Round Church
Four Stars

When holidaying in Parma one summer I noted the number of restaurants offering a rather surprising combination: ham and pears. This taught me two things: firstly, if one is to have ham, it ought to be Italian. Secondly, it ought to be served with something sugary. L'Amfiparnaso offers an combination of meaty, strong body-humour and sweet voices. Either one on its own would have been barren or cloying, but in combination they are enlivening and sustaining.

Loosely described as a (very) early opera, there is a great deal more pantomime and jiggery-pokery than the bloated turgidity sometimes associated with that genre. Bereft of instruments, the dialogue and background are sung by a five-part madrigal chorus. Besides the haunting, uncanny quality that having a five-fold voice conveys, this frees up the actors to dive around the venue. This freedom is put to good use, with actors forming sets, props and tableaux without having to pause for breath. The human form is celebrated and denigrated in a manner impossible for a vocalist alone. The Round Church is a difficult and interesting venue, and one which the director has made the best use of, throwing the actors about the space whilst maintaining successful acoustics.

Much has been done to make the work seem modern; much of the humour was based on familiarity between the characters and the audience, and some aspects have been altered in order to regain this. Think of it in terms of the Family Guy pop-culture non-sequitur gag, with a glut of humorously laboured exposition. In parts this comes across as quite synthetic, but it is perhaps the only way of resurrecting the piece and it is for the most part done well by the players, who know how to deliver a their lines wittily

That is not to say L'Amfiparnaso has everything its own way, but it makes a good, phallic stab at it. Surprises are few in a medium where everything must be provided with a translation, and whilst the audience were on a more or less permanent high, belly laughs were intermittent. Though for some it could be faunlike and playful, for others it may come off seeming like the bastard child of Bohemian Rhapsody and the Punch and Judy show. An exploration of our musical and comedic heritage, competently executed, and worth a gamble.

Dave Brown