A theatre company fusing classical with musicals talks to Kerry Ann
Eustice about opening up opera
As the name suggests, Unexpected Opera brings something new to the classical stage.
Want proof? Previous work from the company includes The Bat's Revenge (a take on Strauss II's Die Fledermaus comic operetta) performed in a pub.
It is currently touring The Barber of Savile Row, a reworking of Rossini's The Barber of Seville, which steps up the humour, borrows from Broadway and updates proceedings to the 1950s.
Of course, Unexpected Opera has put its stamp on the piece, originally adapted by Tim Riley and John Lovat, says managing director, Matthew Quirk.
"The reason some people find opera boring is because the story and setting aren't something they can identify with now."
He said: "We do very well known operas with a slight difference. For Barber of Savile Row we thought, let's put more of the Rossini back. Instead of it being a pure opera or pure musical it's a bridge of the two, but with more Rossini."
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"The Barber of Seville is an absolute classic," argues Matthew. "These pieces are long-lasting and enduring because they are beautifully written.
"The reason some people find opera boring is because the story and setting aren't something they can identify with now."
So this piece is set in rock n roll's teddy boy heyday, not in 1800s Italy. It retains Rossini's effervescent score but introduces contemporary speech, characters and humour.
"It doesn't always appeal to the absolute purists but, then again, we don't want it to."
"I hate to use the word, but it's about making it accessible," Matthew said, justifying the adaptation.
"It's making opera entertaining, not snobby or boring. It doesn't always appeal to the absolute purists but, then again, we don't want it to."
Opera was originally written to make audiences laugh Matthew stresses, and Unexpected Opera's work aims to act as a reminder of this.
"We want to bring more of that spice back to opera, combining lovely music with a modern way of doing things."
"The plots may seem absurd now," he said. "But originally they were very funny and subversive. We want to bring more of that spice back to opera, combining lovely music with a modern way of doing things."
The Barber of Savile Row, May 8 to May 10, Greenwich Theatre, Crooms Hill, Greenwich. 020 8858 7755.
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