Tigers, Sequins and Sex: Siegfried & Roy give Sydney Festival a winner

Over four decades of performing together as lifelong friends—and eventually lovers—have made illusionists Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn unlikely candidates for the greatest couple in showbusiness history.

That’s how things play out in Siegfried & Roy: The Unauthorised Opera, a special commission for the Sydney Festival. So perfect is the chemistry between baritone Christopher Tonkin (as Siegfried) and tenor Kanen Breen (Roy) that there’s little wonder as to why director and co-librettist Constantine Costi chose to focus so strongly on the romantic relationship between the two magicians rather than rest entirely on overproduced onstage trickery and the gloriously loud excesses of Las Vegas showmanship.

There’s even a drawn-out love scene, comically used to underscore the power struggle between the two and, in particular, highlight the ambition and insecurity that Roy brought to the partnership.

Humanising the duo, both as a performing team and as two conflicting lovers, adds plenty of weight to the well-known tragic conclusion, staged brilliantly as the duo’s performing tiger, Mantacore, turns on Roy and delivers a fatal bite.

From post-war Germany to the stages of Las Vegas (photo supplied).

But the show concludes well before the death, running full circle to Roy’s 60th birthday as the opera traces the duo’s story from the time they met to a knowing farewell between lovers, trauma survivors, best friends and performers.

The tiger in the room is the question of why this story was chosen in the first place. Focusing on two legendary magicians who took over Las Vegas with their daring performances is an odd choice for an opera. And it may remain one for those who don’t get a chance to catch this fabulously fun and surprisingly raunchy production.

For those who do see it, this unauthorised backstory not only entertains but reiterates the curatorial faith we have in the Sydney Festival each year, even when they pull out an unexpected trick such as this one.

There is plenty that works remarkably well with Siegfried & Roy: The Unauthorised Opera. All performances are enjoyable, although each pales in comparison to Breen and Tonkin. Yet particular applause should go to the slick-talking Simon Lobelson, who portrays the fictional Randy Reggiano, a money-hungry agent who discovers the duo after they perform for the Princess Grace of Monaco and tempts them to Las Vegas (a proposition that excites Roy more than it does the more lauded, level-headed Siegfried).

Then there’s a memorable scene with Cathy-Di Zhang as the magician’s assistant, hilariously performing one of the show’s best songs while ostensibly chopped in half by the destined-for-Vegas duo. Watching Roy wheel her legs around while her head performs on the other side of the stage is one of the many reasons why this unlikely opera brings something completely different to the table.

Most impressive is how Costi and his co-librettist, composer Luke Di Somma, handle the overarching tonal shifts that take this place from a dark, abusive and sombre act in post-war Germany to the more hopeful, trying tour of Europe, the dazzling, career-making show in Monaco, and eventually the sequin-loving salaciousness of Las Vegas, Nevada.

The story’s looming tragedy is tracked visually by Mantacore’s physical changes (photo supplied).

Tim Chappel’s dynamic costume design does plenty of the heavy lifting, from Bavarian Lederhosen to satin and sequins, working well with Damien Cooper’s stylish lighting rig to add plenty of visual appeal. Of course, the most eye-catching is the duo’s beloved white tiger, Mantacore. Impressive puppetry has Mantacore stalking the stage and even trying to interrupt the duo’s hysterically well-executed sex scene (this isn’t a show for children).

But bad Mantacore is eminently more exciting. The story’s well-known tragedy looms over the play like a piece of macabre theatre. There are no gimmicky hints throughout the play, nor any winks as to what’s about to unfold. And yet we all know Roy’s ill-fated final performance.

Before the definitive tragedy, Mantacore is an affectionate Bengal tiger driving much of the duo’s success. When it comes time to turn on Roy, however, the tiger is a large, demonic figure with glowing red eyes and an insatiable appetite. Mantacore’s constant physical changes on stage punctuate the story’s breakneck pace well.

But it’s the simplicity that drives this production home. The straightforward operatic structure is infinitely easier to follow and highly engaging as a result. Although the humour may be slightly uneven, it’s used to propel the story with great effect, especially to tease out the obvious personality differences between Roy who is insecure yet wildly ambitious, and Siegfried, who is ostensibly the more modest of the two despite being the more bankable talent.


Siegfried & Roy: The Unauthorised Opera

Where: Wharf 1 Theatre; Wharf 4/5, 15 Hickson Rd, Dawes Point NSW 2000
When: Until January 25, 2025
Price: $129

sydneyfestival.org.au


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