3/5 Stars
Opera North’s triumphant Don Giovanni set high hopes for the autumnal opera season at the Leeds Grand Theatre. Sadly, Faust doesn’t deliver. Director Rob Kearley has taken a big gamble by going for a total modernisation of the piece, but its apparent that this ambitious project was marred by poor execution.
Faust is a much loved and much emulated tale that has been famously told by Christopher Marlowe, Goethe and Gounod. It is the story of a maturing scholar who barters his soul to the devil for power and another stab at youth. In Gounod’s opera he uses his newly acquired assets to woo the likes of Marguerite, the sister of Valentin the campaigner who is just about to go to war. Valentin entrusts the safety of Marguerite to Siebel, his good friend. Siebel is no match for the combined wooing power of Faust, Mephistopheles (Satan’s messenger) and all the wealth that hell affords. Pretty soon Faust and Marguerite get serious and find themselves expecting a child. What follows is the piece’s culmination: a tight and tense battle between the forces of heaven and hell for the souls of each of the characters. It is clearly a profound story that hones in on some mind-bending existentialist questions, but at certain points I felt myself growing impatient with the performance and here’s why.
When I first glimpsed the potential of the set I grew excited. Moveable canvass panels and a white translucent partition screen revealed to me instantly that the show would utilise lots of immersive effects but within minutes my optimism had started to fade. The projections often seemed arbitrary with reels of Faust looking confused playing behind the action. At moments the show was an eyesore, which is a shame because it detracted from the efforts of the performers and the orchestra who were working hard to render the wonderful score.
The show suffered from an excess of signification. There were far too many signs, symbols and signposts everywhere. From diagonal pseudo-Germanic flags to projections of skyscrapers and signs saying ‘abortion’ the show tried to shoehorn more meaning into the piece, which at the end of the day is a crying shame. The chorus was also much too big, at times it seemed there was a genuine danger of somebody falling off the stage. The iPhone/iPad props they were given also seemed to be pushing some capitalist motifs which didn’t make any sense given the existential nature of the plot. Ultimately the piece had a layer of pretence and meaninglessness.
Performance wise lead Peter Auty fell into the habit of swaying during the static moments, but baritone James Creswell as the slimy Mephistopheles brought the loudest cheers. He gave an outstandingly classic performance and virtually carried much of the meaning single-handedly. I will conclude by saying that there is a potential here, but the show needs a major trimming.
Tim Hakki
Photos: Tristram Kenton