The Cunning Little Vixen Opera North Review

★★★★★

Reviewer - Samantha

*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review.

Suitable for 10+. Family bookers please be aware of some mild language and adult themes

The Cunning Little Vixen by Opera North is an opera that features animals and humans living in a forest. We’re taken on a journey to follow the enchanting tale of Vixen Sharp Ears – from when she was a young cub to a married vixen. As her mischief unfolds, all of the creatures of the forest come to life, and we’re exposed to an array of animals you don’t see on your traditional woodland walks. From dragonflies and badgers to squirrels and birds, we were truly spoilt by the beauty of wildlife in this performance.

This fairy tale is an emotional journey reflecting on the nature of life, the circle of birth, which might I add is executed beautifully, death and finally, the connection between the human and animal worlds. Janáček’s playful folk-infused melodies burst with energy, as Director Sir David Pountney returned to charm audiences with this celebrated classic. This show was split up into three acts with an estimated running time of two hours and five minutes.

I am delighted I was given an opportunity to review this performance as it was my first ever visit to the opera and I wasn’t disappointed. I wasn’t sure what to expect at first as I’ve never been interested in booking a trip to the opera before so as I sat there, waiting for the curtains to rise, so many thoughts ran through my head of what was about to come. As soon as the stage and set were in view, a smile suddenly appeared on my face.

The scenery set up was breathtaking and extremely clever. It was made up of two large pieces, which were fixed together to recreate a woodland area with the characters appearing from different parts of the stage. Although, there were minimal props to make up the woodland, the foliage from above filled the stage. A little goes a long way and it certainly was effective in this instance.

Now, I must address the costumes. As soon as the characters were on stage, I found myself following each of their movements because it was all so aesthetically pleasing to watch. In particular, Mosquito played by Kamil Bien and Dragonfly played by Stefanos Dimoulas were so beautifully dressed, their glitz and glamour shone around the theatre. It was captivating. They are both extremely graceful dancers too. I thought both actors portrayed their characters as if they’d been studying how the insects move through the sky.

The journey begins in a woodland, as mentioned above but we’re soon taken to a human’s residence. The way Maria Björnson, set and costume designer has incorporated the human scenes into the show blew me way. For reference, the stage pulls apart and underneath, we’re transported into the Forester’s human household with very few essential pieces of furniture. I’ve already said the scenery set up was extremely clever and I could say this 10 times over because it was an experience I have never come across before. The audience were able to differentiate between the two environments quite clearly.

Despite the sensitive subject around poaching and the uncomfortable truth that animal predators do hunt for their prey, even if they are incredibly cute, I never thought I would laugh during an opera. I think I had this terrible perception that operas are all about love and death, like the story of Romeo and Juliet but I was proved wrong as this offers so much more than your typical love story.

The scene between Vixen Sharp-Ears (Elin Pritchard), Cockerel (Campbell Russell) and the Hens (Miranda Bevin, Molly Barker, Gillene Butterfield, Cordelia Fish and Claire Less) had me in stitches. The choreography, the acting, the chicken impressions, and the costumes were spot on. It was all so realistic and so many of us couldn’t stop laughing. This is an excellent part of the show! You won’t be disappointed.

All of the cast members, conductor, orchestra, production team and behind the scenes crew need commending for their contribution to The Cunning Little Vixen. In fact, every single member of Opera North should feel proud of what they have achieved. I and others witnessed so much talent whilst we were sat at the Theatre Royal and I think people of all ages over 14 should go and watch this before it closes.

The operatic singing isn’t too difficult to follow either. At Nottingham, we had television screens with the lyrics on to provide additional clarity on the words being sung. One thing I did find strange was that the performance was done without microphones. I was three rows away from the front, so I was fortunate to be closer to the stage. I’m not sure how well the cast’s voices projected across the theatre as there were occasions where I found it difficult to hear what they were singing as the orchestra were louder than the singers. When this occurred, I was grateful for the television screens.

Everyone performed so well though, and I never thought I’d find an opera funny, but it was hysterical! I did wonder if some of the cast ever thought they would end up singing about sex in an operatic way – it was definitely unexpected from my point of view. It really was a fantastic night, it was so varied, and I thoroughly enjoyed every single moment of it hence why for me, it deserves five stars.

This show really proves that opera is for everyone. I was drawn in immediately and I don’t think there was a time where I stopped smiling – oh actually, when Vixen Sharp Ears was killed, I was sad for a moment. I spent the drive home reflecting on the show and how the arts continue to grow and develop as the world around us changes at such a rapid pace. The show was relevant, funny, creative and modern, I thought this made it a lot more appealing.

The Cunning Little Vixen is currently on tour around the UK until the end of March. For tickets, please visit Opera North’s website to find a venue near you.