Orpha Phelan's new production of Handel's Tamerlano at the London Handel Festival attempts to make the 1724 opera more accessible by aligning its characters with recognisable modern and historical figures. The staging, at Shoreditch Town Hall, casts Tamerlano as Donald Trump, Andronico as Alexander the Great, Bajazet as a Renaissance painter, and Leone as Sigmund Freud, while Irene appears to be an escapee from Bridgerton. The result is a fun but confusing interpretation that struggles to maintain emotional coherence.
The opera, set at the court of the despotic emperor Tamerlano, follows the stubborn Turkish sultan Bajazet, brought in chains, and his daughter Asteria, whom Tamerlano desires. The tyrant plans to dump his betrothed Irene and offer her to Andronico, but Andronico also loves Asteria. With Bajazet and Andronico threatening suicide and Asteria plotting assassination, the opera improbably ends with an implied double wedding. Phelan's concept reduces characters to unconnected archetypes, rendering their feelings incomprehensible, though the staging is well-executed around Madeleine Boyd's resourceful in-the-round set.
Musical standards remain high under Laurence Cummings and the Academy of Ancient Music. Benjamin Hulett excels as Bajazet with a flexible tenor, while Nardus Williams sings Asteria with purity and passion. Jake Ingbar's velvety countertenor suits Andronico, and Kitty Whately mines the text as Irene. However, James Laing's Tamerlano is overwhelmed by excessive buffoonery—eating Big Macs, cheating at golf, and doing the Trump dance—which strips the opera of its vital danger. Despite strong performances and Chris Cowell's respectable English translation, the production prioritises fun over dramatic tension.
