The steam-punk swindler Dr Dulcamara with his tricks of the trade (Supplied).
I found myself in Hoërskool Ermelo Auditorium in Mpumalanga on a Friday night in late September 2022, ready to take in the bel canto masterpiece L’elisir D’amore, a Cape Town Opera touring production. It had been years since I had been inside a school auditorium and my mind wandered back as a flush of excitement began to wash over me and I became somewhat giddy at the anticipation of my second opera attendance.
Hastily taking my seat, the set immediately caught my attention. Brightly coloured and rather minimalistic in its design, the colours drew me in, promising an evening of comedy, good music and, as I would later discover, wine.
L’elisir D’amore – the lowdown
Gaetano Donizetti’s famous opera, and one of the most frequently performed of his many operatic works, L’elisir D’amore premiered in Milan on 12 May, 1832. Known the world over for its timeless melodies and clever use of comedy, The Elixir of Love tells the story of a mad scientist-cum-doctor-chap known as Dr Dulcamara, who carries out a real-life experiment involving a love-inducing potion. And by experiment, I mean a fraud with a nifty glass bottle containing wine.
Enter stage left, complete with bicycle and heart-shaped pupils, the bumbling Nemorino brings the star of the performance, Adina, her latest consignment of books. Think hopeless romantic Takealot delivery person, circa 1832. Nemorino is smitten but Adina’s soon-to-be love interest enters, the pompous sports jock Belcore.
Sporty jock Belcore strutting his stuff for the entertainment of the ladies (Suzy Bernstein).
As is the way of this world, the beautiful girl and the handsome boy flirt and decide to get married (she coyly accepts after the second proposal) and Adina decides it should take place the next day. But hold on, in the interim, Dr Dulcamara has sold his elixir to Nemorino, which he believes is his sure-fire way to win Adina’s heart. The doctor-fraudster tells Nemorino its effects will only take hold the next day, so in a spate of newly found confidence, probably brought on by the consumption of the elixir (aka wine), Nemorino thinks time is on his side and plays hard to get with Adina. Ja, nice. This is what leads Adina to accept Belcore’s second proposal of marriage.
At a pre-wedding party the good doctor informs Nemorino that only a second dose of the plonk will speed up its effects, but, sadly, Nemorino has no money to spare. Desperate, Nemorino is lured by a signing bonus and joins Belcore’s sports team for an upcoming international sporting event, for which he is obviously ill-suited (he has that Takealot job, remember?). Meanwhile, as the ladies are beautifying themselves in preparation for the festivities, Adina’s best friend and local town gossip, Giannetta, shares the news that Nemorino’s wealthy uncle has died, leaving him as the sole heir.
Nemorino, unaware of his financial windfall, instantly becomes the object of the ladies’ affection. Naturally, he interprets this as the elixir doing its job and the comedic farce continues. Noting the ladies’ affections for the man she had scorned the previous day, Adina becomes overwhelmed with jealousy. Raise your hand if you’ve been in this situation before.
Never one to miss an opportunity, Dr Dulcamara informs Adina of the sacrifice Nemorino has made (now being a member of the sporting team) and offers her a dose of the elixir to similarly win his heart. Gotta love a steampunk doctor with an eye for business.
She tells him where to get off, opting to trust in her feminine wiles to rectify the situation. A tear in Adina’s eye, misunderstood by Nemorino, leads him to believe he finally has her affection.
Further declarations of love are made, womanising natures come to the fore and couples are reconciled. But I’m not going to tell you who lands up with whom, you’ll have to go and take in The Elixir of Love to find out.
The cast and creative team
Puerto Rican tenor Juan Hernández brilliantly takes on the multi-layered role of Nemorino while Brittany Smith does a marvellous job as Adina. Drakensberg Boys Choir old boy Van Wyk Venter pulls out his best moves as Belcore, all the while upping the ante with his pompousness. Linda Nteleza, my favourite on the night, takes on the role of town gossip Giannetta while celebrated bass-baritone Conroy Scott is enthralling as the fraudster Dr Dulcamara.
Adina lost in her book as Giannetta eagerly listens on for some gossip (Suzy Bernstein).
Musical director José Dias does a phenomenal job on piano, playing centre stage for upwards of two hours. Magdalene Minnaar is the creative director with movement by Fiona du Plooy and costumes by Rabia Davids. Maritha Visagie does an excellent job of realising Minnaar’s creative vision through minimalistic, brightly-coloured sets which gave the characters a canvas against which to truly come alive.
I found the set, energetic music and decadent 1940s inspired fashion acted as a conduit through which I could take in and enjoy this opera. All these aspects worked together to break down preconceived barriers to the enjoyment of opera. Cape Town Opera is doing an outstanding job of taking the art form to new audiences, with its innovative approach on all fronts.
A sit-down with Linda Nteleza
The day after opening night, I sat down for a chat with Nteleza. Khayelitsha-born Nteleza discovered the genre through a Shell commercial when she was a child but had a difficult time convincing her parents to allow her to pursue her newly-found passion. Good thing she stuck to her guns, as she has gone on to perform all over the world, but still calls South Africa home.
She confirmed her character Giannetta’s wanna-be frame of mind as she shared how the set design impacted her performance. “The moment you step on stage, and see those colours, the mood changes and you feel even more inspired to dig into your character; and when the music starts, well, the energy elevates a good few notches,” she said.
In the final analysis, The Elixir of Love was yet another excellent opera for me to indulge my new passion. Enjoyed by both seasoned opera-goers and newbies alike, The Elixir of Love was a great addition to my ever-growing list of opera performances.
Nteleza summed it up well when she said, “We have all been through so much lately. Forget about your problems as you enter the theatre and watch the performers on stage, with their passion and dedication, it may just lift your spirit.”
The Elixir of Love opens its Cape Town season at Theatre on the Bay in Camps Bay on 13 October 2022 and runs until 16 October, with tickets available through Computicket. Catch you from behind the theatre glasses, you opera habitué you.