Audience interaction, stuffed toys, headbutting, chaos??Yes, you read correctly, this was Donizetti’s Don Pasquale. Ocker accents replaced the recitative, and jeans and saucy undies replaced conventional costumes.

Title boards amusingly informed of opera’s foibles, such as lyric repetition and overlapping ‘dialogue’ during quartets, but they eventually became distracting and depressingly self-depreciating. As blatant as the placards was the agenda:

1. ‘Go for laughs… even at genuinely cathartic points. Comic first, opera second.’
Unfortunately, this tone and pacing felt more like a panto or student revue with opera singers accidentally along for the ride. The audience tittered away, but belly laughs were scarce.

2. ‘Educate the punters and reduce opera-phobia – even if the show is an unremitting piss-take of opera itself.’
For the earnest opera lovers in the audience, this seemed like a bit of a slap in the face.

It also seems a shame that non-singer Anne Radvansky stole the show. Roger Howell brought reassuring experience to the title role. Kristy Swift’s performance provided an unconventionally engaging Norina and a deadly serious giant cactus. Hilarious!

This was an approachable package for opera virgins, with fresh creativity, excellent acting and competent vocal performances, but few spine-tingling operatic moments. It appeared that neither the comedy punters nor opera purists left feeling entirely satisfied. However, the menu for Lyric Opera’s 2006 season looks set to sate the fans of more meaty operas.