The waitress is inviting me to dance. I accept her outstretched hand and make a feeble attempt at some swing moves, which others around me appear to be adopting. It looks more like I’m doing the floss (badly) and luckily I am returned to my chair before further humiliation arises. My fleeting – and now fleeing – dance partner is wearing a t-shirt that says ‘Adina’s’ in a friendly cursive font.
All waiting staff are dressed thus, and a neon sign above my table further underlines the restaurant’s name. My fellow diners are all wearing the same anticipatory expression: delight tinged with mild apprehension. That’s because the bar is a set – and we, the audience, are on-stage among the cast.
This is Wexford Festival Opera’s community production of Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love, starring professional singers from the organisation’s young artist programme alongside various members of local arts groups. I settle back as squash is poured into my glass, realising that I’ve committed the cardinal sin of arriving shortly before curtain-up to an immersive show. I’m seated facing the gap between the rows of tables and must now pay the price: active participation.
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Our restauranteur is not short of admirers. When his affections are once again spurned, Nemorino, tonight sung by Paolo Nevi (there are multiple casts sharing the run) opts for a magic potion, which turns out to be red wine, to secure Adina (Laura Aherne)’s love. Rather like the Felix Felicis that Ron takes in Harry Potter, the psychosomatic effect on Nemorino fills him with confidence, making him more attractive to Adina, who has since agreed to marry Belcore (David Kennedy). Feeling that he needs more potion, Nemorino joins the army to raise the funds; when Adina finds out, she realises that she’s loved him all along.
Wexford’s show – a compact and accessible English-language version of the 19th-century Italian classic – takes place across two floors of former industrial space the Grain Store, where the lower decks make a perfect setting for Adina’s basement. Linen baskets among the casks hide canoodling lovers, for whom this opera brings a very happy ending. The production is slick – it’s almost impossible to identify those participants who do not do this as a full-time job.
