22 LIMELIGHT MAY 2017 http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au
OKEYNOTES
Opera column
T
uesday March 14:I’monaplanewith
thescorefortheoperathathaslivedin
my voice and heart for months, and I’m
excitedandatadterrifiedthatit’saboutto
cometolife.WhilstrehearsingtheRingCycle,
NeilArmfieldsnuckuptome,slippedascore
undermyarm,andwhispered:“Havealook
atthisandseeifyoucouldsingit.”Thetitle:
Prima Donna.Threecharacters:PrimaDonna,
Maid,André.IimmediatelySMS-edNeil:
“AmIthemaid?”(mezzosassume!),but
PrimaDonnaitwas!Iscrewedmycourage to
the sticking place and I accepted.
Wednesday 15th:10am. First piano
rehearsalwiththecast(me,AndrewGoodwin,
EvaKong)conductor(GuySimpson)and
Rufus. Deep breaths. Singing in front of
thecomposer.Singinganextraordinary,
difficultscore.Syncopationswithinshifting
timesignatures.InFrench.Whichisalso
syncopated. The world seemed to stop when
Rufuswalkedin.Reservedandcharismatic,he
wasincrediblygenerousandcomplimentary,
andwealladoredhimimmediately.
Thursday 16th:Fulldayoforchestrals.The
AdelaideSymphonyOrchestraplayedexquisitely
under Guy’s talented baton. We sang our hearts
outandRufuswasthereeveryminute,sitting
quietlyinthecorner,takingnotes,shaping
phrases, tweaking tempi, encouraging everyone
andbringingcharacterstovividlife.Hewas
rehearsing his Judy show (which constituted
thesecondhalfoftheevening’sprogramme)as
well,soheandGuymusthavebeenrunning
on caffeine and inspiration by the end!
Friday 17th:Stage orchestrals. An insanely
fastturnaroundforsuchadifficultshowtohave
onlytwodaysofmusiccallsandthensuddenly
hit the stage. We sang the whole show from
DIARYOFAPRIMADONNA
ThestarofRufusWainwright’sAdelaideFestivalopera,mezzo-sopranoJacqueline Darktalks us
through the highs and the lows, the preparation and the performance, of life as a Prima Donna
memory,sosingerscouldbefound
in quiet corners repeating difficult
phrases,countingoutloud(those
intricate rhythms!) and cursing their
inabilitytosyncopateFrenchwithin
triplets within 7/4 bars (or maybe
thatwasjustme).Theshowran
remarkably smoothly, and all that
remainedwasforNeiltodonhis
directorial hat to ‘sexy up’ my duet
withAndrew.Weinitiallysangit
‘concer t s t y le ’, but Ru f u s w a s keen
formorephysicalinteraction,so
we created moves that felt natural
andbeautiful.Neilisamasterof
portraying human nature and his
suggestion of touching, twining
handswasperfectforthesuppressed
longingofthesecharacters.Aftera
latefinish(11pm)AndyandIhada
cuppa and chatted (over delighted
squealsfrommyson,whowasstill
awakeandexcitedtohaveavisitor)
abouthowmuchbetterthescene
felt with this added frisson.
Saturday 18th:SHOW DAY! A
cruel9:30amdressrehearsalturned
fabulouswhenIdonnedmyfrock,created
byMichaelJackson’sdesigner.It’saskin-
tightblackdresswithaglorioussheer,silk-
embellisheddrape.Iloveit.Iwanttosteal
it.Ifitgoesmissing,youknowwheretolook.
We ran the show, then ran home to rest.
4pm:Makeupcallatthetheatre.ILOVE
havingmymakeupandhairdone,because
Iamparticularlyuntalentedinthatarea.It
isaluxurythatIappreciatehugely.
5:30pm:Rufus comes to my dressing
roomtoapprovemy‘look’andmakeanylast
minutesuggestions.Heseemshappy.Iam
intensely relieved. Rufus is a brilliant artist
withanastuteeyeandearwhospeakshis
mind honestly and encourages the whole team
towardsthetruestrealisationofhiswork.
Ilovethisinapersonandtrulyadorehim
(although I am yet to overcome my awe and
speak a coherent sentence in his presence).7:30pm:Show time! Rufus introduces us; the
crowdgoeswildforhim.Wesing.Icry...alot.
This role breaks my heart, revolving around an
ageingoperadiva(me–ahem!)preparingforher
comeback. She is beautiful, broken, proud and
vulnerable.HerwordsechothoseIhaveheard
from so many colleagues and would resonate
withanypassionatesinger.Whoareyouwhen
you can no longer sing? The famous finaleLes
Feux d’Artifice,wherethedivawatchesfireworks
flame and gutter, becomes an analogy for her
life,andasIsingthefinalline:“Thefireworks
are over... they don’t last for long”, my voice
quaversastearsstreamdownmyface.Thisrole
isagift,onetoclimbinsideandcherishandlive
as honestly as possible, and it destroys me every
timeIsingit.IhopeIgettolivewithheragain!Jacqueline Dark’sStrange Bedfellowsis at
the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, June 22 – 24Idonnedmyfrock,
createdbyMichael
Jackson’sdesigner–
I want to steal it...Rufus Wainwright
with Jacqueline Dark