Puccini - Tosca

Opera Company UK

Questor Theatre, Ealing

15 October 2005

Conductor – Derek Cardon

Director – Tim Heath

Designer – Cleo Pettititt

Lighting – Guy Hoare

Angelotti / Siarrone – Javier Borda

Sacristan / Sergeant – Martin Lamb

Cavaradossi – Gediminas Varna

Tosca – Scheherazade Pesante

Scarpia – Peter Knapp

Spoletta – David Murphy

Shepherd boy – Nicola Pulford

This Tosca, together with a Cosi fan tutte set in the early summer 1914 which I wish I could have seen, are the first offerings from this new opera company, still clearly feeling its way. The Questor is not a big theatre but the seats are well spaced out around three sides of the platform. The orchestra is placed very centrally but cavernous roof spaces above deaden the sound, making it a tough call for the singers to project their voices, especially in the big arias with orchestra in full flow.

Tim Heath's no-nonsense period production was just what was needed, and Cleo Pettitt's functional sets showed a real flair for detail. Proceedings got off to a good start with Javier Borda as a wild-eyed and terrified fugitive (but still delivering his lines with perfect diction), and Martin Lamb excellent as the pompous Sacristan.

Things moved up a notch with the arrival of Cavaradossi – Gediminas Varna is still in his final year at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, but is an exciting Puccini tenor in the making – (I hear that GSMD's summer term production will be a double bill of Il tabarro and Gianni Schicchi ).

Peter Knapp made an unlikely Baron Scarpia - slight of frame and meek in manner, without a hint of menacing tyranny. As Tosca, Scheherezade Pesante certainly looked the part in a trio of Visconti like costumes she had designed herself. She is currently pursuing her music studies, and Tosca is vocally just a step too far for her as yet. She has enjoyed a varied career and, like her namesake, knows how to make a good tale of it.*

Things improved in Act 3 with Cavaradossi back on stage and turning up the emotional current. His execution was effectively handled, as was Tosca's final leap from the battlements. The show had attracted an audience which contained a good many young people whom I would guess are newish to opera. Synopses had been liberally distributed at the door, helping to overcome the language barrier and absence of surtitles, and the performance was generally well received with a good deal of cheering at the curtain calls. Their tour continues at the Opera Festival at Christ's Hospital, Horsham until 29 October.

Serena Fenwick

*"exotic Puerto Rican soprano Scheherazade Pesante" in interview with The Telegraph.
Evg Standard: Photo Alastair Muir ; "- the number of notes she hit dead centre, it must have been nearly a dozen" (Nick Kimberley)