs were equally sharp on detail, and pleasing to the eye.

OHP pride themselves on spotting young singers early in their careers and gradually building up the roles they are offered. Sean Ruane is now in his third season with them, and his voice has matured with each year. He adopted an openness of expression and straight forward presentation which was ideal for the slow witted Nemorino. Judith Howarth has already built an international career, and gave as polished an account of Adina as one could hope for. Toby Stafford-Allen made a swaggering Belcore, tall of stature and strong in voice. Donald Maxwell was in his element as the unctuous charlatan Dulcamara.

Even the weather seemed to enter into the spirit of the occasion, and when we left the theatre, the rather chilly overcast skies of our arrival had been replaced by balmy sunshine.

Serena Fenwick