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Victorian Opera’s ‘Tis Pity

An Operatic Fantasia on Selling the Skin and the Teeth

By: Robin Usher

February 1, 2017


Richard Mills has added a new string to his bow as artistic director of Victorian Opera by writing the company’s first show for 2017, the song cycle ‘Tis Pity. Already renowned as a composer and conductor, he is now also an expert on the quirks of prostitution through history. Examples of what he has discovered include such facts as the cost of the construction of St Peter’s in Rome came in part from a tax on prostitution. Further back in history the ancient Greek statesman Solon imposed a brothel tax to build a new harbor.

“The show is all based on fact as we look at the hypocrisy of men as they sought to control women and regulate prostitution through history,” Mills says. It grew out of the company’s 2015 hit, Seven Deadly Sins, and Mills is working with the star of that show, cabaret performer Meow Meow and its director Cameron Menzies in preparing the new show. Menzies says it is a hilarious look at the way history evolved, with the addition of some barbs.

The earlier production was a one-off hybrid, with the first half made up of new commissions by four Australian composers before Meow Meow’s performance of songs from the Brecht and Weil show. ‘Tis Pity has been extended to four performances in the Melbourne Recital Centre, accompanied by 35 musicians from Orchestra Victoria.

The full title is ‘Tis Pity: An Operatic Fantasia on Selling the Skin and the Teeth taken from the tragedy written by 17th century English dramatist John Ford, Tis Pity She’s a Whore. “We try to present things as they were without moralising, although Richard has called it opera’s version of Sexpo,” Menzies says. “It’s eclectic, featuring rumbas, mambas, ragtime, blues and extraordinary modernism. There are also some exotic instruments such as the ondes martenot keyboard from the first half of the 20th century and alto saxophone,” Mills says. “Meow Meow is supervising the writing and she is very particular.”

The performer, who has won awards in both Britain and the USA and is in demand of both sides of the Atlantic, will be joined on stage by tenor Kanen Breen and two dancers. She and Menzies first worked together in Berlin before coming together to find “a new groove” with Mills on Seven Deadly Sins.

“The new show is based on history with the addition of a lot of fun,” Menzies says. “It paints a picture of humanity in all its hypocrisy and vulnerability.” A show such as ‘Tis Pity is an integral part of Victorian Opera’s programming, which Mills says includes cabaret, bel canto, Wagner and new works, as well as non-commercial musicals by composers such as Stephen Sondheim.

“We do not concentrate only on opera’s heritage works without seeking to reinvent the art form with different perspectives,” he says. “Most artistic directors would agree, such as Barrie Kosky at Berlin’s Komische Oper.” Mills has a pragmatic view of opera. “The word simply means work,” he says. “Monteverdi’s Orfeo in the early 17th century was an amalgamation of the dramatic and musical practices at the time.”

Opera Victoria’s programming is aimed at providing a spectrum of work for its audience. “We would do more if we were given more support.” The company, which is funded by the Victorian Government without any federal support, is one of the most successful in Australia. A recent report into the art form recommended increased funding for the country’s national company, Opera Australia, to make up for current difficulties.

“We have to keep our feet on the ground and work hard all the time,” Mills says. “There is no sense of hubris because everyone knows it is a precarious business.” He says it would be a mistake to underestimate the company’s audience. “Melbourne people are very literate and critical who are much travelled. They know their subject and are capable of great discernment.”

The company’s productions cover a wide spectrum rather than concentrate on the high end. Mills says about 10,000people around Victoria have seen the company’s double bill of a cut-down version of Massenet’s Cinderella and Mills’ version of Pied Piper. The company’s family offerings will continue in March with the Australian premiere of The Princess and the Pea by American émigré composer Ernst Toch at the Arts Centre.

 

Victorian Opera’s ‘Tis Pity: An Operatic Fantasia on Selling the Skin and the Teeth is in the Melbourne Recital Centre at 7.30pm on 4-8 February.

“We do not concentrate only on opera’s heritage works without seeking to reinvent the art form with different perspectives.”

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