I write this swathed in aptness as I prepare for a return to Shakespeare country; Stratford-upon-Avon this weekend.

The weekender was originally intended to be more Butlins, Black Grape and Boo Radleys, and altogether less Bard, but when flooding takes out your chalet, substituting a Shiiine indie festival for Shakespeare felt the obvious move.

But let’s roll back to Wednesday, which saw another welcome return to the Lowry, Salford, for Opera North, with the first of three separate productions (plus a repeat of this, Falstaff, on Saturday 18 November), as part of their Green Season.

This sees Opera North investigating how to stage opera as sustainably as possible by interrogating supply chains, lighting rigs, touring logistics and costume designs, and using the sets and props from previous productions kept at the Company’s Scenic Stores in Leeds.

As regular Set Designer, Leslie Travers, says,

I love this history of the shows we’ve done together, and I’ve loved giving them another life for the Green Season. Falstaff, for example, features windows from Figaro which we’ve resized and adapted, the sky from Orpheus at the back, and there are shelves full of objects that frame and comment on the action and reappear as elements in the sets of the other two operas.

Audiences are also encouraged to embrace digital ticketing, and travel to the theatre by public transport. I’d like to claim brownie points for getting there on foot, but given I can see the theatre from my home, this is probably cheating.

Which segues beautifully into Falstaff!

Falstaff, is Verdi’s take on Shakespeare’s lovable rogue (Henry IV, Part 1, The Merry Wives of Windsor, A Midsummer Night’s Dream). In this new production, the action is transported to the 1980s where the impecunious Falstaff has his eye on a couple of rich wives as his passport to a brighter future. Unfortunately for him, the ladies are no fools and have already decided to teach him a lesson he will never forget.

Transcribed into English, with English subtitles for this production, the opera was first performed in 1893 at the famous Teatro alla Scala, Milan.

With music by Giuseppe Verdi, I first want to pay tribute to the orchestra and Conductor, Garry Walker. Any production is elevate ten-fold by live orchestra, and, secreted in their traditional pit, its easy to almost taken for granted that the glorious accompaniment to the voices coming from the spotlight of the stage are being gifted to us in the moment by talented musicians.

Back on stage, after playing Parson in The Cunning Little Vixen, Henry Waddington returns to Opera North to take on the title role:

“Fat, old, lazy, selfish, lecherous, broke and pretty cunning, Sir John Falstaff is one of the greatest comic characters in theatre so to get a chance to perform this role is both a joy and an honour.”

A wonderful old rogue of a character, my first so to speak exposure to him was in a production or Henry IV at the RSC in Stratford.

But this was altogether more fun.

There were genuinely joyous moments in this production. The high-camp hamming it up of expressions as lines such as the glorious

Tosspot

Falstaff

were delivered and sung with feeling and gusto just, as if it were one of more depth and gravitas, bringing much appreciation and mirth from the audience.

In this vein, there is a glorious effect when the powerful audio and execution of opera meets the more contemporary optics of set, costume and situation. The juxtaposition of the two serves to bring out the beauty of the former and the purposeful humour of the latter, wonderfully.

For example, as we see Falstaff, slovenly slouched outside his caravan, along with companions , Bardolph (Colin Judson) and Pistol (Dean Robinson), the bearded former, the respectively flat-capped and more youthful latter, I was getting pure, unadulterated Trotters at Nelson Mandela House.

The (un)lucky ladies in the crosshairs of our old bounder, Falstaff’s, foolhardy plan, Alice (Kate Royal) and Meg (Helen Evora) give great performances as they all too quickly realise what’s afoot (ladies talk – take note).

Along with Mistress Quickly (Louise Winter) and Alice’s daughter Nannetta (Isabelle Peters), they play a blinder as they conspire to set up and take down Falstaff – the bedroom scene and parade of policemen hunting down our portly knight who was hiding in the washing basket, was pure, exquisite farce.

But it’s hard to ignore Henry Waddington. Not just by the obvious consequence of being in the title role, but by the talented and highly comedic execution of its requirements.

Vocals aside (which feels a travesty even suggesting, given the quality of all players’ voices throughout), but vocals aside, the comic timing and slapstick way he commanded the stage (the belly needing a place in the credits itself), made a grey Wednesday night shine more bright.

You can see Opera North’s production of Puccini’s La Rondine on Friday 17 November and an audio-described and signed matinee performance offers another chance to see Falstaff at2pm on Saturday 18 November: https://thelowry.com/whats-on/opera-north-falstaff/

Visit Opera North for more details on the company and productions.