REVIEW: WNO La traviata at Mayflower Theatre

The ‘Welsh National Opera’ were back at Mayflower Theatre but this time with their rendition of ‘La traviata’. This is textbook opera. With music composed by Giuseppe Verdi, the traditional Italian sung opera has musical highlights that are instantly recognisable – whether you’re an opera fan or not. Based on the novel ‘La Dame aux Camélias’ by Alexandre Dumas, ‘La traviata’ takes you on a story of love and pain all through its powerful and beautifully poignant music.

With this being a more traditional opera, it could be perceived that the story would be more difficult to follow unless you were an avid opera expert. In WNO’s case however, this is again completely untrue. The piece has been perfectly crafted to allow for the story line to flow, but also for certain beats to be interpreted however each audience member sees it. The story is very people focussed, so each person may interpret what’s happening slightly differently – but still end up at the same point. Something that both Directors, Sir David McVicar (original director) & Sarah Crisp (current director), have been able to put across through not only the music, but the acting that accompanies it.

It’s no surprise again that the singing was faultless.

‘La traviata’, translating to ‘The Fallen Woman’, is a story that follows Violetta, a woman that has it all at the height of society. But when she falls deeply in love with a penniless poet, Alfredo, she gives up her lavish lifestyle to be with him. To avoid spoilers, Violetta’s struggles are now whether she will be accepted for falling in love, or will she just remain a ‘fallen woman’? 

The cast for this opera was insane! Not only in terms of talent, but also in terms of size. Overall there must’ve been about 40 cast members, not even to mention the orchestra yet. The entire company was amazing. The vocals, the dancing, the acting – all superb! As a new singer for WNO, playing the role of ‘Violetta Valéry’ was Stacey Alleaume; and all I can say is WOW! Stacey was out of this world. Her vocals were flawless, the control to be able to sing like that whether she be standing, sitting, lying. Unbelievable. Not only did her voice leave you in a trance, the acting was fantastic, something that can sometimes get overlooked when music is the central point of interest.

Her character progression was so compelling, we were with her every step of the way. Also, I’d just like to add how much of a vocal strain it can be to fake cough and then be able to sing. As Aiden Lang (General Director for WNO) said, “Violetta, is one of the pinnacles of the soprano repertoire”, and Stacey absolutely smashed it! A big shout out also needs to be given to David Junghoon Kim, who played the role of ‘Alfredo Germont’, because he too was superb. It’s no surprise again that the singing was faultless, and in particular his acting again was brilliant. I loved the bond that these two characters had on stage. The way you could see every emotion play out in not only their voices but also their actions was sheer perfection. Overall, it was the cast that controlled the tone and emotion of there opera, and they executed that perfectly. By doing that it just meant that the story was more flowing and much easier to follow. Bravo!  

The set was exactly as you would imagine for a traditional opera. Simple yet grand. Big curtains that hung in variations of ways to leave certain parts of the stage hidden, accompanied with grand stately furniture. The space was managed very well to be able to split a scene with the pinch of curtain, and change the scene whilst the show continued to play on.

*Spoiler Alert*, but I also loved how the whole floor of the stage was Violetta’s tombstone. Such a clever piece of foreshadowing literally hidden in plain sight. The lighting was also simple, but it didn’t need to be anything more than that. There were a couple of moments where the use of light was quite powerful, singling out a certain moment or pathway. WNO’s incredible orchestra are what really help make everything come together. I’ve already mentioned how impactful the singing was, but everything gets heightened with that orchestra. The most instantly recognisable piece played would’ve been the drinking song, ‘Brindisi’. The vibrancy that was brought to the the theatre when that song was played was mesmerising.

I think everybody should experience an opera at least once, and if it’s with WNO – you could find yourself coming back for more. 

‘La traviata’ is cut up into three acts with two intervals. There’s always the worry that it could’ve begun to drag, but I don’t think it did. The pace of the opera was kept at a constant, with a big thanks to the music. Notably however, after scene one of act two, you could feel the tempo starting to become flat. To regain some of that energy, the beginning of scene two of act two was the dance sequence from the gypsies and the matador. This was such a fun break from the main story and it almost reset the audiences minds temporarily. Choreographers, Andrew George (original) and Sirena Tocco (current), have done really well to add in a little bit of comedic fun within a tragedy. Another key moment that has stuck with me happened right at the beginning of the show before anybody had even started singing. Alfredo is seen walking in all black in front of the curtain to an overlay of music. *Spoiler Alert* (again), but this is foreshadowing Violetta’s death and is meant to symbolise him walking at her funeral. Such a nice added detail. 

WNO’s attention to detail has to be admired. As an ‘opera newbie’ myself, I was worried there would be so much I wouldn’t understand that would just go unmentioned. But Welsh National Opera seem to be trying to make opera as accessible as possible. This rendition of ‘La traviata’ was stunning. A story  with women’s health and social status at its centre is not only rare in opera but also in theatre, and I think the story is as important today as it was when it first debuted. The Welsh National Opera have come to the end of this tour but will be back in the spring with ‘Death in Venice’ and ‘Così fan tutte’. I think everybody should experience an opera at least once, and if it’s with WNO – you could find yourself coming back for more.