FARNAZ ARBABI TO DIRECT THE CONSUL BY MENOTTI
Menotti’s The Consul directed by Farnaz Arbabi will premiere on 25 and 26 February 2009 at Folkoperan.
“The Consul is highly relevant to today and addresses refugeedom and immigration policy and how inhumane bureaucracy creates victims. Even though Menotti’s opera dates from 1950, he depicts the never ending wait that many asylum seekers are forced to endure today,” says Arbabi.
Arbabi has previously directed productions such as Invasion! and Hedwig and the Angry Inch at Stockholms Stadsteater and Utvandrarna (The Emigrants) for Riksteatern. In her version of Vilhelm Moberg’s Utvandrarna Karl-Oskar and Kristina play immigrants in Sweden.
“Compared with Utvandrarna, The Consul is a more harsh and cruel story concerning the consequences of European refugee policy and in a way it can be seen as an extension to the work we did on Utvandrarna. Menotti’s opera is set in an unnamed country and in our version, the consulate is Swedish with refugees from countries outside the EU,” Arbabi explains.
SYNPOSIS
John Sorel is active in the freedom movement and is forced to flee his country. His wife Magda tries to leave the country by legal means with their sick son. However, like all visitors to the consulate, she is forced to fill in form after form. Magda gradually disintegrates mentally and her tiny son falls into apathy and dies. Magda finally commits suicide to prevent John from returning and being imprisoned.
PRODUCTION TEAM AND CAST
Music: Gian Carlo Menotti
Swedish translation: Göran Gentele and Sixten Ehrling
Adaptation: Farnaz Arbabi and Joakim Unander
Director: Farnaz Arbabi
Musical direction: Jonas Dominique
Conductor: Jonas Dominique/Joakim Unander
Scenography and costumes: Jenny Kronberg
Lighting: Karl Svensson
Masks & wigs: Therésia Frisk
Magda Sorel: Susanna Levonen/Mira Åkerman Pyne
John Sorel: Daniel Frank
The Mother: Karin Lovelius
Secret Police Agent: Johan Rydh
The Secretary: MargarethaWesterlind/Ulrika Skarby
The Magician Nika Magadoff: Henrik Holmberg
Mr Kofner: Lars Martinsson
Anna Gomez: Miriam Ryen
Vera Boronel: Sandra Bundy
The Russian: Milena Stricevic
Assan: N.N
The Folkoperan Orchestra
PERFORMANCE TIMES
After the opening nights, The Consul will play on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 19.00, Saturdays at 18.00 and Sundays at 16.00 until 5 April 2009. The performance lasts approximately 3 hours and 20 minutes including an interval.
Press images can be downloaded at www.folkoperan.se/press/pressbilder/konsuln.
For further information and interviews, please contact Elenor Wolgers, +46 8 616 07 17, +46 733 44 64 34, elenor.wolgers@folkoperan.se or Frida Edoff, +46 8 616 0718, +46 709 50 53 52, frida.edoff@folkoperan.se
Farnaz Arbabi, director of the Consul 2009
