English Touring Opera’s production of Tosca is director Blanche McIntyre’s first time helming an opera and it is certainly an accomplished staging. Had the programme not informed me of this fact, I would have assumed this was directed under the auspices of an old hand. This is reasonably traditional tackling of the Puccini opera and a great example of why Tosca has such longevity and proud place as an operatic staple.
I was impressed with the versatility of the set which does a great job shifting – with just a minimal altering of furniture and lighting – from the hallowed sanctum of a church, to a private interior, to the battlements of the Castel Sant’Angelo. Aside from the deft movement between public and private space, the looming shaft that projects up from the set works (at times a doorway, window or battlement) is a looming portent of the tragic ending throughout. The elongated projection, along with the rake that splits the stairway at a jaunty angle, conveys a sense of oppression and things being off-kilter in politically-charged Rome at the start of the 19th century.
The musical work is up to ETO’s much lauded standard and does the hardest job of any element: it carries all the drama without invading or distracting from it despite its proficiency. Conductor Michael Roswell and his orchestra earned their enthusiastic applause.
Of course, the main impression one gets of a given opera rests upon the performers and their ability to balance projecting over an orchestra with actually acting throughout. As you can suppose from my opening paragraph, I am bereft of criticisms. Paula Sides made for a wilful and impassioned Tosca – one could fully buy into the violent transition from lover to murderer to defiant rebel. The character of Cavaradossi can be tricky because he is a cat’s paw batted back and forth by so many of the major characters in the opera but Samuel Sakker does an excellent job of imbuing him with a sense of agency and, ultimately, pity.
The standout had to be Craig Smith as Scarpia though. I hope the actor does not take it as a slur when I say this was an informed casting choice because he has the perfect facial dimensions for a tyrannous and corrupt chief of police. On top of this, Scarpia has undoubtedly the best material in the work: this may of course speak to my proclivity for compelling villains, but his conniving and coercion is delivered with aplomb. Not to say that those who find themselves more sympathetic to doomed lovers will see Tosca and Cavaradossi underserved.
All told, the Cheltenham Everyman has a fierce production of Tosca on and if you can’t see it there, be sure to catch ETO as they move the show around the country. ★★★★★ Fenton Coulthurst 20th April 2017
