Presented by pupils between the ages of 14 - 18, this was a presentation of Ravel's one act opera, 'L'Enfant Et Les Sortileges'. I have never seen Chetham's School perform anything like this before, as they normally confine themselves to simply playing instruments in concerts or singing in choirs; this was a whole performance... not just the music - which was superbly supplied by once again Chetham's school students - but there were costumes, lighting, haze, choreography and some very fine acting too!
Performed on the stage of the Stoller Hall in the bowels of their renowned music school, the first few rows of seats had been taken out to accommodate the orchestra which would normally have performed on the stage. This was cleverly set and as we walked into the auditorium a mimed scene was taking place. We were immediately transported into the a field hospital during the first world war, whilst the sound of shells and artillery fire resounded all around us, the nurses rushed from patient to patient trying their best to bandage up the many wounded. This was not how Ravel started his opera, but this was actually a very clever and intelligent reimagining of his work, and made the storyline all the more poignant because of it. Gone was the petulant and truly annoying brat of a child protagonist, and in his place we were presented with a delirious and hallucinating bed-ridden soldier thus intensifying the drama, and setting a more definitive time and place and indeed meaning to this perhaps flippant libretto.
The costuming throughout looked authentic and worked superbly, whilst the set changed cleverly, using minimal changes only, since this venue is not a working theatre but a music performance hall. Again the lighting was very creative and used well, and with the use of haze and different hues, the settings were created admirably. (Lara Booth and Ben Ormerod).Whilst the direction (Genevieve Raghu) was both imaginative and sincere; strong and purposeful movement both in the direction and choreographed sections, whilst the narrative signposting of the piece and the emotional drive were equally handled with ease and aplomb. I enjoyed the use of the balcony, and the sides of the sides of the auditorium, this worked nicely. My one (rather large) gripe was that although this was authentically and superbly sung in its original French, we truly needed either sub- or surtitles in English to accompany this!
It was a large ensemble cast, but even those who were little more than spear-carriers added immeasurably to the overall look and feel of this production, and the cast was a true ensemble working superbly with each other. This was a very ambitious production, but certainly the most mature and intelligently presented and compelling piece of theatre I have ever seen form Chetham's School. All the principals were excellently chosen and their voices mature and rounded. Hearty congratulations to them all! Their understanding of their roles and characters and their ability at working together to create such a 'masterpiece' was truly inspiring and impressive. It is abundantly clear that much time, energy, thought, expense and dedication has gone into the creation of the spectacle, but none of it gone unnoticed or appreciated. We need more, much more of this kind of thing PLEEEEASE!
Reviewer - Alastair Zyggu
on - 2.7.25
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