An Operatic Fantasia on Selling the Skin and the Teeth 4–8 February 2017 Melbourne Recital Centre | Elisabeth Murdoch Hall Welcome Welcome to Victorian Opera’s first We’re thrilled to open our season with production for 2017, ’Tis Pity: An Operatic yet another new work and one that reunites Fantasia on Selling the Skin and the Teeth. the creative forces of anarchic diva Meow Meow, director Cameron Menzies and our Artistic Director Richard Mills. In ’Tis Pity, Richard shares with us his depth of musical knowledge, and his brilliance as a composer and orchestrator. Each season, Victorian Opera continues to build its reputation for commissioning new work, and for diverse and innovative programming. The year ahead is bursting with beautiful music and wild imagination, such as our next production: a unique retelling of Respighi’s The Sleeping Beauty, featuring a cast of extraordinary life-sized puppets. It’s guaranteed to transfix audiences during its season from 11–18 March at Arts Centre Melbourne. From the Victorian Opera family, thank you for joining us at the theatre tonight and helping us launch what will be an incredible season. ANDREW SNELL Managing Director 2 3 © Magnus Hastings ’Tis Pity Whores and Mores of Society This project was written at breakneck Women were classified, regulated and speed in the month of November last enthusiastically… taxed… by men, in their year, when Meow returned from patriarchal enthusiasm for the regulation her London triumphs. I started the of pleasure. Mostly, the girls had little process writing a text which conveyed choice but to conform to these patriarchal the state of prostitution through history – functions and get on with their work, while from the UR-Goddess to the present masculine hypocrisies tread a tortuous day – and in doing so uncovered enough line of keeping virtuous wives walled material for many shows. We finally up at home and prostitutes firmly under set on a sequence which turns the idea organised control in designated areas. of historical survey back on itself – via Of course, as the history of prostitution a recognition that the story of ‘the was, until recently, written largely by men, courtesan’ is essentially the same in we find not a great deal written about male every age – be it in contemporary whores – though it seems from the odd St Kilda (though one would not want tidbit of information that they were pretty to give this suburb a bad name) or busy as well. ancient Athens. The wider metaphysical resonances of the act of prostitution, the process of selling “the skin and the teeth”, find sympathetic correspondences in the arts of the stage – the business of self-presentation being not too far removed in essence from selling the body for hire. Both spheres of activity have their share of the “magnificent and strange”, comic and tragic in their attempt to forestall the flux of earthly time, provide the distraction of the marvellous, soothe existential sadness and mollify the fear of death. 4 Freedom from desire, through sleep or In all of this rich material for theatre we self-denial and prayer, brings peace – but have been guided, provoked, assisted and a peace whose fragility is daily assaulted occasionally editorially circumscribed by by the prolific and gaudy joy of sexuality the razor sharp intelligence of Meow to whose sting touches us, humbles us, makes form a collaboration under the watchful us able to love and reach the full richness eye of director and writer Cameron Menzies. of our human possibilities. Love and death I have explored my fascination and respect are different sides of the same coin and for the craft and traditions of both the our literature and history afford many “show tune” and the golden years of examples of this dichotomy. The sting of Hollywood (remember I made six CD’s the flesh is also a rich resource for comedy of Franz Waxman’s film music many years – desire strips away artifice and leaves ago) in what I hope will prove a diverting us at our most vulnerable and consequently and entertaining romp through the raunchy, ridiculous – as both Lysistrata and Falstaff, ridiculous, tragic and comic arena of human restoration comedy and many more examples experience. Yes – of course there is a demonstrate. serious side to this piece: but there is a lot of fun as well in the recognition of human frailty and capacity for self-delusion, relieved by the occasional tune. Enjoy. RICHARD MILLS Artistic Director, Composer & Conductor 5 Director's Message Cameron Menzies ’Tis Pity: An Operatic Fantasia on Selling This Song Cycle of Ten Vignettes takes the Skin and the Teeth came about from us on a Vaudevillian romp through the discussions with Richard Mills after I ages, in which Meow and Kanen as clowns directed the production of the