Just a bit more about yesterday's La Sonnambula, which is still (happily) on my mind. I think what most took me by surprise about the show, other than the fact that I effortlessly got into the whole idiom involved, was just how well it all fitted together. And I don't just mean the music, although at every level, individual voices, the orchestral playing, the blending of the ensemble, the wit and verve and tunefulness of it all, it just worked - as in casting a spell. No, I'm going further than that: the whole theatrical experience radiated enchantment. The characters lived in terms of big, heartfelt effusion, but also in tiny gestures, including little touches here & there from the chorus, which I didn't expect at all. It was the opposite of wooden - supple, if you like. A genuine world was created on stage & it looked like the players felt something of the spell in terms of the certainty of their performances, like every movement was really meant.
The set was sort of simple but, again, supple, with the changes of scene made with a kind of melodic fluidity. And the blocking was beautiful - so many striking stage pictures, again with an underlying wit and charm.
I'm a bit in awe of the level of talent involved, but struck much more by the generosity of what was on offer. Not so much, look at me and what I can do, but join us in a celebration of what can be achieved when it all comes together.
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