Review: “Falstaff” moved into a fiery present

In 2017, during Donald Trump’s first year as President of the United States, Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” made a famous stage production in New York, where the title role had taken the form of Trump. Another of Shakespeare’s characters, Sir John Falstaff from “Merry Wives at Windsor” and “Henry IV” parts 1 and 2, now receives the same treatment in the Malmö Opera production of Verdi’s “Falstaff”, premiered the same day Trump loses his job.

Comparing Trump to Caesar is, in a way, flattering Donald. Falstaff in Verdi’s comic opera is a less respectful person than Caesar, with his audacity, excess, overweight, vanity, greed and cynical rejection of all that is called honor and morality. But this comparison doesn’t quite hold either, because Falstaff becomes humble during the opera.

After being humiliated and thrown into the river in dirty clothes, Falstaff stops hoping to seduce Alice Ford into cheating on her out of money. His ego is so hurt that all he cares about is that she likes him, and she tricks him once more into wanting him. When he is last humiliated in the final scene of the opera, he is so intimidated that he regrets his lifestyle and vows to become a better person. As Falstaff develops, the public’s sympathy for him grows. It is still quite harmless. Unlike the president.

To put shoes on Trump In “Falstaff,” the plot has moved from the 15th century to the present, and the messy inn has been turned into a screaming TV show on a channel similar to Fox News. A big problem is that singers turn to film cameras instead of others. The grip is probably a crown setting, but it’s not good. When they do not look at each other’s eyes, when the opera singers remain in each other’s bubbles, the whole psychological nerve falls. It’s bad enough in the opening scene, but it gets really troublesome when loving couple Nannetta and Fenton sing heartfelt duets or when Falstaff has had encounters with Misstress Quickly, Alice Ford and the disguised Mr. Ford.

Instead of believable interaction between people, we get a grueling search effect with a green screen, loaded cardboard figures, pillows shaped like different emojis, and a love affair between two filmed dolls. The director seems to equate the comedy with llamas and streetcars. It is not until the third act of the opera that the scenery becomes decent, with a beautiful mist linking the riverside with the Windsor Forest. Only then can the action be absorbed without distance or distraction.

The Georgian baritone Misha Kiria has sung Falstaff many times before and is excellent in the role, not only does she have a wonderful voice, but she also manages to bring out both the filth and vulnerability of the character. It’s not your fault that everything around you is so messy. Jacqelyn Wagner and Alexandra Flood perform strong vocal performances as Alice Ford and Nannetta respectively, a shame there is never any chemistry between them and their husbands.

Making a funny opera is difficult. Comedy has a lot to do with timing, wit, and surprise, and compared to a movie or a play, an opera moves quite slowly and slowly. As a work, “Falstaff” remains a successful opera, thanks to the energetic music and elegant libretto. But for it to be entertaining to watch, Sylvass’s address is required. Plotting the idea that “Falstaff is a bit like Trump” is not enough.