Irish Times writers review Andrea Bocelli at the Point Theatre, The Parking Space in Fleet Street Car Park, Proof at the Focus Theatre and Things that Go Bump at Bewley's Cafe Theatre.
Andrea Bocelli
Point Theatre, Dublin
Kate McMorrow
Rate him or not, the crowds who packed the Point theatre on Wednesday evening to hear Andrea Bocelli proved one thing - opera needs to return to its "bread and circuses" roots to survive in this country.
The performance was received rapturously by a capacity audience who had paid €200 a seat, and seemed to care not a whit about the finer points of the opera repertoire.
This was a true spectacle, with clever lighting, giant screens to facilitate those too far from the stage, and an atmosphere more reminiscent of a Tuscan music festival than an Irish classical concert.
The tenor from Tuscany has generated controversy among opera purists, who correctly insist that Bocelli is a crossover artist rather than a genuine opera singer. They point to inconsistency in his singing, constricted high notes and the fact he can't be heard over an orchestra without amplification.
All of this was evident during this performance, although his faltering start could be attributed to the blind tenor's renowned nervousness in facing a live audience. Only when he launched into a fine rendering of E Lucevan le Stelle from Tosca did he seem comfortable on the Point stage.
While trying not to upstage Bocelli, Italian soprano Maria Luigia Borsi's wonderful voice and spirited presentation managed to do just this, particularly in Puccini's O Mio Babbino Caro and the Act I duet from La Bohème. This young lyrical soprano is one to watch. Violinist Ruth Rogers was also a delight to listen to.
Andrea Bocelli came into his own in the second part of the evening, his voice notably improving as he launched into Bizet's L'Arlesienne and Serenata by Tosti. This was what the Point audience had come to hear and they swayed along with his spirited renderings of Torna a Surriento and O Sole Mio.
The National Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Marcello Rota gave a fine performance, managing to impress without overwhelming the soloists.
Generous to a hilt, the three soloists gave several encores to a delighted audience, ending predictably with Con te Partir and a standing ovation.
Bocelli's performance is unlikely to change the minds of true opera lovers, who rate musicality higher than the entertainment factor. But for his fans who packed the vast Point theatre to the rafters and went home singing, who cares?
The Parking Space ***
Fleet Street Car Park
Donald Clarke
With no Troy to squabble over, we are doomed to act out our contemporary tragedies around concerns as mundane as who gets to park his car where. Such is the thesis of Kevin McGee's taut drama, which concerns itself with such a dispute between two neighbouring couples in today's Stoneybatter in Dublin.
Verbose boor Patrick (Pat Nolan) lets us know from the outset he will soon be murdered. We have a fair idea who did it; only the precise circumstances are in any doubt. The often-portentous dialogue and downstage asides slightly weigh the piece down, even as they remind us of its classical forerunners. But McGee and his rooted cast massage the tension very adroitly right up to the final ingenious coup de théâtre.
Oh, and, yes, the performance is staged in a parking lot. Aside from accommodating the car around which the action revolves, this adds nothing to the experience, bar inconvenience.
Runs until October 4th. (Meet at Fringe Central, Temple Bar)
Proof ****
Focus Theatre
Fintan O'Toole
When David Auburn's Proof won the Pulitzer prize in 2001, it was partly a recognition if its rarity value as an intelligent new drama with enough popular appeal to make it viable on Broadway. The intelligence lies in its reflections on the nature of truth and a light dusting of higher mathematics. The popularity stems from its being shaped as a psychological whodunnit, the "it" being the proof of a theorem that has perplexed the mathematical world for centuries.
Was it the now-dead genius, who did great work in his early 20s and then became mentally ill, a figure clearly based on John (A Beautiful Mind) Nash? Or was it the daughter who abandoned her own studies to look after him and seems to have inherited elements both of his brilliance and his psychological instability? Stripped of the stellar Broadway casting, Proof seems a little thinner and softer than it did originally. But it is still a very well-turned and intriguing piece, with moments of emotional grace. Joe Devlin's production gives a crisp, pacy account with solid performances from Paul Bennett, Elizabeth Moynihan and Hazel Dunphy, and a splendid one from Tom O'Leary.
Runs until Nov 1st
Things That Go Bump ***
Bewley's Café Theatre
Peter Crawley
Asked to spend the night in a haunted house, this gently amusing and quaintly engaging revue might pay as much attention to the architecture as the tenant, where the sturdiness of Conor Linehan's compositions allow Susannah de Wrixon and Mark O'Regan to drift or rattle through Fergus Linehan's spirited lyrics.
"As I was going down the stair," begins de Wrixon's mezzo-soprano, "I met a man who wasn't there." With similarly paranormal logic, the tone pivots (not always comfortably) between warm humour and the chill of isolation. Some songs are erudite. Others are somewhat less so - flatulence, based on yuppies, comedy accents and fart gags.
Director Caroline FitzGerald revels in the vocal and physical expressiveness of her cast, while lingering apparitions are aptly accommodated by the nostalgia of form.
Runs at 11 p.m. until Oct 4th
The ESB Dublin Fringe Festival box office is at 12 East Essex Street, Temple Bar, Dublin (formerly DesignYard). You can book by telephone at 1850- 374643. The fee of €4 a ticket is waived if you book at www.fringefest.com
