By Aashiq
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1NdOy1-1uw&t=2s
Available until: 5th May 2021
I went to the London premiere of Prima Donna! I dressed up and we walked down the red carpet and I looked SO much better than Rufus Wainwright, though you can’t say his outfit wasn’t eye-catching. Janis Kelly and Jonathan Summers were in it and they were both brilliant. I had a massive crush on Jonathan even though he was probably in his 60s, I'm not saying I had wedding dreams or anything like that, but his performances are just so on point emotionally and never overdone, he always makes me care about his characters.
I loved the music and totally related to the story as I was already showing signs of being a big prima donna myself. Someone near me threw a bouquet to Janis at the end and it nearly hit Jonathan on the head, but he picked it up and gave it to her and she blew kisses at our part of the circle.
So I loved it when I was… let’s say six. But what do I think now I’m… let’s say twenty-one?
Prima Donna was streamed live on what is usually known as Firework Night (and still was for some people, but I gave it a miss last year. It’s all part of this pretence I put up that I’m occasionally a responsible person). Masks were optional for the orchestra as I think is the case all over Sweden, with some parts of the country actually banning masks, but I’m not here to judge their COVID response, just their opera. When I first heard about masks I was like “Are you flipping kidding me?” only with not quite that wording, but then I realised it was another excuse to accessorise. There’s nothing quite like accessorising and saving lives at the same time.
Prima Donna is about an opera singer who hasn’t sung for a while, but she’s preparing for her Big Comeback. I totally relate. I can’t wait for this COVID business to be over so I can make mine. I feel like I haven’t been on a stage for years, but don’t worry, I still look as young and glamorous as ever. With the help of her maid and her butler, Régine prepares for her performance and for an interview with a journalist.
The libretto is in French which is just showing off. Rufus and Bernadette Colomine are both credited as librettists. But as the characters are French, it’s totally correct for them to be singing in French and the music goes really well with the French language and finds the music in it in a way that not all composers do.
Jayce Ogren conducts the Royal Swedish Orchestra in a sumptuous performance of Rufus Wainwright’s lush score. It’s very tuneful for a modern opera and it’s full of emotion and passion. If John Adams and Verdi had a love child (if you actually want to imagine such a thing), he (or she or they) might have turned out a lot like Rufus Wainwright. Some people see this opera as a parody, but director Mårten Forslund takes it completely seriously which I think is really important. Sabine Theunissen’s sets aren’t the most tasteful, but they suit a prima donna who is probably trying too hard. While you do ideally want sets to look beautiful, the indoor sets need to look right for the people who would have made the decisions about the décor.
Elin Rombo looks sensational as Régine Saint Laurent. Régine is glamorous, beautiful, and she definitely still has it vocally. Such a gorgeous stream of sound and great dramatic commitment. But there’s something very sad in her performance at the same time. She’s amazingly moving. Jeanette Stener has given her some gorgeous costumes which really suit her personality.
Jeremy Carpenter plays her butler Philippe, the role Jonathan Summers played the first time I saw it. I guess I was just (really really) young and in love, but I never realised before what a horrible man Philippe is. He doesn’t exactly know his place! But it’s a great performance from Jeremy. Angry, passionate and controlling with an incisive baritone. Just right for the bad guy in an opera, but fortunately not my type anymore.
Conny Thimander’s André seems to fancy himself a bit, but you expect a bit of that in a performance world. He’s great because he definitely verges on comedy, but underneath all that swagger, he dreams of being a singer and that feels very genuine, which makes him a very interesting character. I think his dreams could definitely come true, judging from his gorgeous voice. Beate Mordal is a supportive and protective Lisa – less soubrettey than I was expecting, but soubrette maids are such a cliché. It’s nice to see something different.
It’s great to see this gorgeous opera again and I still
think it’s very underrated.
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