fri 29/11/2024

Il Turco in Italia, Garsington Opera | reviews, news & interviews

Il Turco in Italia, Garsington Opera

Il Turco in Italia, Garsington Opera

UK Gold in a field, anyone?

Don Geronio (Geoffrey Dalton) catches Fiorilla (Rebecca Nelson) and Selim (Quirijn de Lang) in flagrante: Oo-er missus
What would opera do without the postwar British sitcom? Garsington Opera's new production of Rossini's Il Turco in Italia at Wormsley last night saw yet another opera buffa being sold to 21st-century man using the gestural language of 'Allo 'Allo and Fawlty Towers. It was as easy and enjoyable as a night in with UK Gold - but much nicer, for we were surrounded by fields and forests.

What would opera do without the postwar British sitcom? Garsington Opera's new production of Rossini's Il Turco in Italia at Wormsley last night saw yet another opera buffa being sold to 21st-century man using the gestural language of 'Allo 'Allo and Fawlty Towers. It was as easy and enjoyable as a night in with UK Gold - but much nicer, for we were surrounded by fields and forests.

By Act II they found themselves raiding the CBBC cupboard of theatrical tricks

Share this article

Comments

I was at this performance last night with my husband and we found it extremely enjoyable! We were blown away by the creativity of the production (I don't want to spoil the surprise, so I won't mention my favorite thing about the scenery), the staging was excellent and there was never a dull moment! I am a regular patron of the arts, and I haven't laughed so much in an opera in ages and ages - it was delightful! The vocal quality and acting ability displayed by the principals (specifically by the three leads: Nelson, De Lang and Dalton) were simply superb. Highlights for us were the duet between the two men in the second half (hilarious) and Ms. Nelson's final aria (Wow!). What a quality production!

Add comment

The future of Arts Journalism

 

You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!

We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d

And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.

Subscribe to theartsdesk.com

Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.

To take a subscription now simply click here.

And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?

newsletter

Get a weekly digest of our critical highlights in your inbox each Thursday!

Simply enter your email address in the box below

View previous newsletters