#Jolliff sewing and embroidery

[jayne-hecate-writer]

Opening night at the opera...

I had been looking forwards to this show for weeks, I had a special dress, new make up and severe anxiety for the whole day leading up to going out of the door...

The opera was the brand new production by The Welsh National Opera of “Un ballo in maschera” by Verdi, a Gothic melodrama in three acts and it was beautiful. This was also the opening night, in their home theatre, in Cardiff. So you can imagine the excitement among the audience, which unlike that we see in Bristol, seemed to have a bias towards the older opera lover. Generally speaking, from where we were sat, the average age of patrons was around 170! Come on young people, you need to embrace the arts because you are missing out on a spectacle of beauty.

So let’s start at the beginning of my story, which involves a trip to the theatre to see the WNO perform in Bristol, which was as always, utterly wonderful. During the intermission and after my dash to the loo, we were approached by the Press Officer, a charming young woman who clearly knows her onions and she asked if my dear friend Ginny would like to review a special show? It turns out the plebs like us are just the sort of people the WNO needs to bring in, in order to keep going. To be blunt, more plebs means more money in ticket sales... OK, that is remarkably disingenuous, but it stands as a point. The arts in this country are in desperate need of support and the more ordinary people who will embrace them, the longer they can survive. 

So, I placed the date in my diary and then pretended to forget about it, while inside my stomach squirmed at the thought of going to Cardiff to see a show in a huge auditorium. I also needed to make sure that I looked smart, this was after all, a special event, so no jeans and Slayer t-shirt for this one. Actually, as I think about this, I have never worn jeans and a Slayer t-shirt to the opera. Maybe I should from now on! Anyway, the only good frock I had in my wardrobe was broken. It also did not fit me that well and quite frankly it was close to being thrown out, despite having been really pretty when new. 

Luckily for me, while out at a Death Metal gig, I met the fabulously clever and talented Cassie of Jolliff Sewing and Embroidery and she said that no dress was beyond saving. Somewhat doubtfully, I gave her my frock and a small payment and hoped for the best. I told her to take her time and in almost no time at all I was told to come and get my frock. It looked brand new. No, actually, it looked better than brand new. It looked tailored, it fitted me perfectly and she had even repaired the lace on the front that I thought was beyond repair. I could not have been happier. My advice to anyone in need of dress making advice or clothing repairs is to talk to Cassie. Mind you, you will have to wait your turn because she now has the rest of my ripped and ruined wardrobe (I must stop fixing the motorbike while wearing ball gowns!) to fix up and alter. 

With a new frock and some new make up, I got myself ready and two hours before I was due to leave, I realised that I really did not want to go. The thought of travelling to Cardiff, of being in that huge room with all of those people, of being somewhere posh, of being sociable... all of the things that us socially awkward quiet shy types have to deal with on a daily basis suddenly piled up on my shoulders and threatened to crush me. I could not eat, I could not drink anything and I even forgot to take my meds prior to leaving. Physically shaking, I left the house and sat in the car. Not even rancid death metal could calm me down.

I picked up Ginny and we hit the motorway, in bad weather and low visibility. The trip to Wales was on and I was focused on getting us there safely. I had offered to drive because Ginny has always driven us previously and it seemed fair to share the load so to speak. Mind you, with no sense of direction, I needed a co-driver who could give me a running list of directions... It cannot have been a relaxing journey for her! Finally we arrived, parked up and I asked Ginny to remember where we had parked, otherwise we would have to walk home and I would never see my car again. 

The Wales Millennium Centre is huge, intimidating and very pretty, well for a building anyway. The acoustics are spectacular and the stage is fabulous. But that is not the best bit, not by far. The best bit is that the seating is soft, comfortable and plush, even in the cheap seats! I love the Bristol Hippodrome, I truly do, but this was a step up in terms of luxury. Everything is shiny and new, the floors are polished, the air is fragrant and the views of the stage are really well designed, even with an ugly fat bald bloke slumped in the seat in front of you! The lighting is wonderful, every detail is clear and yes, I was blown away. My nerves faded along with my inhibitions (thanks to the pain killers I was forced to swallow... Thanks useless body!) and I was able at last to relax in my seat and wait for the show to begin.

