Mr Punch at the Opera Review

August 22, 2024

Mr Punch at the Opera Review

21st – 24th August 2024

The Grimeborn Opera Festival returns to the Arcola Theatre from the 14th of August for its seventeenth year of radical opera, featuring seven innovative productions from across the globe. Today was Mr. Punch at the Opera a unique concept comprising Panto, puppetry and … opera!

The show is based loosely on Pergolesi’s La Serva Padrona, a comic Renaissance opera, now transformed into a 40-minute pantomime and puppetry performance with modern themes.

Reading an interview with director Becca Marriott, she tells us that in the 17th century, during the intervals of the big operas, audiences would be treated to other short operas. These were known as “intermezzi” and La Serva Padrona is the most famous of all the intermezzi operas that remain today.

La Serva Padrona tells the story of clever maid who defies her stupid boss and dupes him into marrying her.

Marriott had highlighted gender stereotypes as one of the biggest challenges of adapting a Renaissance opera. This was combatted with some clever but simple framing which invited audience members to sound a party blower every time they heard or saw something which compromised equality. An effective concept regularly used in theatre-in-education, empowering the audience to make a difference. The idea worked well in places but perhaps needed a little more set up or regular reminders as often gender stereotyping went unnoticed with the central character having to prompt the blowers. My nine-year-old may not have always piped up at the right time but she was thrilled to receive a free party blower and made good use of it all the way home, much to the delight of other commuters!#

“Mr Punch at the Opera is a fun concept and a great way to introduce young audiences to opera”

The cast of three (Grace Nyandoro as Serpina and Matthew Kellett as Hubert) and puppeteer (Professor James) worked hard over the forty minutes with much physical humour, comical expression and impressive bursts of song. Hubert often being the victim of panto style gags such as sausage stealing or tea gulping from the infamous crocodile and monkey, whilst the wily Sabrina seized her opportunity to turn the tables on their existing arrangement. They were accompanied by a talented duo of cellist Alison Holford and MD/pianist Panaretos Kyriatzidis who provided suitable accompaniment for the opera and atmospheric music, framing the scenes nicely. A few bars from Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On from Titanic was a fitting and comical addition when the two central characters fell in love. Mr Punch at the Opera is a fun concept and a great way to introduce young audiences to opera. Whilst there were brief moments where the opera failed to engage the young audience, the production seemed to be generally well received and my little girl certainly gave it a thumbs up and even said she would have liked it to have been longer.