Birmingham Opera Company: New Year at Smithfield - Review

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Sun 07 Jul 2024 - Sat 13 Jul 2024

As if performing opera in a circus big tent in the middle of Birmingham wasn't unique enough that's nothing compared to the show itself. Birmingham Opera Company has always stood out with its performances in the community, including in a disused factory.

This time it's not so much the setting that is so memorable as the immersive experience. New Year opera has been performed in 'the Dream Tent' at the empty Smithfield building site over a week from Sunday July 7 and it really is unforgettable.

While Birmingham Opera Company and its impressive chorus of volunteers sing, there's the world-famous City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) in one half of the tent accompanying them. And acoustics in the big top are incredible, making their sound even more intense.



Interestingly, the Opera Company has taken a dismissed, strange piece of work by Michael Tippett. New Year wasn't popular with critics when it first emerged in 1989 in Texas, but this new version in Birmingham has reinvented and revitalized it in an unexpected and marvellous way.

Set across four main stages in the tent the audience stands around them, moving with the action, I notice many fellow visitors came well-prepared wearing trainers as it's a two-hour 20-minute performance including the interval.

Comperes Grace Durham and Oskar McCarthy, pictured above, rally the crowd as an opener to this bizarre story that's a mix of the gritty realism of 1980s Britain and crazy sci-fi. Starting with a coffin being carried through the audience, it's a sad affair based around siblings who came through foster care, Jo Ann and her troubled half-brother Donny.



Francesca Chiejina's voice is hauntingly beautiful as Jo Ann, shown above, while Sakiwe Mkosana's role as Donny is more physical with elements of dance, rap and rock in his segments. The chorus mingle with the audience and it's hard to know who is part of the performance or just wandering around to get a better look at the stage. An intriguing experience.

Yet it's after the first act that the opera turns into something more bizarre as supernatural outer space figures Merlin, Pelegrin and Regan appear to Jo Ann. Samantha Crawford as Regan is spellbinding in a metallic silver jumpsuit and looks like something out of Doctor Who.

Even the 100 or so chorus members shimmer on a side stage in foil sci-fi outfits. Director Keith Warner and his creative team have pulled off quite a feat in making this production so fascinating and unique.

There's always something to look at with a variety of artistic atmospheric tools used at every turn. Early on, there's a mini house that Jo Ann's story unfolds in while the space characters are at the other end in a large box that opens up.



In the final act, Jo Ann and Pelegrin, shown above, who she is in love with, sing from the central stage surrounded by screens that have projections of nature, flowers and mountains displayed around them. It's stunning.

While the story and operatic music selected are far from the best I've seen, the way that New Year has been reimagined by Birmingham Opera Company in such a creative way is truly memorable. It's exciting, immersive theatre that feels more like an adventure.

Rating: 3 and a half stars out of 5

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