Victorian Opera: Mansfield Park

In Victorian Opera’s (VO) latest work, when Edmund Bertram (Bailey Montgomerie) went down on one knee to propose to Fanny Price (Jessica Aszodi) at the conclusion of composer Jonathan Dove and librettist Alasdair Middleton’s operatic adaptation of Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, you couldn’t have been more overjoyed for the beaming couple. 

In a touching duet of superb musical theatre magnitude that morphed into a soaring chorus of jubilation, Montgomerie and Aszodi’s performances were both intelligently and engagingly drawn. Admirably and individually, their vocal hearts bursted out in music of impressive intensity and expressivity over the course of the work. 

Heading towards two hours in duration over two acts, Mansfield Park, however, started to feel too long, too soon. Perhaps that offends the rows and rows of Austen fans who were eager to see a reworking of her 1814 published novel. But, attempting to navigate the intricacies of the plot in composed music form, connect with the characters and invest in their story turned out to be an unexpected arduous affair.

That sentiment could very well be influenced by a combination of the physical aspects of the performance space, often uneven diction and sometimes uncomfortable balance of vocal delivery. On those issues alone, concentration and patience was tested.

Dove had stated that not only did he hear music when he first read Mansfield Park but had always imagined it performed in a stately home, accompanied by just a piano.

It was realised as such for its premiere in Northamptonshire’s Broughton House in 2011 for two players on one piano and later orchestrated for 13 instrumentalists. It has enjoyed many outings since. 

The ballroom of the lavish National Trust property of Rippon Lea seemed a fine choice for VO Artistic Director Stuart Maunder to stage this 19th century Regency-set story of the impoverished and unfairly treated heroine Fanny Price who is often seen as a 19th century Cinderella.

But sight lines proved poor as Fanny tip-toed carefully through the expectations placed upon her under the control of her rich family relatives, Sir Thomas Bertram (Christopher Hillier) and Lady Bertram (Dimity Shepherd).

While secretly harbouring feelings for young Edmund, who is enamoured by the radiant Mary Crawford (Rachael Joyce), she’s bullied by his sisters Julia (Olivia Federow-Yemm) and Maria (Alessia Pintabona) and chastised by their Aunt Norris (Natalie Jones). Converging on their lives, various love interests and scandals emerge among Fanny’s cousins, Maria’s fiancé Mr Rushworth (Joshua Morton-Galea) and Mary’s brother Henry (Douglas Kelly).

Played out at the same level as the audience of around 100 and seen from only a few rows back, below-the-waist movement was often missed. That alone effectively negated Maunder’s seemingly clever approach in weaving through and whisking characters in and out with choreographic flair which the libretto instinctively demands. Instead, with up to 10 characters who make up the cast simultaneously on a crowded floor, it sometimes appeared a whirling confusion.

Set and costume designer Louisa Fitzgerald’s charming and economical touches nevertheless assist greatly in evoking the period with an astute theatrical eye and spirit of the times, warmed by Robert Brown’s subtle lighting changes.

For a good part, the characters sing with Jane Austen’s own words, infusing her wryness and wit in good measure. Dove’s work is neatly divided into chapters with each chapter title sung lightheartedly in choral form by the ensemble. Dove’s expertise in choral writing is marvellously on show in various scenes and, while heavy in recitative, the score is sprinkled with delightful, often emotionally charged arias and vocal combinations. 

Dove’s tinted, robust and thrusting music of moodily melodious and impressionistic beauty is designed for momentum – the longer first act of 11 chapters so much so that the brief and speedily delivered lines, so critical to riding along with the plot, aren’t so easy for an Austen novice to make sense of should they fail to be crisply delivered.

Still, what is apparent, is Austen’s underlying  foundation of challenging formal conservative values and promoting a deeper morality. Now 200 years on, seeing it more as parody gives it greater traction which, if not mistaken, is the creative intent.

With her gorgeously shaded mezzo-soprano and convincingly unaffected portrayal, Aszodi brings appropriately sweet, self-reflective and enigmatic appeal as Fanny. Montgomerie is a compelling presence as the distinguished and passionate Edmund. Among other emerging artists putting in strong performances, Joyce’s flirtatious and cunning Mary, sporting a mellifluous coloratura, and Morton-Galea’s eccentric Mr Rushworth are particularly notable.

Seasoned performers take the elders’ roles by the horns with Hillier having hurricane intensity as Sir Thomas, Shepherd never dull in rendering a vacant-looking Lady Bertram in permanent embrace and engagement with her pug and Jones’ bitter-faced, busybody Mrs Norris an amusing, hounding annoyance. 

In the tiny raised bay behind the performance area, Tom Griffiths and Phillipa Safey squeezed out a lush-sounding music, conductor Phoebe Briggs kept proceedings pacey and provision for occasional singing at the piano brought a connection to privileged entertainment of the period.

Limited to just one performance at Rippon Lea but to be mounted at other historic homes, each will have their own unique flavour. Two performances scheduled at Ballarat’s Her Majesty’s Theatre with a chamber orchestra will, in my mind, elevate Maunder’s directorial impact and glow brighter with Dove’s broader orchestration.

Austen fans can take advantage of the reasonably priced tickets and join in the 250th anniversary celebrations of her birth with this lively creation. But beyond that, a return to VO’s record of programming contemporary works of greater relevance is preferred.

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Mansfield Park
Rippon Lea Estate, 192 Hotham Street, Elsternwick
Performance: Wednesday 5 March 2025

Mansfield Park will be presented at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Ballarat on 4 & 5 April 2025. For more information, visit: www.victorianopera.com.au for details.