Last chance to catch Barefoot Opera’s La Traviata

Did you catch Barefoot Opera’s imaginative staging of Verdi’s famous opera La Traviata when it was performed in St Leonards in June? If not, you still have a chance to make the final performances. Artist Peter Fillingham describes the memorable opening night.

I was fortunate enough to be in the audience for Barefoot Opera’s new production of Verdi’s La Traviata at St. John’s church in St Leonards – an incredible venue – on mid-summer’s night in June. None of us had anticipated what was about to unfold. By the interval, men and women alike were in tears of joy, or sadness, because of what had been a profound and innovative immersive experience.

The entire production was completely audience-facing. Each of the singers brought a kind of wholeness to the show – not just playing their own characters, but also deeply empathetic to the other characters. They sing right at you and captivate each member of the audience equally throughout the entire production.

Violetta (performed by Beren Fidan) literally touched every person in the room with her performance, including her fellow performers and Alfredo (played by Tylor Lamani), the man she loves. Their relationship blossoms in front of us all, and clearly this is of great concern to the other characters. We participate in these nuances, and double standards. The story is so tragic it’s hard to imagine that the performers step away from being these characters after each performance, and that this can ever be performed again in the same way.

The musicians literally allowed us to imagine being in any operatic space in the world, whether big or small, by completing the experience in engaging innovative ways. I enjoyed witnessing opera in a way that I could only previously imagine – up close, in your face, absolute!

The set, by Jane Bruce, in its excellent minimalism, is reduced to exactly what it should be. The singers sit on it, dance on it, and pop out from behind it keeping the audience physically and visually involved in every aspect of the production. The costumes too (by Natascha Stolle) are colourful, playful and exactly right, made of fabrics that engage surprise and quite frankly, challenge our expectations. I heard so many people talking about how they wished to own such a garment. Like the set, the costumes were reduced to exactly what was needed for this production and yet were somehow voluptuous.

This was more like being in the presence of a touring troupe. We, the audience, were part of their project, which they are testing each time, framing and reframing from venue to venue. The directors (Michael Spenceley and Alfie Chesney) came on stage at the end, after an extended standing ovation, and told us the entire crew feel like a family. This certainly comes across. I genuinely wondered, would I ever get this close to opera again?

What with all of this and the generous surtitles, this show could be a dynamic introduction to opera for anybody – and what a way to begin having live opera in your life. Or it’s a fresh take on an opera you know and love. In this production, everything is about raw talent, and making us all feel we are Italians for one night, transporting us from our daily lives into a dramatic narrative somewhere in Italy.

The final performances of Barefoot Opera’s La Traviata are at:

Down House, Lamberhurst on 14 September
St Michael and All Angels Church, Brighton, on 21 September
The Arcola Theatre, Hackney, London on 24, 25, 27 and 28 September.

More details and tickets here.
Barefoot Opera website.

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