Whilst I found one of Welsh National Opera’s newer outings, Migrations, to have varied appeal, the company have continued an outreach programme, including with charity Oasis Cardiff. Said collaborations have birthed workshops, film work and has reached its zenith in this staging of WNO’s The Shoemaker which, though unassuming, had plenty going for it.
It was the diverse group of six composers who won over here, with influence coming from Iran and Latin America. Here, the musicians had fun and showed off instruments rarely heard in the operatic canon: the setar, tanbor and two wonderful guitar players as fine examples. Though the story was slight, we saw Canadian mezzo Marion Newman star as Isabella, the cobbler in question. She makes shoes for those in need, the password being “My feet are bleeding”, these words upon a card we were all giving upon entering the space. Marion was last seen in Migrations, and it’s very rewarding to see her take the limelight here.
King Duncan is played flamboyantly by Kenneth Overton, hellbent on finding the mysterious shoemaker, though for reasons not made entirely clear. Overton got a bit of vamp in here and we went along with it: moments feel almost Brechtian, vocals often towering above us on the ramp he haunted. Tom Randle – as Noufel, an apparent gay refugee with dictionary in hand – is in fine voice as ever, but had little to do. Neil Balfour, as Safin, proved to be another talent to watch, with a personal solo and sense of intimidation in the role. Roberto (a windswept Sandeep Gurrapadi) is another swell addition to this diverse cast, a delightful Kazuna Okada had some sweet moments, and the ensemble of talents are completed by Azadeh Sooghian and Rhys Meilyr – a truly international collaboration.
Director Sita Thomas has turned the Weston Studio into a charged space: I was made to feel very welcome and I know work like this will get new, multicultural audiences in. The set of Jasmine Araujo comprises wheat, bowls, jugs and percussion – which we were encouraged to use at the start of the show. Conductor Max Ireland turned around to the singers many times, his focus on the instruments also generous.
Recent events in Iran loom over things as the show progresses, with screenings of actual footage from protests both there and in the UK – The Shoemaker’s intention to stir us up already in flow by this moment. The libretti, also by many writers (some billed as Anonymous), didn’t carpet the simple story impeccably, but it was the music which had worth – and the singers, who we know and love from WNO, who liberated us.
The Shoemaker, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, Fri 21 Oct
words JAMES ELLIS
