Get ready for a macabre culinary adventure with Opera North's Pass the Spoon! This unique opera will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about the art form.
In this bizarre tale, we meet June Spoon, a TV cookery host with a vociferous personality, played by the incredible Amy J Payne. But here's where it gets controversial: June is about to be swallowed whole by a monstrous gourmand, leaving the audience to wonder if she'll be 'passed' or turned into excrement. It's a dilemma that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
Pass the Spoon was conceived by Irish composer David Fennessy and director Nicholas Bone, who collaborated with renowned visual artist David Shrigley. Shrigley, famous for his darkly humorous line drawings and witty captions, brings his distinctive style to this 'sort-of opera.' The show premiered in Glasgow in 2011, and it's been a wild ride ever since.
Shrigley's take on life's mundane cruelties is both scabrous and irreverent. In the opera, June and her assistant, Phillip Fork, prepare a meal for the notorious Mr. Granules, rumored to be a baby eater. But the real stars of the show are the foodstuffs themselves: a trio of terrified tubers, a manic-depressive egg, and a banana with an inflated sense of self-importance. The cast is rounded out by a psychotic butcher and a dancing turd, adding to the overall madness.
Fennessy's score, performed by an 11-piece chamber orchestra dressed as chefs, keeps the audience engaged throughout. Rooted in 20th-century modernist influences, with a hint of Birtwistle's Punch and Judy, the music is a unique blend of tunes, rhythms, and even a borrowed Für Elise moment. The orchestra's motoric beats, caustic strings, and knife-sharpening hisses create an eerie atmosphere, enhanced by the wah-wah trombone, chamber organ, harp, and a drawer full of kitchen percussion. Opera North's music director, Garry Walker, ensures the performance is tight and precise, especially impressive given the orchestra's vocal duties.
The set, designed by Bek Palmer, features a table, counter, and a shiny red fridge, complementing Shrigley's playful costumes. The doomed vegetables, with their tiny eyes and quivering mouths, are surprisingly poignant amidst the lunacy. Mr. Granules, a cross between an ogre and a gluttonous businessman, provides comic relief, while director Nicholas Bone moves the pieces with cool efficiency.
Payne's tireless performance as Spoon, belting out the word 'soup' with gusto, is matched by Xavier Heatherington's effortless transitions between head voice as the querulous Fork. Mark Nathan's authoritative Banana and Peter Van Hulle's disturbingly curious Butcher add to the ensemble. But the real scene-stealer is Frazer Scott, who doubles as the delightful Mr. Egg and the lavatorial Shit.
Pass the Spoon is a wild ride that challenges traditional opera conventions. It's a show that will leave you questioning, laughing, and perhaps even a little disturbed. So, are you ready to take a bite out of this macabre kitchen opera? Don't miss this unique and bizarre performance!
