“Kitschy, glitzy and snazzy”
Kate Stratford
4 rabbits out of the hat
Venue : Sydney Theatre Company, Wharf 1 Theatre
Sydney Festival
Dates: 10-25 January 2025
Tagging any bio as “unauthorised” endows it with a sort of get-out-of-jail-free card. Take that bravado to Las Vegas, throw in a bit of Mardi Gras bling and Wagnerian style opera and you get Siegfried & Roy: The unauthorized opera.
Luke Di Somma (composer, librettist and conductor) and Constantine Costi (librettist and director) cover a lot of time and space in 90 minutes. Bookended by Roy’s 60th birthday, the opera covers their abusive childhoods, the meeting on the cruise-ship Bremen, a Royal Command Performance in Monaco to their conquest of Vegas and their personal relationship, even its dark moments. Each step is marked by a change in musical style. Bavarian folk in lederhosen, Berlin cabaret, soulful romance, moments of Elvis and Michael Jackson to the fanfare that is the glitziest place in America. Yet all delivered with the gravitas of German opera.
And this is where the purpose of the opera is a little unclear. Were Di Somma and Costi trying to keep it tight and light or trying to present something more dramatic? There is a element of dissonance between intent and effect as it wobbles between comedy and tragedy. Some numbers land beautifully, others seem awkward in context. There are quite a few toxic issues in the story of these two Vegas icons – just how to explore or deal with them remains an unresolved question. At times I was reminded of What’s Opera, Doc? (hands up if you first learned of opera courtesy of Bugs Bunny?) and Elmer Fudd’s “Kill the wabbit” was sitting oddly in my head with “What magic is this?” – Siegfried’s paean to magic and Roy.
There is a wonderful rapport between baritone Christopher Tonkin (Siegfried Fischbacher) and tenor Kanen Breen (Roy Horn). Their musicality centers the production, and no matter how campy and ridiculous their characters are at times, they both held to authentic and sincere portrayals. They also nail the look. An equally talented small ensemble of Cathy-Di Zhang, Simon Lobelson, Louis Hurley, Danielle Bavli, Russell Harcourt, Thomas Remali and Kirby Myers variously caricature those in Siegfried and Roy’s story. Zhang is stunning as she never misses a note whilst being sawn in half.
For there is magic! Impressively, some of Siegfried and Roy’s best illusions are brought to life thanks to magic consultant Adam Mada and the flexibility of some ensemble. Puppetry designed by Erth Visual & Physical Inc is not only imposing but adds a lovely expert, textural depth to the show. Manticore the white tiger who mauled Roy, is given voice towards the end before he attacks, positing questions about animal exploitation. There is irony, of course, in the name Roy gave a succession of white tigers. In mythology, Manticores had “the head of a man, the body of a lion and the tail of a scorpion” and were known to be savage man-eaters.
All this magic is enhanced by wonderful costuming by Tim Chappel. Even the exotic Folies Bergère inspired showgirl costumes are in cheetah print whilst Sigfried and Roy’s iconic look is meticulously reproduced – Roy’s bare chest included.
Designer Pip Runciman has created a cabaret lounge with lamp-lit tables, gaudy chandeliers and a thrust stage not unlike that Siegfried and Roy worked. It perfectly suits this bizarre showbiz story. The production values are on par with some of the best musicals which tour Sydney and Damien Cooper’s lighting design transforms the ordinary to the extraordinary.
Audiences will love this commissioned work.
Kitschy, glitzy and snazzy
Kate Stratford, Theatre Now