Brecht/ of the theatre portray many tropes of life Weill’s Die Sieben Todsünden in 2015 through song and dance. We are joined by which starred Meow Meow as both Anna 1 three extraordinary dancers, who will be and Anna 2. Richard was interested in an integral part the way our world will exploring the idea of the history of the metamorphose in front of your very eyes. courtesan and so we started talks about This is the fifth new commission that I have what his new commission could be and had the great honour and joy to work on how it might come to life. Broadening with Victorian Opera. Pulling brand new this idea, we looked at the life of the works off the page for the first time is both showgirl and the workers of the theatre thrilling and terrifying at the same time. and the ideas of transaction in life. It is however a wonderfully creative way to We are all selling or buying something. work as there are no established rules or expectations to deal with. It has been wonderful to collaborate with Richard Mills on such a creative level and to come back together with Meow Meow for this brand new production. CAMERON MENZIES Director 6 7 © Charlie Kinross Production ’Tis Pity: An Operatic Fantasia On Selling the Skin and the Teeth 4–8 February 2017 Cast Melbourne Recital Centre Meow Meow Elisabeth Murdoch Hall Kanen Breen Composer & Arranger Richard Mills Dancers Operatic Libretto Richard Mills Alexander Bryce Thomas Johansson Additional Material Meow Meow, Cameron Patrick Weir Menzies Concept by Richard Mills, Meow Meow, Orchestra Victoria Cameron Menzies Concertmaster Roger Jonsson Running time is approximately 1 hour and 15 Violin minutes without interval Yi Wang Principal 1st Violin~ Tomomi Brennan Associate Principal 1st Creative Team Violin Conductor Richard Mills Erica Kennedy Associate Principal 1st Violin~ Director Cameron Menzies Binny Baik Design Meow Meow, Cameron Menzies Alyssa Conrau ~ ~ Lighting Designer Eduard Inglés Lubino Fernandes Rachel Gamer Sound Designer Jim Atkins Matthew Hassall Choreographic Consultant Rachael Hunt ~ Kate Denborough Mara Miller ~ Illusion Consultant Ross Skiffington Philip Nixon ~ Stage Manager Laura Hansford John Noble Martin Reddington ~ Deputy Stage Manager Luke Hales Christine Ruiter Production Manager Eduard Inglés Rebecca Adler* Repetiteurs Phoebe Briggs, Phillipa Safey Jo Beaumont* Miranda Matheson* Ruby Paskas* Ioana Tache* 8 Viola Trumpet Paul McMillan Principal ~ Mark Fitzpatrick Principal Jason Bunn Acting Associate Principal Anthony Pope Associate Principal Catherine Bishop Trombone Nadine Delbridge Scott Evans Principal Suying Aw* Tony Gilham Associate Principal ~ Cello Benjamin Anderson Principal Bass Trombone Melissa Chominsky Principal Timpani Diane Froomes Associate Principal ~ Guy du Blêt Principal ~ Sarah Cuming ~ Philippa Gardner Percussion Tania Hardy-Smith Richard Gleeson Principal^ ~ Andrea Taylor Conrad Nilsson Associate Principal Double Bass Harp Damien Eckersley Principal Melina Van Leeuwen Principal^ Dennis Vaughan Associate Principal ~ Piano Davin Holt ~ Phoebe Briggs+ Matthew Thorne Ondes Martenot Flute Jacob Abela+ Lisa-Maree Amos Principal * = Guest Musician Karen Schofield Associate Principal ^ = Guest Musician Acting in a Principal Role ~ = OV Musician not appearing in this performance Oboe + = VO Music Staff Stephen Robinson Principal ~ Acknowledgements Joshua de Graaf Associate Principal With thanks to National Institute of Dafydd Camp Principal Cor Anglais ~ Circus Arts, MTC Costume Department, Clarinet Professor Mel Gordon, Show Works, Paul Champion Principal Technical Direction Company and Andrew Mitchell Principal Bass Clarinet sex-lexis.com/sex-Dictionary/lick-spigot Saxophone Supported by Justin Kenealy Principal^ Victorian Opera New Work Syndicate Bassoon Lucinda Cran Principal Timothy Murray Principal Contrabassoon~ Horn Jasen Moulton Principal Heath Parkinson Associate Principal ~ Linda Hewett Principal Third Horn ~ Sydney Braunfeld ~ Rachel Shaw 9 10 © Charlie Kinross ’Tis Pity: An Operatic Fantasia on Selling the Skin and the Teeth PETIT FANFARE [Kanen as Puppet Master with Meow Meow as Puppet] Come now, come now, please be still Attention to our vaudeville Ten vignettes of selling skin Through the ages drenched in sin Lush and louche we’ll form a nexus For the indiscriminate mingling of the sexes We are both the question and the answer In this sumptuous extravaganza We are certain to amaze ya With our free for all fantasia [Meow Meow pushes her own pedestal to centre stage] Biographies ’Tis Pity RICHARD MILLS AM CAMERON MENZIES Composer/Conductor Director Richard Mills is one of Australia’s most prolific Cameron has worked with Opera Australia, and internationally recognised composers. Victorian Opera, Short Black Opera, He pursues