Review: TOSCA, Royal Opera House

Fronted by some fresh faces, Jonathan Kent’s cinematic take on the Puccini masterwork Tosca returns for its seventeenth run at Covent Garden. 

In his day, the Italian composer (and his compatriots) would have seen 17 as an unlucky number in the same way we superstitiously view 13 here; Friday 17th is their equivalent to our Friday 13th, for example. The gods must be smiling on, though, as the latest additions to the cast add something quite special.

Leading the charge, American soprano Angel Blue has been a familiar face around London for over a decade. At the Coliseum, she lifted Jonathan Miller’s La bohème to new levels, first as Musetta and in a later run as Mimi. At Covent Garden, she has played two of Verdi’s heroines - the title role in a new Robert Carsen-directed Aida in 2023 and an unmissable Violetta in another ROH favourite. She appears here opposite her compatriot Russell Thomas, whose Mario Cavaradossi follows on from recent Covent Garden roles as Calaf in Turandot and the title role in Otello. The tenor has gravitas to spare but is not found wanting in the more comedic episodes.

Peter Relton has made his name as a revival director at ENO, Met and Covent Garden of operas as diverse as Phelim McDermott’s Akhnaten and Anthony McDonald’s The Queen of Spades. In his hands, Tosca is a charged and kinetic affair that follows close to the original Kent production and makes wonderful use of the stunning set design from the late Paul Brown. 

For fans of this work, the portrayal of Baron Scarpia is a good indicator of the overall quality of the production. He’s a villain completely unashamed of his powerful twin drives of lust and ambition, proudly preferring “violent conquest” over “sweet consent”. As shown by Ludovic Tézier’s superlative acting, the spymaster’s pursuit of Tosca - both as a a potential conquest and defender of her “free thinker” of a boyfriend - are the perfect springboard for his two base needs. Watching him heartily get off on her mental torture as her lover Cavaradossi screams away in the dungeon below feels like a guilty treat (albeit one I could do again and again). From soup to nuts, Tézier’s physical performance and terrifying baritone are the real deal with his intimidating scowls and loud, mocking laugh sending shivers down the spine. 

The dynamics between the lovers are what really makes this latest outing fly. Thomas is in magnificent form: not only does his rich voice nail both the character’s romantic notions in “Recondita Armonia” and his eventual despair (“E lucevan le stelle”) but his physical mannerisms convey just as much as his lips; for Italians, hands are as important as the tongue when it comes to communication and Thomas’ non-verbal skills draw us into Cavaradossi’s world hook, line and sinker.

For her part, Blue justifies her status as the marquee name here. She digs deep in her scenes with Thomas to go from playful jealousy to deep grief. Her explosive verbal duel with Tézier is a veritable tour de force and the rendering of her aria “vissi d’arte” is as heart-breaking as I’ve ever heard it.

This Tosca that in February was a chilling winter thriller is now a summer blockbuster.

Tosca continues at the Royal Opera House until 21 July before returning on 26 November. 

Photo credit: Marc Brenner

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