It Ain't Over 'Till the Armed Lady Sings

WHAT YOU MISSED
In 1987, artistic director and very big deal Graham Vick CBE staged a production of Verdi's Falstaff in Cocks Moors Woods Leisure Centre, as in the one with the swimming pool with the forever broken slide. From productions in burnt out ice rinks to train stations, the next thirty-something years has seen the world-class, city-changing company put string quartets in helicopters mid-performance, dress its chorus in suicide belts and, critically, engage a completely new audience.

THE COMPANY
"If you haven't even heard of opera, you're who we exist for" says Operations Manager, Jeelan Moghraby. "And I'm not talking about the audience here — we actively go out to local community centres, refugee hostels and homeless shelters to recruit." While the Company basically collects industry awards and attracts some of the biggest names to take on its lead roles, the 150-strong chorus is full of volunteers, some of whom literally won't have heard of opera, and might not speak English at the beginning of the seven-week rehearsal period. BOC also has its stalwart volunteers, that have performed with the company for years, like 90-year-old Jason, who had to be convinced to accept a seat mid-way through the three-hour rehearsal we nosed around.

THE MUSIC
The forthcoming production of Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk will be the fourth time Brum's own CBSO has taken on the score to the hugely ambitious operas performed by the Company. The 90-piece orchestra, which includes musicians from the city's Conservatoire, will tackle the challenging acoustics of Ladywood's vacant Tower Ballroom, on the edge of Edgbaston Reservoir. If you never made it, the Carnival Ball of 1933 was hosted there, as well as the World Roller Skating Championships of 1967, which West Germany won if you're asking. In control of the orchestra for 2019 is 28-year-old Birmingham born Alpesh Chauhan. For Alpesh to be conducting such a big opera so early in his career — like so much of what the Company is doing — is a little bit unheard of back in normal land. A bit like collaborating on a set with the guys who build some of Glastonbury Festival's biggest, boldest bits, you might say.  

THE SET
Yep, Block9 — who not only created the dystopian fairy tale castle at Banksy’s Dismaland but are responsible for the eponymous Glasto set design (partially pictured) — are in town to create a suitably dank and anarchic environment for their first opera collab. Swapping Worthy Farm for seven weeks of B16, Brum-born co-founder, Stephen Gallagher saw the Opera Company's performance of DnA at what used to be The Hummingbird and knew he wanted to get involved. He was actually disappointed about how up together this year's venue felt when he eventually saw it with its lights on. "It looked like a real sh*t hole when we first scoped it out, but the next time we visited all the uplights were on and we realised we had a lot of work to do to make the Tower Ballroom look suitably abandoned." Having already removed lots of the ceiling, we're pleased to report, Stephen's fully on track.

THE PRODUCTION
Lady M, as everyone at the rehearsal was calling it, tells the story of the rebellion and betrayal of — spoiler alert — triple murderess and housewife, Katerina. Back in the 1930s, Stalin outlawed this popular libretto within two days of seeing it for "tickling the perverted taste of the bourgeoisie", which immediately makes it even more cool.

The audience will move and be moved (both emotionally and physically, the chorus is a confident bunch) by the action, with no allocated seats and parts of the set on rollers. And, no, we can't show you pictures of how Lady M is going to look — you'll have to get a feel for what to expect from the Company's other-worldly past productions. Because like our first experience of this city's big-thinking operatic army, you deserve to discover it on your own, rifles and all.