Veriditas's Production of Kurt Weill's "The Tsar has his Photograph Taken" ("Der Zar lässt sich photographieren")






Time: 7:30 pm, March 17 and 18
Venue: Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, Univ. of York

Co-Directors:Mary E. Larew and Omar Shahryar
Musical Director (Orchestra conductor): Jay Crossland



The Cast:
Boy: Melanie Jones
Assistant: Chirs Palmer
Angele: Francesca Geach
Leader: Cara Curran
False Boy: Rosemary Carlton-Willis
False Assistant: Matthew Badham
False Angele: Alison Russell
Tsar: Chris Macklin
Equerry: Nick Ashby

Plot Summary:

The action of "The Tsar has his Photograph Taken" takes place in a Parisian photographer’s studio. The Tsar’s photo-shooting is arranged before a group of revolutionists take over the studio. The real photographer, Angèle, and her 2 assistants are abducted and replaced by assassins. They put a loaded gun in the camera, and whoever presses the shutter will fire it. Without any knowledge of the murderous plot, the Tsar arrives with his entourage. However, things do not go as the revolutionists have planned. The Tsar, supposedly an imperialistic dictator, has a crash on the fake Angèle. Instead of having his photo taken by this Angele, he insists that Angèle should pose for a photo first. The false photographer’s worry about her own life and the Tsar’s ignorance of the murder lead them to a farcical tango before the plot is uncovered. Finally, a photograph is taken…



The Viriditas's production of 'The Tsar Has His Photograph Taken' proved to be a delightful piece of entertainment over last weekend.

The script was well-chosen. Kurt Weill's wicked sense of humour and masterful control of narrative make the single story-line concise in size but rich in impact. Directors, Mary Larew and Omar Shahryar, successfully brought the farce on page to stage. It is definitely not easy to present an opera in Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, considering its size and architectural design. However, the directors managed to place side by side in the concert hall an orchestra and an acting space. The two-fold presentation doubled up the musical enjoyment, although sometimes actors had to compete with the orchestra to be heard.

Despite the fact that the stage was rather small and occasionally actors were plunged into darkness where no stage lightening was available. The stage design was very dynamic. Different dimensions of the theatrical space were explored. For instance, a part of audience seat was used as an escape route necessary to the plot; the chorus standing at the background conveniently served as portrait photos that are indispensable in a photographer's studio.

In terms of acting, Chris Macklin, as the Tsar, gave a successful and charismatic touch to his part. He allowed us to see a child-like lovelorn boy within an imperial dictator by presenting the 2 natures in a hilarious contrast. Alisun Russell, as false Angele, sang well but was comparatively weak in her acting especially because for most of the time she had to interact with an attention-driven counterpart: Macklin. Nevertheless, the weakness could somehow be interpreted as a reflection of the character's own hesitation and anxiety in a chaotic situation like this. Cara Curran, as the leader of the assassins, is another impressive singer whose steady singing voice was the authoritative sound that we would have firstly expected from the Tsar, a man of power. In addition, Curran's singing introduced an acoustic horizon to the opera before whom the other 3 singers (the real Angele and her 2 assistants) were heard to be struggling in the beginning of the show.

"The Tsar has his Photograph Taken" is the first (?)production of Viriditas, Mary Larew's new ensemble that is dedicated to the performance of music-drama of all range (mainly from medieval to modern). In this one-act opera, Viriditas proved itself to be a competent and capable new group.

I am looking forward to its next performance, Herod and the Slaughter of the Innocents, which will take place on 20-21 June at York's National Centre for Early Music .

* Image from Kurt Weill