Pagliacci spectacle hits The Everyman Palace

Set to be one of the highlights of the Cork Midsummer Festival, the epic staging of Leoncavallo's 'Pagliacci' at the Everyman Palace will certainly wow Cork audiences with its stunning production, which will turn the foyer and auditorium into a pulsating and dynamic playground. Kieran O' Mahony chats to Raymond Keane, Clown and Circus Director of this new and very exciting production

Ambitious and hugely exciting is the key response from Raymond Keane, Clown and Circus Director for 'Pagliacci' that is set to entertain Cork audiences over the next week. Presented by The Everyman, Cork Operatic Society in association with Cork Midsummer Festival, Barabbas and Cork Circus, this is the first production under the Arts Council Opera Production Awards 2012.

"It's a massive production and it's an ambitious and different approach to opera, there's a lot of heart in it and it's going at it in a way that makes it accessible to us all," said Raymond, founding member and Artistic Director of Barabbas Theatre Company, who has over 30 years experience as a clown, actor, director, writer and theatre maker.

"What we are doing here is unusual in that we are going at opera in a way that's making it not just an opera but an event around it as well. The set has been built into the Everyman and audience members will meet performers and circus characters as they come into the foyer and there will be a massive parade with the circus coming to town."

Set during the seventeenth century in a village in Northern Italy the opera revolves around a troupe of circus performers who will transform the entire Everyman Palace in a bustling hive of activity. Cork's own operatic voice, Cara O'Sullivan will perform alongside Ronald Samm, David Burzotta, Brendan Collins and Simon Morgan as well as an ensemble cast of nine actor/musicians, a thirty-two strong adult chorus, a children's chorus of 21, a 27 piece orchestra, six circus performers and a 15 strong-ensemble cast.

"This is my first time working in ppera even though I have worked on big scale productions before and I'm used to having a crossover cast between professional and community cast. The cast involved in this production are truly amazing. They have that special calibre, all the way from the professionals to the community cast.We even have a musician in the orchestra who is only 14 years old and he is fantastic."

According to Raymond there is a clown in us all and his role within 'Pagliacci' is to bring that out with the main characters.

"The literal translation of 'Pagliacci' is clown or player and this is an area that I've been fascinated with from an early age and have been interested in the Theatre of Clown. I will be working with the main five opera singers and giving them direction. The clown is really an archetype of the self and it is the self that is the fool or the clown."

'Some of the cast have performed 'Pagliacci' before and what I'm bringing with it is my particular sensibility with it and I direct a play within a play. They are all natural actors and with a cast of 100 it's set to be truly spectacular vision."

The creative vision of John O'Brien and Director Michael Barker-Caven work in tandem with Raymond in creating and setting the scene. The scale of this production would not have been feasible were it not for the funding that was set in place by The Arts Council Opera Production Awards and once the funding was accepted they didn't have that much time.

"To be in the presence of this visual production is amazing, everyone should go see this, it's really entertaining, colourful, alive and beautiful. The cast have been busily rehearsing over the last week and I'm confident that this production of 'Pagliacci' will be the highlight of the summer."

'Pagliacci' is at the Everyman from Wednesday 20 June to Tuesday 26 June at 8pm (excluding Thursday 21 & Sunday 24 June) with a Post-Show talk on Tuesday 26 June. Tickets are €35, €30, €25. €15. See www.everymanpalace.com for more information or ring the Box-Office on 021-4501673. Pagliacci will be sung in Italian with English surtitles for all performances.