Theatre Review: Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto by Opera North.

Emma Rivers on 26 October 2019

Emma Rivers reviews the dazzling Giulio Cesare in Egitto by Opera North at the Leeds Grand Theatre.

George Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto (Julius Caesar in Egypt), is an Italian opera first performed in 1724 in London. This opera intertwines themes of political ambition, dangerous love, and survival, all set to an innovative baroque orchestral score. Set in Egypt after the Roman Civil War, the production opens with Tolomeo, the dangerously sadistic ruler of Egypt, murdering Caesar’s rival Pompeo. When Caesar arrives in Egypt to confront Tolomeo, Cleopatra senses an opportunity to overthrow her brother and take the throne for herself by seducing the Roman Emperor.

Director Tim Albery’s revival of Giulio Cesare, first performed by Opera North in 2012, presents us with a stunning combination of set design, costume and lighting. These aspects work together to blend the traditional and modern, sweeping the audience along with the timeless, character-driven story.

The set design is striking in its simplicity. When the curtain first lifts the audience is presented with an overbearing edifice of stark grey concrete. The blasted, bullet-pocked structure conjures up thoughts of a war-torn bunker and serves as a perfect introduction for the militaristic Caesar. However, as the story progresses the two-piece set unfolds like a jewellery box, revealing a stunning golden interior that serves as the setting for the intimate Egyptian scenes. Likewise, the lighting created by Thomas Hase is cleverly used to contrast the two opposing cultures of the Romans and Egyptians. Caesar’s scenes feature a harsh white light shining from above severely on to the concrete set. In contrast, the Egyptian scenes have warm low-level candlelight glowing upon the characters, creating an intimate and rich scene against the gold backdrop of the pyramid set. Both lighting and set work to further emphasise the cultural and political divide between the two societies, creating a tangible tension across the stage.

Albery’s influence is further demonstrated through the choice to cast the roles of Caesar and Sesto to women. While these roles could have been cast as countertenors (high male voice), Albery chose to maintain the spirit of the original production’s use of Castrati (yes, that means what you think) while updating it to the modern era by casting contralto Maria Sanner (Caesar), and mezzo-soprano Heather Lowe (Sesto) in traditionally male roles. Both Sanner and Lowe give exceptional performances, Sanner has a commanding and strong presence on stage, and Lowe powerfully portrays the pain and emotion of Sesto throughout the opera.

The only criticism to put forward of this brilliant production is that, despite the story featuring Egyptian and Roman characters, there are no people of colour in the cast. This inclusion of diversity would have added depth and realism to an otherwise flawless production.

Whether you’re an opera newbie or seasoned veteran, there’s something for everyone in this production. If you’re tempted to explore the world of Caesar and Cleopatra for yourself, Opera North runs an Under 30s Scheme where you can gain access to great tickets for only ten pounds.

Image Credit: Opera North

LUU Theatre Group’s Rock ‘n’ Roll: A Review

Toni Stephenson on 26 March 2019

On Thursday night LUU’s Theatre Group opened their production of Tom Stoppard’s Rock ‘n’ Roll, directed by Steph Green, which took the Alex Clegg studio on a journey of humour, grief, jealousy and unity in a series of snapshots from lives across the Iron Curtain.

Starting in 1968 and ending with the fall of the Soviet Bloc in 1989, the play follows the lives of Marxist Cambridge professor, Max, his family and his young Czech protégé, Jan. The play essentially serves as small snippets of their lives in Cambridge and Prague over the 20+ years that it spans, whilst highlighting the nature of Prague’s dissident movement. Questions are raised about whether something as central to everyday culture as music can ever be fully monitored and repressed by state authorities, and how pop culture goes hand in hand with criticism of governing systems as an expression of popular feeling.

The cast met the challenge of the play with compelling performances and convincing eastern European accents impressively sustained throughout. The double casting of a number of characters was an endearing touch, with continuity seen in the performances of India Walton and Kate Winter playing Eleanor and daughter Esme in Act One and adult Esme and daughter Alice in Act Two; highlighting the similarities passed from parent to child in each generation.

The main set, with its simple and unadorned character, neatly doubled as both university staff property and a Soviet-era apartment. A production highlight was the convincing creation of an interrogation room by a stage blackout and single light bulb hanging from the ceiling above a small table; credit going to lighting designer and assistant Ben Nuttall and Emma Garcia. This created a tense claustrophobic atmosphere complementing the performances of Woodley and Fraser. The simplicity also meant the transitions between sets were smooth. The creation of the John Lennon Wall, by a sheet being drawn across the stage like a curtain also succeeded in maintaining its iconic and impressive aura.

Transitions between scenes were helped with video footage helping to situate the historic events surrounding the plot. Projections of the Prague Spring, the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia and later, the Berlin Wall being torn down added context to the scenes and made the plot easy to follow, even for those unfamiliar with the history of communist Eastern Europe. With music being central in the story, the soundtrack also served to establish the time period during scene transitions. The Velvet Underground, The Rolling Stones, Bowie, Lennon and the Beatles, the soundtrack was a comprehensive collection of the music that sought to percolate through the Iron Curtain.

With Theatre Group’s monthly turnaround of plays, the effort and commitment of its members was clear in all aspects of their performance. The quality of production meant it was a night of welcome escape from the library in light of those mid-semester deadlines and exams.