I last saw Tosca many years ago at the Royal Albert Hall and have kept a watchful eye out for a repeat performance since. A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to get my hands on tickets for a box for the Raymond Gubbay production last night for a very good price.I hesitated at first because I found out it was to be sung in English. My reaction wasn't because I'm a boring Opera snob but simply because I am used to hearing it sung in Italian and the flow does change in translation but luckily I ignored those fears and snapped up my seat. Sat at Gate 6 - Box 16 I was nearly facing the action directly. What a treat.
The set was superb. I've just laughed out loud at one comment on a review which describes it as "bare bones" - this is obviously from a person who hasn't stopped to think of the physical limitations of putting on a performance "in the round" - the minimalist settings are ideal if you want your whole audience to have a three hundred and sixty degree view of everything. What was lacking in props was more than compensated for with beautiful floor art and superb lighting. The stage became organic with the frequent movement of supporting cast and actors - choreography that climaxed in Act One with Scarpia's Te Deum "Tre sbirri, una carrozza" raising the roof as well as being visually spectacular.
The Guardian were unfairly harsh with their rating but managed to sum up some positives in the first paragraph.
"From a visual point of view, there are two or three spectacular moments in David Freeman's staging of Puccini's popular thriller. The act one Te Deum, with the lustful police chief Scarpia singing in counterpoint to the Roman choir and congregation, floods the arena with people and light. When Cavaradossi is executed in act three, blood spurts from his shirt in a far more realistic way than in most productions, while the final image, as Tosca hurls herself from the battlements of Castel Sant'Angelo, is a true coup de théâtre."
Performances were outstanding from all involved and the final moments with Cavaradossi prompted gasps from the audience. The new twist on the closing scene for me was the death plunge of our heroine. My previous experience has been to see Tosca step into shadows or fall into the background... not last night oh no! A final run to the peak of the set and a quick and effective change to a stunt double saw her jump from the highest point TOWARD us and fall twenty feet through the air and into the void of shadows - the second gasp of the night and cheers from some seats for a high octane finish to a great performance.
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