Powerful people's opera

Powerful people's opera

Little City
By Irine Vela
Presented by Brisbane Ethnic Music and Arts Centre Inc.
Until May 11
Culturebank, West End, Brisbane

Review by Lynda Hansen

This is a story about a community's last ditch attempt to persuade an indifferent government not to decimate public utilities and services. They barricade themselves in the local town hall and debate how to demonstrate their collective anger at an institution that has dismissed their needs.

Canto Coro formed in 1995 to present Canto General and Somos Fuertes and Santa Maria de Iquique.

Renato Cuocolo has choreographed a minimalist production of Irine Vela's "people's opera" Little City with hand clapping and foot stamping to emphasise the anger and struggle of the community. References are made to the Chilean military coup and the students' uprising in Greece. Musical director Mark Dunbar has assembled songs in English, Spanish, Italian, Greek and Turkish.

This powerful, political performance opened to a capacity crowd which gave it a standing ovation. Not to be missed.

From GLW issue 273