Meet the team behind Faust at Cork’s Everyman
A NEW production of French composer Charles-François Gounod’s classic opera, Faust, itself a version of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s drama, is on the way to the Everyman in Cork.
It’s not the first time the theatre and Cork Operatic Society have joined forces — Pagliacci in 2012, Orpheus in 2013, and Der Vampyr in 2014 were all huge successes, not least for their inventiveness and adventurousness — but Faust looks like being something else again.
Gounod’s rendering, first premiered in Paris in 1859, is perhaps the most famous operatic treatment of Goethe’s tragedy. In the creative hands of director and conductor, John O’Brien, this dark tale of lust and soul-selling is set to take us beyond the familiar.
Bringing an opera to the stage, from first thought to final curtain, is a huge task, requiring the input of multiple skills. You could narrow those down to three elements: the guiding hand, the visual imagery, and the sound. Or, the director, the designer, and the diva.
THE DIRECTOR: JOHN O’BRIEN
John O’Brien is known for his groundbreaking work on operas; you never know what to expect next. On Faust he waxes enthusiastic, despite a punishing (self-imposed) schedule of brainstorming and rehearsing.
“It’s really cool, a great story. Murder, passion, revenge, they’re great keynotes, and I’m thrilled with our cast,” he says.
In this new production, Cara O’Sullivan sings Marguerite, to South Korean tenor, Jung Soo Yun’s Faust (his Irish debut). In past productions, O’Brien has incorporated the musicians within the stage action, but this time he is using a full orchestra. “That will give such a wonderful effect in the intimate space of Everyman,” he says. Is it true that a legendary Cork brass band will make a surprise appearance? A pause, a grin. “You’ll have to be there to find that out. It won’t be boring, I can promise you. It’s going to be big in every way,” he says. “Massive orchestra, massive cast, all these extra people, big emotionally, big in physical terms, high drama.”
O’Brien pays tribute to designer, Lisa Zagone, with whom he has worked on many productions. “She has such imagination and tricks in creating this magical fantasy world. I have these crazy ideas, and she takes them further than even I could imagine.”
What O’Brien loves about Faust is that it ticks all the vital boxes to make opera work: music, visual spectacle, drama, text. “You couldn’t get a better combination of all the art forms.” As such, it has been on his to-do list for a while. “I like stories that have a bit of the epic or the mythological. It’s not about realism, it’s about an emotional truth.”
O’Brien is not an autocratic director. “I like my cast to be open, happy and creative, able to say what they are thinking. We work it out together. Trial and error, tweak this, change that. You aren’t just moving people around; you need to see how it works. I’ve been studying the music for years, but they have their own ideas about the characters,” he says.
THE DESIGNER: LISA ZAGONE
Originally from San Francisco, this vastly experienced set and costume designer fell in love with Cork 15 years ago and never left — much to the benefit ofIrish theatre.
“I can’t imagine a better job than mine,” Zagone says. She and O’Brien have been discussing Faust for a long time. “We’ve worked together on so many shows that, by now, we think the same and can almost finish each other’s sentences. It really is helpful, when you’re thinking along the same lines from the word go.”
Do they never disagree? “Very, very rarely. I don’t think it’s ever happened, actually. He talks about what his vision of the production is, and I come in with my ideas.”
Zagone has long been familiar with the Faust story. “It’s such a strong, exciting tale. And Gounod’s music is so rich, so full of colour and texture that when I started listening to it for this production, I could immediately visualise the fabrics, the effects, the setting,” she says. Of course, budget is a consideration. “But I’ve learned over the years what to hoard, where to find what I need at the least possible cost.”
Although they have been discussing Faust for a year, it’s not a good idea to decide too much too soon, says Zagone. “If we had the luxury of knowing far in advance exactly who would be cast in which role, then that would be wonderful, but, of course, life isn’t like that! But we knew who we wanted and we were lucky enough to get them in the end.”
She agrees with O’Brien’s perception of a group-built piece. “The action evolves as each segment is examined and run-through. And there is rarely any problem from performers. Somebody might say it would be difficult to come onstage from that direction, or it would be awkward to kneel down, say, wearing a particular costume, and, in those instances, we work around it. But, overall, it’s a wonderful example of group co-operation and a genuine, passionate desire to make this a spectacular production. Everybody wants it to succeed.”
THE DIVA: CARA O’SULLIVAN
Cork-born soprano Cara O’Sullivan is no stranger to complex productions and demanding schedules, but working with O’Brien, she says, is refreshingly different.
“I’ve done a few productions with John before, but a full-length opera is a huge undertaking, and, from my point of view, it’s always a bit stressful for the first few days, until you get into the swing of it. It’s very intense. But his ideas are very honest and never over-the-top in the wrong way.
“It’s a spectacle, but always orientated towards the audience, making sure they get the most out of it,” she says.
O’Sullivan admits ruefully that she is only too well-acquainted with magisterial directors deciding to stage something entirely oddly because they want to be different.
“That kind of thing can be very anti-audience.” From a singer’s point of view, she says, O’Brien creates a good atmosphere. “Sometimes, in other productions, you’re afraid to breathe!”
For O’Sullivan, Marguerite is a blank sheet; she hasn’t sung the role before. “Of course, I know the different arias and have sung them in recitals, but this is a woman’s entire story. She kills her baby, she descends into a very difficult place in her mind, and to portray that is not easy. It’s a real challenge for my interpretative skills.” Jung Soo, her Faust, is, she says, “a lovely, lovely man and a gentleman. He’s going to be wonderful in the role.”
