The Opera Locos is a curious hybrid of music and mime that delivers occasional flashes of fun but largely settles for a succession of fairly standard, broad slapstick routines. The performers offer competent and at times genuinely enjoyable snippets from well known operas, yet these highlights are loosely stitched together by two rather unengaging love stories. One centres on a drunken tenor gamely attempting to sing “Nessun dorma” from Turandot, while the other follows a singer and his male pupil, whose advances appear awkwardly unrequited. Along the way, the cast spill into the auditorium, enlist the audience in a communal singalong to “La donna è mobile” from Rigoletto, and raise their glasses to the “Libiamo ne’ lieti calici” drinking song from La traviata. There are also polished renditions of the “Barcarolle” from The Tales of Hoffmann, “Un bel dì vedremo” from Madama Butterfly, and the swaggering “Toreador Song” from Carmen. These operatic showpieces are interspersed with playful detours into the pop repertoire, with affectionate nods to Celine Dion and Frank Sinatra. The tonal shifts are energetic, if not always coherent. It is difficult to know quite what to make of it all, but unfortunately the whole never quite amounts to much. The comedy lacks invention, relying heavily on familiar pantomime tropes, and the slender storyline, such as it is, feels underdeveloped. Yllana’s The Opera Locos may appeal to those who relish the boisterous spirit of a Christmas pantomime, yet it is neither a particularly sharp satire nor an especially witty reimagining of the operatic canon.
Rated: ★★
Reviewed by J.C.
Photo © Março
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