The Seven Deadly Sins @ Paterson's Land
Set in the depression-era America of the 30s, The Seven Deadly Sins tells the story of two sisters who leave Louisiana to make their family's fortune. An 'opera-ballet' by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht, it is an iconic piece, first performed in 1933 in Paris by singer Lotte Lenya and dancer, Tilly Losch, choreographed by Ballanchine, and is a mixture of cabaret jazz, barbershop and classical styles. Using the 1958 English libretto by W.H. Auden and Chester Kallman, this production by Company Chordelia and Scottish Opera overlays Brecht's capitalist critique with a feminist take on what women as breadwinners were forced to do, inspired by pre-Hays Code Hollywood cinema. Both called Anna, the sisters probably represent a spit personality, Anna 1 (the singer) being the controlling persona who imposes 'morality' on her more impulsive, instinctual sister, Anna 2 (the dancer).
In a tour of the States, Anna 2 commits each one of the seven deadly sins in a different city, but the irony is that in each case her natural instincts for fairness, justice and love are over-ruled by Anna 1. For instance, in Gluttony, Anna 2 is forced to diet to keep her slim figure, in Lust, she is forced to give up her lover, and so on. Money rules. At the end, the satirical 'moral' is that Anna 2, by not really committing the seven 'sins,' has failed to live. A film motif is staged by the presence of an old movie camera and camera-man which successfully emphasises the piece as a non-realist and formal art-work (a nod also to Brecht's alienation principle). This idea is also strikingly realised by Janis Hart's set, divided into two: on one side, the old farmstead back in Louisiana with the sisters' all-male family; a Barber-shop quartet, including a male 'Mother' (stipulated in the original Brecht), performed impressively by the superb bass, Barnaby Rea.
On the other side, a gold bed in a hotel bedroom is an inspired dance-area for Anna 2. The two are divided by a dressing-room mirror decorated with light-bulbs through which the family watch Anna 2 and comment like a Greek chorus (imposing their patriarchal values) and through which at times the characters step from one world to another.
Kirsty Pollock as Anna 2 is a beautiful, lithe and elegant dancer, conveying her character's impulsive, delightful character well as both actor and dancer. It is slightly disappointing that more opportunities for dance throughout the piece are not seized: Kally Lloyd-Jones's choreography, especially in the Lust scene, when there is a potentially moving duet between the lovers, is far too short and undeveloped.
Although there is much to praise in the production, not least a lively musical direction by Jessica Cottis, ultimately its success rests on the lead singer. Anna 1, the soprano Nadine Livingston enunciating cabaret-style, with a strong stage presence and knowing style in the Prologue, begins with a bang, but her diction is then lost in vibrato when singing in operatic style. If it had not been for the clapper board's signs one would have no idea which sin is being committed and any witty exchanges are lost. The barber-shop male quartet are more effective, though, even their words are unclear too often. The piece is known for its biting satire and lethal cynicism. Unfortunately, since barely a word can be heard, this production by Company Chordelia and Scottish Opera is not.