We round up the reviews for Harry Fehr’s production of Donizetti’s opera, performing at the London Coliseum until the 5th December.
Broadway World: **** “It’s tempting to overthink Fehr’s directorial steer in a Post-Modernist way, something about remembering the act of remembering. Insert a quote on culture and simulacra by some French philosopher here. But you must resist. Embrace its bright pastel goofiness as a warm antidote to the cold winter nights and looming geopolitical storm clouds. A bit of fun from time to time doesn’t hurt.”
The Guardian: **** “Musically, it’s lovely from start to finish, though conductor Teresa Riveiro Böhm sometimes favours extreme speeds and occasionally allows the orchestra to be fractionally over-prominent. Atkins, in a fine ENO debut, makes a wonderful Nemorino, beautifully acted, and sung with often exquisite lyrical ease. Lois is terrific, too, with a blaze in her tone and superbly expressive coloratura. D’Souza sings with admirable swagger in a characterisation more unpleasant than most, which is Fehr’s doing. Cedel has great fun as Dulcamara, his patter wonderfully clear, the mockery, humour and flashes of venality all superbly realised. Segomotso Masego Shupinyaneng, meanwhile, does much with little as Gianetta, a role sometimes undercast, though not here. The playing and choral singing are both outstanding.”
Music OMH: **** ” Harry Fehr’s new staging of The Elixir of Love combines wit and pathos, complete with plenty of accomplished bel canto singing.”
The Standard: **** “Far-fetched? Perhaps, but it works, thanks largely to the energy that suffuses the whole production.”
The Arts Desk: *** “Second problem: the volume and even the size of the orchestra. Teresa Riveiro Böhm did such a good job with a chamber ensemble making Donizetti sound like Mozart at times in Irish National Opera’s Don Pasquale, an earlier Donizetti triumph for director Orpha Phelan of Convenienze fame; I saw it in Dun Laoghaire’s 300ish seater Pavilion Theatre. Here Riveiro Böhm never keeps the orchestra down enough, and the style feels too blowsy for Donizetti, though the ENO Orchestra plays well as always.”
The Stage: **** “Donizetti’s comedy sparkles in this sitcom-style reboot.”
London Unattached: “ENO’s new production of Elixir brings the auditory equivalent of being sensuously slapped with a riding crop to the Coliseum in full 60s sitcom splendour. Definitely one to book.”
The Reviews Hub: *** “Donizetti and librettist Felice Romani’s characters are big enough to survive a so-so retelling, and the comic accents of the chorus, in particular, are delightful, but The Elixir of Love doesn’t find any sitcom energy or make the most of its evocative wartime setting.”
The Telegraph: *** “There’s much to enjoy in Donizetti’s romcom masterpiece, but London’s grand Coliseum drowns out some of the magic.”
The Upcoming: ***** “The rom-com opera is a must-see for anybody simply looking for a night of entertainment as well as opera aficionados, as it is sure to delight and enchant either way. The engaging storyline and captivating performances merge to create an unforgettable experience that lingers long after the final curtain call.”
British Theatre Guide: “I saw L’elisir d’amore with Pretty Yende as Adina and Matthew Polenzani as Nemorino streamed from the Met during lockdown when it lifted my spirits. Harry Fehr’s new production does the same. Characterisation is superb. There are laugh-out-loud moments and many a chuckle here and there.”
Bachtrack: **** “Nicky Shaw’s meticulous set – from every copper-bottomed pan to every chintzy sofa – has us on very familiar territory, but the reframing of it all again as a television sitcom (there are animated Dad’s Army-esque titles on a giant vintage telly over the overture) feels like a clunky dose of well worn wartime nostalgia. In this sensible atmosphere of make-do-and-mend, it takes a while for novelty to assert itself.”
Culture Whisper: **** “With ENO’s future reshaping, it has in The Elixir of Love a production that will bring delight to audiences wherever the company goes, and which will stand the test of time.”
To book tickets visit: https://www.eno.org/whats-on/the-elixir-of-love/