​A Christmas Carol by Victorian Opera

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https://www.victorianopera.com.au/season/a-christmas-carol

Date Reviewed: 14/12/2022

Ho Ho Ho, reasons to be cheerful, it must be that festive time of the year again! Unlike the UK, where theatres in their entirety have pantomime on this time of the year, complete with panto-dame, principal boy, oh no you don’t, lots of kids, panto-horse and other traditional pantomime routines, Australia has not embraced this but still offers things for kids and family that allow a degree of escapism  and a chance to celebrate the festive season.

Dickens is the master story teller from a bygone age of Victorian England , Hogarth and sadly, the expression Dickensian England has returned to the UK, to highlight a dramatic return to poverty, no shoes, heat hubs in a time of energy price hikes, inflation and the Ukranian war. Great Expectations, a piece I happily did the music for in UK and USA , feels like the first soap opera, resplendent in glorious characters as Pip, Magwich and the timeless and cruel Miss Haversham. And so, pre-Xmas, we headed down to the bastion of events on St.Kilda’s Esplanade, the Palais, to enjoy a further retelling by the ambitious, worthy and innovative, Victoria Opera.

Anna Goldsworthy has created a masterful, modern tapestry of libretto, commissioned by the great Richard Mills. Conductor Phoebe Briggs led us through a solid, jaunty, uplifting reimagining of the well told tale. This indeed was the world premiere, and a fine piece of programming by Victoria Opera who welcome to the helm, the director of internationally fine pedigree, Stuart Maunder for the following year. A short run, rather than a UK 10-week season, two shows a day, as is dictated by Opera audiences, economics, and spending considerations in this post Covid climate short run.

Graeme Koehne kept us entertained with a score which achieved a balance between creativity, modernism and populist and almost the intentional cheesy. A tough balancing act, but Bravo Sir. Audience, half full, not an enormous amount of kids, which disappointed as this cautionary tale is aimed at those wayward youngsters.

Costumes, comical Xmas Ozzie, were fun though the set was a tad disappointing. The fine singing  was sublime and traversed numerous styles, ably supported by the mellifluous Orchestra Victoria. Special mention to the performance of Tiny Tim, a super talented performance. 

Recommended. 

Reviewed by Warren Wills