_{Opera York
The Elixir of Love} “Feeling of pride and community involvement”

On Sunday, November 3rd, daylight savings time rolled in with the accompanying darker evenings. It’s the season when we all yearn for more light and something to lift our spirits. I found the perfect antidote for late fall blues in Opera York’s matinee of The Elixir of Love at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts.

The plot of the opera is enough to make anybody lighthearted. Nemorino is a poor, somewhat socially awkward young man who longs for the love of the charming Adina. He buys a love potion from the quack Dr. Dulcamara. Even though it is only cheap wine, it all works out in the end as Adina ultimately rejects the advances of the overly confident soldier Belcore and realizes that her true love is Nemorino. Add to this story the quaint setting of a small village and the joyful music of a bel canto opera, and you have the makings of an uplifting musical staycation.

I was immediately impressed by the simple yet effective lighting design by Lin Lay, and by the props and set design by Dan Stoyles and Frank Paslan. The chorus was dressed in beautiful colour-coordinated costumes, and the impression in the first moments was one of a visually striking professional production.

Then the chorus sang – all 37 of them, of varied ages and ethnicities. Throughout the entire opera, they were on pitch, producing an impressive wall of sound while clearly having the time of their lives. The occasional slip-up in vocal cut offs may be forgiven when dealing with such a large, amateur group, but they were excellent overall. By Act Two, the chorus blocking was more varied and further downstage, which was beneficial for both sound and dramatic intent.

They were supported in the pit by a 22-piece orchestra under the direction of Geoffrey Butler. Donizetti is not an easy thing to conduct, especially with the rapid-fire precision needed when leading complicated ensembles. Butler skilfully led his musicians and singers through the nuances and changes of mood needed when navigating a work which ranges from legato solos to complicated quintets. There was some particularly fine woodwind playing in the overture.

Photo Credit: Bob Kisin

Nemorino (Alexander Cappellazzo) and Dr. Dulcamara (Andrew Tees) in The Elixir of Love at Opera York

Holly Chaplin was an impressive Adina. She has what it takes to be a Donizetti heroine – emotional depth in her lower tones and the vocal intensity needed to support the leaps, runs, and trills of a lyric coloratura. Her stage presence was strong, making her character vivacious and determined. Her love interest, Nemorino, was delightfully portrayed by Alexander Cappellazzo. He sang a sensitively rendered “Una furtiva lagrima,” and his command of upper-register pianissimo passages was particularly impressive. Cappellazzo was also an agile dancer, and the initial stiffness in his upper torso morphed into a more effective fluidity of movement throughout the opera.

John Holland was a hilariously arrogant and shallow Belcore. His voice was most impressive during ensemble and chorus work, and his clarity during patter passages was well done. Andrew Tees was an imposing and witty Dr. Dulcamara, whose booming bass voice and splendid stage presence made for comic magic during his “Udite, udite, o rustici.” His vocal strength in large chorus work was impressive, and the contrast of his rich lower tones with Cappellazzo’s clear tenor tonality in their first act duet was magical. Grace Quinsey’s Giannetta was a vibrant stage presence whose strong voice commanded the audience’s attention. Her “Saria possible?” in Act Two was comically and vocally delightful, particularly with the interaction of the female chorus.

Brava to director Penelope Cookson who didn’t resort to gimmicky staging in order to update the story, but allowed her young performers enough freedom to breathe new life into this classic tale.

Love spells have figured prominently in other operas: from Handel’s Alcina, through Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, and up to Italo Montemezzi’s L’incantesimo and Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The difference between Elixir and these other operas is this – the love potion in this opera is shown to be completely fake. The audience knows this, and we are all in on the joke. What was not fake in Opera York’s Elixir was the feeling of pride and community involvement in this production and the sheer joy that a well-presented comic opera imparted on the audience.

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