Partenope
Bonkers or Go Bananas
Partenope
by George Frideric Handel, libretto by Silvio Stampiglia
The English National Opera at the London Coliseum until 6th December 2025
I was expecting this revival of Partenope to be joyful and uplifting, and it did not disappoint. A co-production between the ENO and Opera Australia, under the direction of Christopher Alden, this is a modernist, surreal performance that repeatedly takes us to the absurd and back again in the company of some impressive vocal and musical talent.
Sometimes described as an operatic ‘rom-com’, Partenope was composed by Handel to Silvio Stampiglia’s Italian libretto originally written in 1699. This version has been updated and translated into English by Amanda Holden (not that one), and it is a very contemporary adaptation. Modern slang, some sly references, and occasional use of the ‘f bomb’ bring laughs from the audience throughout.
First performed in 1730, this Baroque opera follows the central character, Partenope (the Queen of Naples in Handel’s original but now a Parisian socialite), as four suitors vie to win her affection. Over three acts, we see Partenope’s complicated love life play out and wait to discover who will finally win her affections. The would-be lovers are (pay attention at the back):
- Armindo, who is too nervous to confess his love to Partenope
- Arsace, who has betrayed and fled from his former love, Rosmira.
- Emilio, a foreign invader and surrealist photographer inspired by Man Ray.
- Eurimene, who is actually Rosmira disguised as a man and has come along to track down Arsace.
Graduate of the ENO’s Harewood Artists development programme, Nardus Williams, takes the lead as Partenope. With a clear, attractive voice, her soprano soars, and she has a graceful presence which is almost feline. Truly an operatic superstar in the making.
The rest of the ensemble also do a wonderful job – often in challenging, if not downright bizarre, circumstances. At the beginning of Act One a remarkable display of dexterity occurs as Jake Ingbar’s Armindo uses the magnificent sweeping staircase to declare his love for Partenope, only to end up holding on with his fingertips while rolling down the stairs. An athletic achievement for any performer, it is all the more remarkable as countertenor Ingbar is singing the whole time, and beautifully so.
Andrew Liberman’s stage set is minimalist in colour and props. The cast spend much of the time sat on the floor and at one point Emilio, played by experienced tenor, Ru Charlesworth becomes locked in a toilet cubicle and sings through the fanlight of his despair. Charlesworth also appears on stage before any overtly romantic storyline begins, dressed as a golden age of Hollywood style photographer with an oversize camera and a large flashlight. For reasons known only to the director, he is always seen peering through a sheet of paper with an oval cut-out for his face, wearing sunglasses as a mask.
Arsace is played by the talented Hugh Cutting, who takes centre stage for much of the three acts, alongside Partenope, in the on-off romance. Cutting was the first countertenor to win the prestigious Kathleen Ferrier Award, and his exquisite voice has the purity of a King’s chorister, very appropriate as we approach the Christmas period! Clearly a trouper, Cutting had a real show-must-go-on moment when the door to the aforementioned toilet came off its hinges and he had to complete his aria while holding it up. Pure professionalism!
Also worth a mention is another Harewood Artist, William Thomas, who appears all too briefly as Partenope’s aide, Ormonte. I wanted to hear more of his rich, mellow bass voice.
As the opera unfolds, it becomes increasingly strange. Armindo performs a short tap-dance routine, Ormonte appears in a fuchsia crinoline wearing a spiked helmet decorated with bananas, Arsace is wrapped in toilet paper… It’s bonkers, but inventive and quite entertaining. Along the way, the Arsace-Eurimine on-off romance offers a showcase for Katie Bray and delivers a touch of gender confusion that echoes many a Shakespeare play.
Handel’s first comic opera certainly delivers on style and humour. It is utterly bonkers, of course, which may put off some purists, but I thought it remained very accessible with the English libretto and Handel’s enjoyable score, which floats somewhere between a carol concert and the theme tune to Antiques Roadshow. On the night I saw it, conductor Christian Curnyn fell ill, meaning William Cole, the Assistant Conductor, stepped in from Act Two. It is a testament to the Coliseum’s experienced musicians that the audience experience remained first-class.
Partenope improves with each act as the opera and cast settle into their groove. A fabulous three and a half hours of entertainment.
Fi Mead-McNish, November 2025
Photography by Lloyd Winters
Mark Aspen 