Reviewed by Jacqui Wall
June 2015
I cannot even begin to articulate how amazing this production was. The University of South Australia in collaboration with Tutti Arts presented this Australian premiere of a one act opera based around the Grimm’s Fairytale of, you guessed it, a King, a Queen, a Princess and her six Prince Brothers who are turned into swans.
If you have never seen a Tutti production you are missing out, just as I have previously. The production was performed by third year UniSA Media & Performing Arts students and Tutti Arts soloists with the Tutti Choir as backing. The production was very simply staged, with characters moving in and around the space and through the auditorium at various times with the choir seated upstage. There were minimal sets and projection leaving the actors free to convey the setting using their position, voice and demeanour and they achieved this very effectively. The vocals were outstanding and the sound and audio complimented the entire production. Accolades must go Pat Rix and Dr Russell Fewster as Producers/Director and to Dr Richard Chew for his amazing, at times haunting composition.
For those that are not aware, Tutti Arts is an organisation who works with artists with disabilities however Tutti means Everyone so all are welcome to join and participate and this is exactly what they did. This amazing, uplifting production left me totally in awe of just what can be achieved when there is passion and drive. I truly hope that everyone has the opportunity to see any of the Tutti productions in the future and I will certainly be doing my best to ensure we are kept informed of their upcoming performances.
