Donizetti’s Elisir d’Amore is in many ways the most genuinely funny of all comic operas but changing its setting from rural Italy to Second World War England loses some of its charm. In the original, Nemorino is a guileless yokel, besotted with a bar owner named Adina whose charms he seeks to capture through a love potion but both of them are less convincing in the ENO’s new production.
It starts with an amusing though rather bewildering cartoon sequence during the overture, in the style of an old TV sitcom in Dad’s Army style. The director, Harry Fehr, is clearly determined to bring us something very different from the usual Elisir, but Nemorino’s role is far better suited to that of an old-style Italian country yokel than a more modern British conscientious objector. Adina’s attitude to Nemorino is also rather more cruel than we are used to which detracts from the humour.
On the plus side, the singing is wonderful with excellent performances by Rhian Lois as Adina and Thomas Atkins as Nemorino. Brandon Cedel as the snake oil salesman Dulcamara and Dan D’Souza as Nemorino’s military rival Belcore add good vocal support, but they all seem lacking in spontaneous humour.
The best productions I have seen of this opera feature irrepressible comic timing and the singers all clearly trying and succeeding in making each other laugh.
Perhaps the most uninhibited performance in that respect this time came from South African soprano Segomotsu Shupinyaneng in the much smaller role of serving girl Giannetta, leading the chorus in energetic style.
The conductor Teresa Riviera Böhm tried at times to inject more spirit by increasing the tempo, but this seemed to meet with resistance from the singers. This is bound to improve as the run continues.
I feel rather mean giving this only three stars as despite its drawbacks it still provides a greatly enjoyable evening. However, I have seen so many magnificently impressive productions of this great Donizetti opera that my enjoyment was tempered by the feeling that Harry Fehr’s innovations did not quite work.