Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, Thursday 17 June 2004

SCOTTISH OPERA FOR ALL have earned an enviable reputation for their educational and outreach work on behalf of Scottish Opera. The Minotaur was the subject of a huge schools’ project earlier this year, but has also brought the chance to mount their first full-scale main stage production under the Opera For All banner, using professional singers with music and a libretto (by Allan Dunn) written from scratch for the project.

The claim that The Minotaur offered all the attractions of full opera on a reduced scale was largely borne out in the production, and the only thing really lacking was genuine dramatic tension in the storytelling.

It did have arias, duets, trios and choruses, and made effective use of the small orchestra of seven musicians in delivering Julian Evans’ score. The music was heavily influenced by Minimalism (in the John Adams manner) and French Impressionism, the later most notably in the rather erotically charged scene when Theseus confronts the Minotaur at the heart of the Labyrinth.

With the exception of Paul Keohone as Theseus, all of the cast – Adele Mason, Claire Wilde, Louise Innes, Colin Judson, Nicholas Fowler, Sarah Rhodes and dancer David Hughes – took on multiple roles in the action. The live drama was supported by some clever animation, including something of a tour de force as Theseus flew through the Labyrinth in best PlayStation fashion.

The Minotaur provided a colourful introduction to operatic mores for a young audience, and offered enough of interest to hold the attention of adults as well.

The Minotaur can be seen at Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, from 17-19 June 2004.

© Kenny Mathieson, 2004