Blissful Mansfield Park in Auckland

Sunday saw the Auckland premiere of Jonathan Dove’s 2008 chamber opera Mansfield Park, based on the book by Jane Austen, in the elegant ballroom setting of the historic Settlers Country Manor. While the novel may seem unsuitable for the operatic treatment, Dove’s masterful adaptation combined with the ebullient and characterful rendition by New Zealand Opera made it a very effective – and at times, very moving – afternoon at the opera.

Alasdair Middleton’s libretto skilfully works Austen’s opus into a series of chapters, each announced by the singers, swiftly giving us a sense of the personality and motivations of each character. Poor Fanny Price is bullied by her aunts and cousins and in love with Edmund, who has eyes only for the dazzling Mary Crawford. At the same time, various love stories and scandals play out among Fanny’s cousins and Mary’s brother. At the outset, it seemed like a lot for the audience to follow, but Middleton’s libretto is economical, condensing the story and focusing on the crucial interactions between characters that shape the plot. The key developments of the work mostly takes place in the gripping second act, where Maria and Henry’s elopement is revealed and Edmund turns finally to Fanny as his wife.

Dove noted that he “heard music” on his first reading of Austen’s novel, and the inspiration shows in his melodious and accessible score. It somehow reflects the period of the novel, with elegant minuets and audible nods to Mozart. One could also perceive influences of Britten, Stravinsky in his more neoclassical vein, and even musical theatre. But at the same time, it avoided any kind of pastiche, with enough of a twist on even older forms to keep the sound world Dove’s own. Most importantly, the music always moved the action forward with pleasing momentum. There were some particularly lovely moments in the numerous ensembles, such as the ravishing quartet in the first act. Here the score was heard in its original version with accompaniment by piano four-hands, always transparent enough to allow the singers’ words to come through. Pianists Soomin Kim and David Kelly proved to be vivacious participants in the drama in their own right with their personality-filled playing.

Much of the production’s success came down to the expert direction of Rebecca Meltzer. The large cast and small stage necessitated a lot of movement, of entrances and exits, but these were handled so naturally and, where noticeable, enhanced rather than distracted from the plot. The ingenious scene in which the plot development and characters’ feelings are conveyed through various characters’ simultaneous writing of letters is managed wonderfully, with the singers choreographed unaffectedly to circle around the stage. It was an intimate setting, equipped only with a couple of chairs. The singers did surprisingly effective double duty as trees or gate posts where needed and at one point, acted out a barouche ride in quite a hilarious fashion.

Mansfield Park gives a great opportunity for ten singers, mostly young, to show off their vocal and dramatic chops. Luckily, New Zealand Opera has gathered such a cast of New Zealand and Australian singers with the strong, characterful voices and acting ability needed to bring off their roles. It was supremely helpful that they also had really clear diction throughout, even in the ensembles. Ashlyn Tymms was a most sympathetic Fanny, without ever seeming prudish or self-righteous. When alone with her thoughts, her voice rang out with amplitude and emotional sincerity, but she was just as effective in the silences, where her facial expressions told almost as much as her singing did. 

Joanna Foote was a glamorous and bewitching Mary, with a wonderfully sweet high register and mellifluous command of the coloratura on the word “serpentine”. Special mention should be made of Kristen Darragh’s lethargic Lady Bertram and her manipulation of the ridiculous (in a good way!) puppet of her pet pug, of the hilarious childish naiveté of Andrew Grenon’s Rushworth, and the exciting new talent of Michaela Cadwgan in the role of Julia Bertram. All in all, a blissful performance of a most charming contemporary opera.