Prepare to be astounded
Gold bikinis, Latino lotharios and green screen? Colene McKessick talks to Scottish Opera’s Karen Cargill about a daring new production
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WHAT do you associate with opera? Elaborate backdrops, frivolous costumes and powdered wigs? Well, think again. Scottish Opera arrives in the north-east this week as part of its autumn tour with two new productions, the Elixir of Love and The Italian Girl in Algiers.
Fans of traditional opera may keel over in shock when they see The Italian Girl in Algiers. A modern interpretation of Rossini’s classic, the production is based around a Latino soap opera. Yes, a soap opera. Set in a TV studio during the filming of Algiers, a popular Latin soap about the lives and loves of the Mediterranean super-rich, the action continues even when the cameras have stopped rolling.
“It’s big hair, big hand movements, overacting – very Latino. Basically everything we’ve ever been taught not to do in opera,” said Karen Cargill, who takes the role of Isabella, a young actress in the soap.
“The audience view the soap through a giant screen above the stage. Onstage, they see us filming it against a green screen, so on screen there are backgrounds such as a yacht and a beach, so it’s all very clever. Although they see the soap on the TV, they will also see all of the behind-the-scenes bickering and drama onstage. It’s so much fun.”
With girls in gold bikinis, green screens and a space hopper, this is certainly no standard opera, and Karen believes it’s a breath of fresh air.
“I wish opera was done this way more often. Colin McColl, the director, is from New Zealand and he has such a great perspective,” she said.
“He wants to make opera more accessible and I think this is a great way to introduce people to it. People try so many different things to bring in new generations and change people’s perceptions of the art form, but I think some people still struggle to get their head round it. But I don’t think you can beat it, especially when it’s done in a fun way like this.
“My colleague’s sons are both under 10 and came to see it and loved it. On the way home in the car, they were telling us all the bits they loved and singing away, so this definitely appeals to younger people, too.”
Getting classically trained opera singers to adapt to TV set conditions was a challenge, though, Karen admitted.
“It took a wee while for us to get used to having cameras on set. We had to be directed for close-ups, which we’re just not used to. We just want to face the audience and belt out usually, so this was a challenge,” she said.
“The green screen is great: it’s like a little cave, and opera singers love that. The best place to sing is the bathroom and the green screen has similar acoustics. It took us time to learn our marks for camera but it has been a great experience.”
Karen is known for her portrayal of Rosina in The Barber of Seville, another comedic Rossini opera, and she says that there is nothing more enjoyable than performing a fun storyline.
“With Rossini, you know you’re going to have a good time, on stage or in the crowd,” she said.”
“The music is light and bright, the storylines are so funny. You’re guaranteed a good night out at a Rossini show.
“In this, I play Isabella and she’s really feisty and bossy. I get to play up the sexy side, too, and I was worried about how my dad would take that, but I think he’s prepared for anything now.”
Karen’s parents live in Arbroath and will be going to as many of her performances as they can. It’s amazing to think that until she started at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, Karen had no clue about opera.
“My dad is a plumber and my mum worked in the bank, and I grew up listening to The Beatles, Abba and Boney M, so opera was something I’d never been exposed to,” she said.
“The story in my family is that, when I was wee, I used to sing Mull of Kintyre at every opportunity, and my auntie told my mum to see about lessons for me, but even then I was just singing folk songs.
“As I grew up, I knew I wanted to do something with music, but I wasn’t sure what. I went to the academy in Glasgow to get all of my qualifications, but I had no ideas about what opera was. One of my teachers had opera records with pictures of Maria Callas on the sleeves, and I listened to them and thought wow. I gradually started to train for it, watched a few Scottish Opera productions and realised that was what I wanted to do. I’m a showoff, so it was a natural place for me to be.”
Karen loves her work with Scottish Opera and hopes audiences in the north-east enjoy the autumn season.
“I have to remind myself that this is a job. I pretend to be someone else and sing for a living. It’s hard work, but so enjoyable,” she said.
“Scottish Opera is a national company and one that I think we should be very proud of. It challenges any other house in regards to quality and I’m thrilled to be a part of that. I can’t wait to get back up north; it feels like home to me.
“It’s a great buzz and I hope plenty of people come and share my enthusiasm.”
Scottish Opera will perform The Elixir of Love at Eden Court, Inverness, tonight, tomorrow and Friday, and The Italian Girl in Algiers on Saturday. They will then perform The Elixir of Love at HM Theatre, Aberdeen, from Wednesday, November 11, to Friday, November 13, and The Italian Girl in Algiers on Saturday, November 14. For more information visit www.eden-court.com or www.boxofficeaberdeen.com
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