We sat down with Joseph O’Curneen and David Ottone to chat about their production The Opera Locos. The show is a vibrant comic opera which blending physical comedy, opera classics, and pop hits for an unmissable night where Verdi meets Celine Dion. The show offers a fun, accessible alternative to traditional opera, combining humour with the skill of trained singers perfect for families. Tickets here.
Joseph O’Curneen
The Opera Locos walks a fine line between loving opera and gently dismantling it. When you first co-created the show, how conscious were you of protecting opera’s dignity while gleefully poking fun at it?
Very much so. No intention whatsoever to dismantle or to dishonor the art form, far from it. Maybe, to some extent, question the rigidity of the tradition but never the music itself.
We love opera, and by combining it with our particular brand of physical theatre and humour we offer a new way of experiencing it, conscious of the need to maintain high standards of vocal technique and artistic integrity. We want both the seasoned opera-goer and the novice to leave with a renewed love for the art form.
Yllana’s work is famously physical and wordless in spirit. What does physical comedy allow you to express about opera that language or satire alone never could?
Opera Locos is in fact a demonstration of how both art forms can coexist, in unison. In essence it’s all about human expression. Characters expressing themselves using the entire spectrum of language and eloquence, from a moment of silence, to a subtle gesture, to hitting the finest operatic note.
There is something endearing though about a character hitting the finest and most subtle note, and soon afterwards falling flat, so to speak. It’s the comic prespective. It’s a broad perspective. Do you love him for how beautifully he sings, or for his flaws? For both. Opera Locos is all about admiring two of the finest human achievements: prat falls and opera. And to love them both in kind.
After touring this show across 16 countries, what have international audiences taught you about how humour, music, and opera travel—or don’t—across cultures?
Audiences around the world connect easily with universal themes, such as músic, love, and human frailty. Flaws, defects, imperfections, are fine sources of comedy, and universal hallmarks of humanity. And our characters are like that, very human indeed. Everybody can connect to that. It’s a common denominator across all cultures, as too is the ability to admire beauty in music.
David Ottone
The show blends Puccini and Verdi with Whitney Houston and U2 without irony. What’s your instinct when deciding which musical worlds can collide, and what makes a transition feel truthful rather than gimmicky?
Anything that helps to heighten a characters internal state, is good enough, as long as it’s aligned with the over all style, and artistic framework. If the character is believable and his desires ring true, then he could break into song regardless of how antagonistic the style may seem. Some songs just feel better, by there significance or by the impact they’ve had on popular culture.
You’re directing performers who are both elite singers and fearless comedians. How do you create a rehearsal room where technical perfection and joyful chaos can coexist?
There is a time and place for everything. Joyful chaos should always precede perfection. Creativity is messy and should be so. You need to revel in chaos and madness at the outset, to help to loosen up the cast and to free their talent. This is especially true in comedy. Some of the best ideas come from improvisation and the free association of ideas. Afterwards you need to reign it all in, to give way to the gruelling process of perfection.
Returning to the Peacock Theatre after such a strong response last time, does revisiting a show like this feel like refinement, rediscovery, or letting it run wild all over again?
Letting it run wild all over again. I believe that is our assignment!