Review: Peter Grimes (Opera Australia)

There are certain things one comes to expect at an opera; exquisite sets, deep bellows, luminous trills, and great drama. But once in a while a show comes along that pulls in a different direction, a show which uses the form but doesn’t indulge itself in its typical extravagance, a performance which is beautifully honest and emotionally underplayed.

For 2009, that show is Peter Grimes by Opera Australia.

The story follows the protagonist Peter Grimes, a burly fisherman who takes a young boy apprentice out to sea and, though the court finds him innocent, is treated as a murderer when the boy dies on the boat. To postpone an analysis of the musical performance for a moment, there were two things which struck me as poignant images within the story. First, the set was quite minimal with a simple school hall or community centre built entirely on stage providing the backdrop to all scenes. It was a simple set contrasting against what can be an often lavish genre, but the scene was perfect. Whether we should take the assembly hall image as an overarching analogy for education, or allow it to solidify the perils of community, the set was a wonderfully simple choice for an opera set mostly on the foreshore.

Secondly, Peter Grimes is an opera which grapples with the notions philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson summarised by saying “Solitude is impractical and yet society is fatal” and in relation to this, the most divine direction was the character of Dr Crabbe (Peter Carroll) acting as a voiceless narrator. There was an overwhelming poignancy to the orchestra moments between scenes when Carroll would traverse the stage, with a slow purpose, surveying all that was happening here. At times, he was the ghost of the boy apprentice, at others, the silent voice of reason. When he was not the focus, he sat, out of the action at the front of the stage, and watched at his desk, perhaps hinting at the notion of psychoanalyst, hearing the events unfurl with great sensitivity and silent objection. The combination of simple, expressive choreography combined with the undeniable talent of Carroll’s portrayal, brought the entire ensemble together, expressing society’s stirring madness, and solitude’s quiet insanity.

To write about this opera and not mention the supporting players would be to deny its communal mentality. There are, of course, specific supporting roles, Captain Balstrode (Peter Coleman-Wright), Auntie (Catherine Carby), Bob Boles (David Corcoran) and Swallow (Richard Anderson) were all wonderfully played, but were directed in such a way to keep them as part of the chorus, enhancing the ‘us and them’ mindset in which Grimes finds himself stewing. The less successful elements of the chorus were some of the smaller players who, standing on the precipice calling for Grimes, directed their vision above the back row of the Opera Theatre. This is quite distracting when one considers the demonic nature of the expression it creates, an easily missed yet similarly avoidable detraction from the otherwise overwhelming power of the operatic ensemble in a critical scene. Of these players, I must emphatically commend Peter Coleman-Wright and Catherine Carby, who found themselves the most endearing and realistic characters by their well-rounded portrayals, holding their characters flawlessly in speech and song; wonderfully cast and very well carried.

Peter Grimes himself was beautifully cast with Stuart Skelton playing the forlorn fisherman; fragile and affectionate, reticent and booming. His voice is, as would be expected of a male lead, extremely powerful but the moments where it really shone were in its pristine fragility; a clean falsetto which draws you in and locks the gate, as if the entire world is silent and nothing but his words are of any consequence. There are a few moments where this is true, but the stand-out performance is definitely in his final aria, lamenting on the death of his apprentices and contemplating a life (and possible death) out at sea. As an audience member, the most touching moment came in the curtain calls. After three hours of playing a character who is fiercely solipsistic, rising and falling in grief and anger, Skelton took his final bow with an overwhelming grace, and a clear gratitude; a clear indication toward an artist who is proud to share his talents, artistic expression, and his personal joy.

Peter Grimes plays at the Sydney Opera House on October 21, 24, 27 and 30.

For more information, and ticket sales, visit Opera Australia