'Partenope' review — have a ball with this fresh, stylish and gloriously fun staging of Handel's comic opera

Read our review of English National Opera's Partenope, starring Nardus Williams, now in performances at the London Coliseum to 6 December.

Summary

• Handel's comic opera gets a fabulous revival by English National Opera at the London Coliseum
• The plot is moved to a 1920s Parisian salon where romantic hijinks ensue
• The excellent cast features Nardus Williams and Hugh Cutting
• Christopher Alden's witty production and Christian Curnyn's conducting are both superb

Handel’s Partenope, which premiered in 1730 at the King’s Theatre, Haymarket, is rarely seen in the UK these days. It’s unclear why he chose to write a comic opera after 20 years of tragic ones, but he did a remarkable job. Christopher Alden’s surrealist, witty production of this musical masterpiece was first seen in 2008 at the Coliseum and revived in 2017.

Alden leans into the silliness of the plot, not trying to impart meaning where there is none. Gone is Partenope as a warrior queen, plus an invading prince and the love rivals within the royal court. Instead, we move to a chic 1920s Parisian salon, where Partenope is a society hostess, batting off a variety of suitors and a Man Ray-style photographer who mysteriously arrives unannounced.

The group of six smoke, drink and swear. Jealousy and romantic attraction weave a complicated web as three suitors compete for Partenope’s affection: the dashing Arsace, the poetic Armindo, and the enigmatic Emilio. Throw into the mix a fourth admirer, Eurimene, who happens to be Arsace’s spurned lover Rosmira in disguise, and you have a delightfully intriguing, gender-bending comedy of errors. You may not always know exactly what is going on, but it’s great fun regardless.

Nardus Williams excels as Partenope, tackling the many taxing arias with composure and power, notably the beautiful Act II “Voglio amare”. Williams is cool as a cucumber and always seems in control – she may not be a queen in this version of the opera, but she maintains a distinctly regal air.

Ru Charlesworth is highly energetic as Emilio, with firm and confident vocals, really relishing his character’s villainous tendencies. Jake Ingbar is very eloquent as a foppish, Chaplin-esque Armindo, managing to sing "Voglio dire al mio tesoro" quite beautifully while swinging from the underside of a grand staircase.

Katie Bray handles the dual roles of delicate Rosmira and more vengeful alter ago Eurimene very well, with nimble transitions and fine acting. William Thomas is brilliantly camp as Ormonte, full of playful fun. As Arsace, British countertenor Hugh Cutting has wonderful and assured stage presence. He sounds vibrant and fresh throughout and almost smashes through the roof with his spine-tingling aria at the end of Act II.

Amanda Holden’s humorous translation contains a lot of toilet humour (some of it literal), along with contemporary slang, but it never sounds as though it is trying to be too clever or hip. Christian Curnyn, who conducted ENO's production in both previous iterations, draws elegance from the score, with the Baroque grandeur contrasting nicely with the Art Deco design of the production.

Andrew Lieberman’s bright, white set looks less pristine than it used to, but the eye-catching curves and monochrome touches are still very stylish. John Morrell’s costumes are gorgeous, using beautiful tailoring and flowing fabrics to convey sophistication.

It’s a remarkable achievement to make an opera from nearly 300 years ago look and sound so fun, fresh and contemporary.

Partenope is at the London Coliseum to 6 December. Book Partenope tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Photo credit: Partenope (Photos by Lloyd Winters)