Intimate Opera in Clapham - La traviata

Secret Opera / New London Opera Players present two versions of Verdi’s iconic opera: La traviata & The Trousered Traviata, running on alternate nights. Sung in Italian, directed by Robin Pietà.

"This is Verdi's Traviata as is should be: exquisite, gentle and tragically poignant" FringeOpera

La traviata
Verdi’s tale of true love set against class, duty and respectability has become one of the most performed operas worldwide. It’s characters; glamorous yet world-weary and consumptive Violetta - coerced into sacrificing her one hope of personal happiness for the sake of her lover’s reputation; ardent Alfredo; self-righteous Germont père; are as well known as the music which shapes their emotions for the audience. Set by the Secret Opera team in 1920s’ Paris at a time when social attitudes were at their most liberal, Verdi’s masterpiece combines compelling characters with hugely powerful, moving and instantly recognisable melodies, making it one of the most emotionally engaging and popular operas of all time.

The Trousered Traviata
From the late nineteenth century until World War II, Paris was a centre of sexual freedom and same-sex sexual cultures. Lesbian American and European expatriates and France’s own lesbian writers and artists created a Bohemian social, sexual, and creative milieu that makes this time and place unique in the history of lesbian culture. Secret Opera re-examines Verdi’s classic in the context of maternal and LGBT relationships, with the key characters – Alfredo (now Alfreda) and Germont (now Madre Georgia Germont), portrayed as female.

Reflecting the gender fluidity prevalent in this era, Alfreda is know by all but her mother as Alfredo, and in her courtship of Violetta and interaction with the Paris set, portrays herself as more masculine – to Violetta’s very feminine character. A subtext is also that, in Violetta, Alfreda finds the warmth and female love so absent from her interactions with her cold, distant mother. This gender fluidity and different presentations of Alfredo/Alfreda are reflected in the gender pronouns and use of names, and in Alfredo/Alfreda’s manner and interactions with other characters at different points on stage.