La Traviata

A three act operatic spectacle, packed with passion and power.

'La Traviata', literally 'The Fallen Woman', is one of Verdi's greatest romantic operas. Based on Alexandre Dumas Jr's 1848 novel 'La Dame Aux Camélias', its universal themes of life, love, strife and struggle, followed by sickness, sacrifice and death, are truly the stuff of which great opera is made.

Norwich Theatre, working together with Buxton International Festival, this weekend bring their co-production of Verdi's romantic tragedy to the stage of Norwich Theatre Royal. And it is a beaut.

Friday night's performance starred Polish-American soprano Alexandra Nowakowski in the role of Violetta Valéry, the French courtesan who abandons her life of celebrity and Parisian parties after falling in love with young provincial bourgeois Alfredo Germont (sung by American tenor Tigran Melkonyan). Directed by James Hurley, and with the orchestra under the direction of Adrian Kelly, this is a three act operatic spectacle, packed with passion and power, and guaranteeing an emotional rollercoaster of a ride from start to finish.

The key to James Hurley's vision is the ornate jewellery box that dominates the stage as the curtain rises. As with all jewellery boxes, it is the key that unlocks it that allows us the insight into its owner. In Elliott Squire's set design, the enormous jewellery box becomes a box of memories and secrets. Upon opening, it reveals the intimate secrets of Violetta's Parisian salon; Violetta and Alfredo's house in the country; the party at Flora's house in Paris; and, finally, Violetta's bedroom where she lies, consumed with tuberculosis. It is a box that represents Violetta's gilded cage, from which she attempts to fly. But, in unlocking the box, there are also feelings of guilt and shame that are released, and which have to be dealt with.

This is the first time that I have seen 'La Traviata' performed live on stage, and it truly exceeded all my expectations. It really is a memorable production. We are therefore so indebted to Norwich Theatre Chief Executive and Creative Director Stephen Crocker, and to Michael Williams, Chief Executive Officer of Buxton International Festival, for their shared vision and pooled resources, combining to bring this production to life. With so many opera companies no longer undertaking tours at all, and others finding it increasingly difficult to fund a touring programme, it is only through innovative shared visions of partnerships like this that we can hope to continue to enjoy live opera in provincial theatres like Norwich Theatre Royal. Thank you.