Cavalleria Rusticana / Pagliacci
Cavalleria Rusticana ★★★☆☆ Introspective
Pagliacci ★★★☆☆ Ambitious
Stockbridge Church (Venue 317): Wed 12 – Sat 15 Aug 2026
Review by Rebecca Mahar
Aria Alba – Opera For All brings a double bill of one-act operas to Stockbridge Church this Fringe, with the classic pairing of Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci in a programme that emphasises the women in these narratives of male jealousy and coercion.
Both operas are performed in Italian with two screens positioned either side of the stage displaying brief summaries of what is happening, with occasional interjections of translated dialogue. This approach unfortunately reduces the detail of what most of the audience will understand compared to traditional translation. The screens also become invisible when the full company is on stage, and the pillars of the church hall, too, interfere with their visibility.
A scene from Cavalleria Rusticana with Aaron Fait as Turridu and Kata Feith as Lola. Pic Aria Alba.
Cavalleria Rusticana
First on the docket is Cavalleria Rusticana, subtitled “a simple tale of love, passion and betrayal.” The opera opens with an aria from Turiddu (Aaron Fait) singing to his erstwhile love Lola (Kata Feith), who married the carter Alfio (Derek Dunlop), while Turiddu was away serving as a soldier. Turiddu in his jealousy has slept with Santuzza (Fiona Watson), who is now ostracised from the community due to having sex out of wedlock (no such judgement, of course, being applied to Turiddu). Santuzza seeks resolution from Turiddu, Turiddu spurns her, Lola mocks her, and Santuzza reveals their affair to Alfio, bringing these interpersonal machinations to a breaking point, to tragic consequences.
The opera is set in the guise of a black and white film, with all but one key character being dressed in shades of grey, black, and white, and with the actors’ exposed skin (and sometimes hair) daubed with grey makeup. This choice is, according to director Jake Zualski’s notes, intended to make the audience question what the colour utilised means to them, and why. However, the decision of which character has been given colour, and which colour, leans into certain stereotypes rather than clearly critiquing them, when this concept could have been more skilfully applied elsewhere in the production.
potential
Another side-effect of grey makeup is that it serves to flatten many visible age differences that may exist between performers; Mama Lucia and Santuzza appear to be peers, Turiddo older than Lola, and Alfio significantly older than her. These age differences (and similarities) could potentially be another interesting commentary on the story and the dynamics in which its women live, but this is not explored in any meaningful way.
Although there are some struggles with pitchiness and tempo across the opera, the performances are for the most part enthusiastic and competent, with Fiona Breingan as Mama Lucia a standout of clarity and power.
A scene from Pagliacci including Neil McTavish as Canio. Pic Aria Alba.
Pagliacci
Another tale of love affairs and deceptions, Pagliacci is concerned with the members of a commedia dell’arte troupe (traditionally— Zualski sets it in a 1950s film studio, where the commedia archetypes translate without much trouble). Canio, leader of the troupe, is married to Nedda, who is being pursued by Tonio, all while she carries on an affair with Silvio, in this adaptation a set painter.
Canio arrives on set to the adulation of his fans, and warns all and sundry that though his character Pagliaccio is made a fool of by his unfaithful wife Columbina, played by Nedda, it would be a different story in real life if she were untrue to him. While Canio and fellow actor Beppe (Andy Steward) go to the pub, Tonio (Elliot Ross) visits Nedda to confess his love. She rejects him and he turns violent, but she manages to drive him off just before Silvio arrives to try and convince her to run away with him. Tonio runs to fetch Canio and they return in time to overhear Nedda bidding Silvio farewell, but don’t see his face, setting the stage for doom as Canio works to discover the identity of Nedda’s lover and punish her for her betrayal.
In this opera, it is only Canio who is in colour (although muted) until it’s time to film the scene that takes the place of the commedia performance in which all things come to a head. Then as Pagliaccio the sad clown, he is black and white in a sea of colour. The conceptual framework of colour is much more successful in Pagliacci, where its reversals serve to emphasise falsehood and tragedy.
holistically excellent
The vocal performances in Pagliacci are somewhat uneven, with Neil MacTavish as Canio, despite a commendable acting performance, struggling with pitch, volume, and straying into shouting territory. The misapplication of straight tone can be found across both operas among various of the male characters. On the other end of the spectrum, Eilidh Riddle as Nedda fills the church hall with sparkling clarity, subtlety, and fire, delivering a holistically excellent performance that lifts everyone with whom she shares scenes.
Though both Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci fall slightly short of their ambitious conceptual aims, Aria Alba are to be commended for pursuing them to begin with, continuing to approach classic operas with fresh perspective, and inviting anyone with an interest into the world of opera: not an ivory tower to be feared, but an art form to be enjoyed by all.
Running time: Three hours (including one interval).
Stockbridge Church (Church Hall), 7b Saxe Coburg Street EH3 5BN (Venue 317).
Wednesday 12 – Saturday 15 August 2026.
Daily: 7pm.
Tickets and details: Book here at EdFringe.com.
Heart of Hawick, 2 Kirkstile, Hawick TD9 0AE
Saturday 12 September 2026
One performance: 6.30pm (doors: 6pm)
Tickets and details: Book here.
Aria Alba website: ariaalba.co.uk
Facebook: @ariaalbaopera
Instagram: @ariaalba
Aria Alba– Opera For All is an Edinburgh-based community company which makes space for singers of all abilities to take on the big challenges and rewards of opera. Following the 12 September performance of Cav & Pag at the Heart of Hawick, the company will be open to new members for its annual winter concert. For further details see: ariaalba.co.uk.
A scene from Pagliacciwith Neil McTavish as Canio and Eilidh Riddell as Nedda. Pic Aria Alba.
ENDS
