Double, double toil and trouble – An Interview with Steven Ang of ‘The Mad Scene’ for Verdi’s Macbeth | The Flying Inkpot

by Derek Lim · March 31, 2022

Rarely performed, Verdi’s Macbeth is a gem of a dark horse that will once again be heard in Singapore, courtesy of Steven Ang and The Mad Scene in an abridged production.

Derek Lim interviewed producer and baritone Stephen Ang to find out what you can expect, whether you’re a fan of the Bard or not.

Tickets for the performance on 23 April 2022, 7:30pm at Goodman Arts Centre Black Box are available from https://verdismacbethsg.peatix.com

TFI: Steven, it’s a pleasure to be interviewing you for Flying Inkpot. Can you tell our readers more about your upcoming performance of Verdi’s Macbeth?

SA: Hi Derek! Thank you so much for having me on Inkpot, it’s a real pleasure.

The story of Macbeth and the music that Verdi set for it has always fascinated me, ever since I caught a production of it by the Singapore Lyric Opera back in 2001. It has always been my dream to take on the role and its demanding music myself.

As Covid happened and we were in various stages of lockdown throughout 2020 and 2021, I thought hard about what I wanted to do once we got the opportunity. On top of my list was to produce an opera in an intimate chamber setting, just to get back into the groove of live performance.

In January 2021, I had the great opportunity to perform in a musical play, Trilby by Cantio. I got to perform with our soprano Tatiana Konovalova. She sang the Act 1 aria of Lady Macbeth as part of her role as a young opera singer – and very well at that! Given that expats come and go, especially in these uncertain times, I thought that if I were ever to do Macbeth, it’s pretty much now or never.

TFI: Wow, 2001. It’s been long enough!

SA: Yup, so it’s about time that we get to see it in Singapore again!

TFI: Those familiar with Shakespeare’s play will find it very different from Verdi’s interpretation of it. What are some of the differences between the English bard’s original and this?

SA: There are quite a few significant changes in adapting the play to a musical form. For one, the three witches have become a female chorus, and the principal role of Duncan is reduced to a walk-on part. And Verdi naturally had to use an Italian libretto for his audience.

However, in adapting the opera for a socially distanced 90-minute production with no intermission as set out by the NAC (National Arts Council) guidelines presented us with opportunities to combine the two versions in some way. Naturally, all the choruses and large-scale ensembles had to be removed, while we adapted much of the sung recitatives to English dialogue as is common practice in these parts. But rather than using an English translation of an Italian translation, [for the recitatives] we simply returned to the source material {in the sections} that make sense to do so. So many of the famous catchphrases will be there, such as ‘double, double toil and trouble’ and so on, which are not in the sung segments, in Piave’s translation. I’m proud to say that our presentation will be an interesting amalgamation of the opera and its play of origin, done in a way that is unlike any other.

I do want to stress that while cuts had to be made to the ensemble numbers, we strove to keep the principal roles as intact as possible, so all the music that is commonly associated with these famous roles will still be there, including Lady Macbeth’s flights of coloratura and the title character’s extremely dramatic passages.

TFI: Count us intrigued! Was it difficult to choose what to take out, and does it affect the drama?

SA: I would say that despite the cuts, audiences unfamiliar with Shakespeare’s story will still be able to follow the plot quite clearly. The decision to cut the choruses were easy to make, given the restrictions at the time. We tend to skip over these passages when listening to recordings anyway – you know who you are! I love choral singing but under these circumstances, they unfortunately had to go.

A more unorthodox cut would be our decision to combine the three witches into one character, again in order to fit in better with social distancing guidelines. We have a brilliant young film and theatre actor, Isaac Tan, who only stepped in very recently when our original actress had to withdraw, and gave us his brilliant and energetic take on this combined role.

TFI: That sounds interesting…. and confusing!

SA: Well, the role of the witches in the play are traditionally played with some level of camp, sometimes by men in drag, so there’s a history of performing them in a gender non-conforming way. It’s comic relief from the otherwise sombre nature of the play, and I think the audience will be quite entertained by Isaac’s portrayal of the part.

Tatiana Konovalova and Steven Ang as Lady Macbeth and Macbeth Photo credit: Hawk Liu

TFI: The name of the opera may be Macbeth, but in some ways the show’s really all about Lady Macbeth isn’t it?

SA: Well yeah, while Macbeth has a longer journey and more to sing, it’s hardly uncommon for the performer playing Lady Macbeth to steal the show! I will do my best to hold my own of course, but I will not hold it against Tatiana if she gets more applause for her brilliant coloratura, effortless high notes, and overall stunning stage presence. For me, the onstage histrionics required for the character are what I enjoy doing most, and I will do my best to show it to the audience.

TFI: Have you encountered the famous Macbeth curse in producing this opera?

Productions of Shakespeare’s play are known to be cursed with bad luck, and sadly ours is no exception. The most unusual thing that happened to us is when Tatiana decided to return to her hometown back in June. At that time she could not be vaccinated in Singapore as they were mostly reserved for the elderly and medical professionals. However once back, she was unable to get vaccinated with the ones that are internationally recognized. And so she had to travel to another country for almost a month with two kids in tow, get fully vaccinated there, and fly back to her hometown before reapplying for her pass back to Singapore.

The entire process took almost 6 months while my director Hawk Liu and I waited each week for updates from her. At the same time we were rehearsing our scenes and duets over Zoom as there was no better alternative – but if you’ve ever tried it, you’ll know it’s not the most productive way either. Our production date had to be shifted quite a few times because of this and other reasons.

It did however give us a lesson in how to conduct rehearsals remotely. Now we have a few other cast members who are quarantining after contracting Covid, and we are thankfully still able to carry on.

TFI: What are three reasons the audience should not miss Macbeth?

Firstly, it’s a great opportunity to catch a rarely performed opera live in Singapore, with a largely Singapore-based cast.

Secondly, the story of Macbeth is such a universal one and can be told in so many ways. Our unique style of theatre and opera will be an interesting and memorable one.

Lastly, opera scaled down in a chamber setting is common practice everywhere but here. Eschewing the grandness of a big theatre for an intimate black box means that our friends in the audience get to watch and feel our performance up close. Every seat is a stall seat at Goodman Arts Centre Black Box, with its excellent, clear acoustics. Our cast of professional and community performers are eager and ready to put on a great show for you, so we hope that you’ll come and share in the wonders of live musical drama with us!