I love everything about live stage theatre, but I dislike musicals. I mean, why sing what can be more easily spoken? So, I was apprehensive when assigned this review of Pacific Opera Victoria and Vancouver Opera’s take on Puccini’s Tosca at the Royal Theatre. And I was surprised by how much I loved it, despite the singing. I know it’s ridiculous: I’d never been to an opera before and knew nothing of the art form except what I’d researched beforehand. I happily discovered there’s a whole lot to appreciate about opera.
The storyline blew me away—it’s a century old but still makes sense in the modern world. A famous opera singer—Floria Tosca—and her activist artist boyfriend Mario, living in a time of political upheaval and authoritarian control, were surveilled and stalked by an obsessed corrupt official and forced to make a terrible deal that ended in all their deaths.
It was told with music that made me feel it, and with a message of survival in compromised times that resonated loudly. It navigated that familiar landscape of romantic promise, manipulated loyalties, abusive power, and lurking tragedy, and it revealed the grey area of “by any means necessary” in a world of the same unforgiving uncertainty that was raging outside the theatre that very night.
The lyrics—translated into English on a screen above the stage—were thick with early 20th-century metaphor and symbolism that were hard for me to interpret and relate to. If I hadn’t studied the storyline beforehand, I would have been lost… And bored, maybe. That being said, the orchestra anchored the emotion, shifting from tenderness to menace, and the lighting expertly moved from spotlight to shadow, guiding the tension of each scene. Even when the words felt occasionally cliché, the music and visuals carried the story.
Even before the opera began, it was a fun night. Getting ready. Arriving. Finding our seats. I didn’t have to dress up, because this is Victoria, where fashion ranges from sequins to sneakers. But I did dress up. Because when do Gen Zs ever get to dress up outside events like awards nights that we have to work hard all year long to get to? Upon arrival while scanning the audience, I realized I was one of a handful of “young” people in a sea of white hair. Opera has long carried a dusty reputation of pomp and ceremony, hardly the obvious choice for a fun night out. Once reserved for royalty and then later for industrial barons, opera is now open to the masses—although ticket prices suggest it retains a trace of exclusivity. Cutting through all of that, there was a buzz in the air, inviting me to sit back and wait. And watch. From the moment the lights went down and the curtains opened, I was entertained. The stage craft was gorgeous and the lighting was clever. The orchestral music was powerful, and the colour of costumes and backdrop was vivid. It was fanfare and flourish, and I was drawn in.
I went to the performance wondering if opera is still relevant. Certainly, the ticket money could’ve been put to more urgent use, but story is integral to cultural cohesion and purpose. We tell stories, learn from stories, live out stories. The more the better—in the form of novels, plays, movies, podcasts, and operas. When Tosca was over, the audience hovered, having been united, even just for a few moments, in a shared experience. Maybe inspired around a common purpose. The conversations on the way home were as much a part of the opera as the performance itself, processing what we had all just seen, distilling the learnings, the takeaways, and the calls-to-action. What kind of world are we willing to fight for, like Floria and Mario did?
For all these reasons, I’d go again.
Tosca
7:30 pm Tuesday, February 24
Student rush tickets $15 one hour before performance, Royal Theatre
rmts.bc.ca