Review: Opera North’s Verdi’s Falstaff at The Lowry in Salford*

[Ad-gifted] Opera North are back again at The Lowry Theatre in Salford Quays, this time with three productions all under the umbrella of Green Season – where three Operas are made collaboratively with sets and costumes making them not only entertaining but equally sustainable.

This concept isn’t totally new and has been approached several times before, firstly back in 1999. The first of the three is Falstaff, by Verdi and Liberetto by Arrigo Boito, after Shakespeare’s play, The Merry Wives of Windsor.

What I thought of Verdi’s Falstaff

Falstaff is confidently deluded and an eternal optimist. He is a lovable rogue. This Shakespearean character was so popular that he earned himself his own play, which was then reimagined into an Opera by Verdi.

As mentioned before, this latest production sees a further adaptation still using Verdi’s original score but modernised through the sets, costume and script translation (by Amanda Holden) which was filled with colloquial interjections, such as “ bugger off” amongst many more.

The story is fun and easy to follow the characters are comedic and devious, which makes watching this opera such a pleasure. What’s more the a although it has been modernised it is still a rich production – in the past, I’ve found some of the newly adapted operas lose their grandeur but not with the Green Seasons production on this year’s version of Falstaff.

The sets in the performance last night were tactile and real, allowing the characters to fully immerse themselves into the roles they were trying to portray. The overall look reminded me very much of a Martin Parr photograph. Martin Parr is a photographer from the 80s and 90s who most recognisably took photographs of the rough and ready British holidays. His pictures are iconic and have a certain style that really came across in the sets last night.

And as for the costumes, that of Falstaff (Henry Waddington) and his buddies Pistol (Dean Robinson) and Bardolph (Colin Judson) were a little Rab C Nesbit or perhaps more familiarly Jim Royale’esk (made famous by Ricky Tomlinson). Falstaff wearing a vest and long johns sitting on a sofa seemingly in the back garden area of his caravan lodgings, was so well executed it felt so tangible seeing it sitting in the audience. Then moving on to the “Merry Wives” Alice Ford aka Mrs Ford (Kate Royal) and Meg (Helen Évora) with Nannetta – Mr Ford’s daughter (Isabelle Peters) and Mistress Quickly (Louise Winter) who had a more Dynasty styling, which gave a glamourous yet slightly gaudy feel to the characters and made them look as though they stepped out of an 80s soap opera.

This Opera is what I would call an accessible Opera and great for an introduction to this kind of theatrical performance. It is broken down into three acts that have two scenes each and each scene required movements to the set which worked well to break up the performance without losing the context of the plot.

Finally the music, of course, was brilliant and again Opera North Orchestra worked their magic with Verdi’s score to immerse you in this amusing performance of Falstaff at the Lowry, Salford Quays. My friend and I came out of the theatre positively entertained and relaxed from this super Opera North Green Season production.

Cast and Creatives

Henry Waddington FALSTAFF
Kate Royal ALICE FORD
Helen Évora MEG PAGE
Isabelle Peter NANNETTA
Egor Zhuravskii FENTON
Richard Burkhard FORD
Louise Winter MISTRESS QUICKLY
Paul Nilon DR CAIUS
Colin JudsonBARDOLPH
Dean Robinson PISTOL

Garry Walker CONDUCTOR (EXC. 18 NOV)
Olivia Fuchs DIRECTOR
Leslie Travers SET DESIGNER
Gabrielle Dalton COSTUME DESIGNER
Paule Constable LIGHTING DESIGNER
Ben Pickersgill LIGHTING DESIGNER
Lauren Poulton MOVEMENT DIRECTOR

How much are the tickets and how long is the show?

Tickets are priced from £24.50 to £72. Through the Try it ON scheme, newcomers to opera can also enjoy some of the best seats in the house with two tickets for £20 each at Leeds, Manchester and Nottingham. The show is sung in English with English titles.   Lasts approximately 2 hours 20 minutes.

How do I book tickets to watch these shows?

To book tickets please call The Lowry at 08432086000 or via their website here.

How long is the show for and what are the timings?

Thu 16 Nov 7.00pm Masque of Might

Fri 17 Nov 7.00pm La Rondine

Sat 18 Nov 2.00pm Falstaff Audio described / Signed

Where will the performance be held?

The Lowry
The Lyric Theatre
Pier 8
The Quays
Salford
M50 3AZ
Manchester
Tel: 0843208 6000

• The Lowry welcomes all visitors regardless of their disability and strives to meet all individuals needs where possible.
• They welcome assistance dogs.
• The Lowry website is fully accessible and features BrowseAloud.  Browsealoud adds speech, reading and translation support, facilitating access and participation for those people who need support reading print, dyslexia, low literacy, mild visual impairments and those with English as a second language. To use this feature, simply click on the grey ear logo located in the footer.
• If you are driving to the show, we would recommend for you to park at The Lowry Outlet which is opposite the theatre, but be aware as there is lack of signage from the car park area to the theatre, so best to ask someone or use google maps to find your way.

  Pre paid car parking tickets can be purchased up to 24 hours prior to your performance. Please note they are unable to sell pre paid tickets on your performance date, and you will need to pay at the ticket machines in the car park. The tickets can be booked at the same time as your seats via their website, or over the phone on freephone 0343 208 6000. The cost is £6.50. This allows you to park for the day.

About The Lowry Theatre

The Lowry is a registered charity committed to using visual and performing arts to enrich people’s lives. They present audiences with a diverse programme of theatre, opera, musicals, dance, music, comedy and visual art as well as events and activities to expand the horizons of audiences and artists alike.  At the heart of their work is a commitment to the local communities and young people. Tapping into the work on their ur stages and in their galleries, they offer thousands of free creative participation opportunities each year. They are passionate about nurturing talent, developing creative professionals of the future and raising aspirations.

About Opera North

Opera North is a national opera company based in Leeds, and is a leading UK arts organisation. Rooted in the North of England, international in outlook, they create extraordinary experiences, every day.  Their award-winning work tours to theatre stages and concert halls throughout the North and beyond, including to London and major international festivals, and they curate an eclectic artistic programme of gigs, concerts, spoken word and film in the Howard Assembly Room. Their aim is to make bold, innovative, ambitious work and share it in new ways. Opera North believes opera and music is for everyone and champions diversity in artists, repertoire and audiences. Opera North Education connects with communities and inspires each generation, aiming to enhance the health and well-being of people in the communities where we work through arts participation and performance.  Opera North is grateful for the generous support of Arts Council England and Leeds City Council, sponsorship from the private sector, trusts and individuals, the Friends of Opera North, the Opera North Future Fund and the box office income from its audiences, which allows us to continue to mount our award-winning work.

About Green Season

Green Season is a brilliant initiative that Opera North have created. All three Green Season productions have created three interlinked yet distinctive designs that use shared scenic elements, enabling Opera North to reduce its use of materials and its carbon footprint. All the props, sets and costumes in the season have been purchased second-hand or sourced from previous productions.

Review by: Lex Ward

You may also want to read this:

Review: La Traviata, An Opera North Production at The Lowry Theatre*

Review: Alcina, An Opera North Production at The Lowry Theatre

Review: Street Scene, An Opera North Production at The Lowry

Photo Credit: The Lowry /Opera North