I was in awe as soon as the curtain rose. The set, the costumes, the choreography. It opened with a coffin, upon which lay my favourite character of the entire show, Oscar, performed by Julie Martin du Theil, with whom I immediately fell in love. The character of Oscar is a young, possibly gay, Herald, performed by a soprano, but for me the winning moment came when Oscar slid from his Master’s coffin top to reveal the most magnificent costume of the evening. It was all leather, with huge Gothic boots, making the character look like a young Danni Filth of Cradle of Filth. 

Photo credit:- The Welsh National Opera.

Once again, I am comparing classical music with black and death metal and as always, the comparison is worthy. The themes of this opera are dark, with images of Satanism, sacrifice and murder. This is in every blood soaked second, a truly Metal experience. The first act was for me the best, it is dark, occasionally evil and often sinister. My next favourite character was the Sorceress Ulrica, performed by the wickedly dark Sara Fulgoni. The dancers who played Ulrica’s servants were covered in brutal, but hilarious wounds that were soaked in red ribbons of gore, with the various implements of torture poking out of them. There were the usual knife and sword wounds, but also screwdrivers stuck in heads, hacksaws half way through limbs, scissors stabbed into backs, machetes embedded in brains... Every single one was brilliantly brutal and once again, just pure Black Metal.

Act two saw a less exciting and for me less enjoyable scene. The love torn Amelia performed by the always fabulous Mary Elizabeth Williams, is at the gallows gathering the magic herb needed to break the spell of love on her heart. The count who is in love with her watches in the distance, but given that she is married to his best friend, things are not going to end well for any of them. For me, this part of the show was the least interesting because it contained all of the heart break and misery of the piece. It was just far too nice, far to emotional and did not contain much of the mayhem and darkness of the first act. Mind you, the watchful foxes with their glowing red eyes were creepy and beautiful, while the full moon painting was breathtaking.

Act three sees the resolution of the piece and once again the costumes were fabulous, the music swelled and the lights were magnificent. As the party goers arrived at the masked ball (for which the show is named after) dressed in skeleton printed long coats, I desperately wanted one of the black ones to wear home. The wonderful Cassie may well have repaired my damaged velvet jacket, but the creepy and ghoulish skeleton coat would have been a prized piece indeed. 

With the show ended and numerous bows taken so that the royal visitor could be whisked away before us plebs got in the way, I was left with my fingers in my ears because right behind me was sat a man whose clapping was a sonic weapon, probably commissioned by the Police in case anyone decided to have a pop at the royal guest. How one man can clap that hard and that loudly and still have hands left at the end appalled me. I can only imagine that he has had plenty of practice, clapping down concrete bunkers until all that remains is pulverised gravel and dust! 

The drive home was somewhat more chaotic as lost drivers struggling to find the motorway swerved across lanes, almost as lost as I was. They badly needed a Ginny to navigate them too! Finally I arrived home, elated and still feeling pretty in my posh frock and make up. Taking it all off felt like I was stripping away something fabulous, removing something special that I did not want to lose. 

I must now thank the following people. Firstly the whole cast of the Welsh National Opera, for their fantastic Black Metal performance. Cassie for my wonderful dress and jacket. Then most of all, my dear friend Ginny for all of her tolerance, kindness, support and navigating. 

As for all of you, you absolutely must go and see the opera and support the arts in this country before they die out through falsely assumed snobbery and horrible feelings of impostor syndrome. Organisations like the WNO will not only welcome you into their home theatre, but they will do so with the open arms of friendship. If you have never seen an opera performed live or think that opera is not for you, choose one of their lighter ones, grab a good friend and go along. Trust me, I speak as a rancid Black Metal fan, opera really is for everyone and the Welsh National Opera are one of the best out there.