BON APPÉTIT! Directed by Magdalene Minnaar. Music director/pianist: José Dias. Assistant director: Elisabeth Manduell.
Cast: Janellé Visagie (guest artist) as well as Jodie Khan, Ané Pretorius, Siphesihle Mdena, Garth Delport, Van Wyk Venter and Alisa Stoman, all members of Cape Town Opera’s Young Artists programme and the Cape Town Opera Chorus. Chefs: Mike Bassett and Evan Coosner. The Restaurant, Vineyard Hotel.
KAREN RUTTER reviews
What an absolutely amazing idea – and a totally fabulous execution. Bon Appétit!, under the curatorship and direction of Cape Town Opera’s Artistic Director Magdalene Minnaar, is a sumptuous feast for the senses. It takes the form of an opera and cuisine pairing, combining the talents of six CTO singers and two Cape Town chefs, who present a programme of food-inspired music and music-inspired food. Taking place at The Restaurant in the Vineyard Hotel, the kitchen is as much a part of the performance as the stage, as a five-course dinner is prepared to the accompaniment of five carefully-chosen compositions.
And it’s such a clever, non-obvious selection of pieces. JS Bach’s secular Coffee Cantata opens the evening (served alongside a coffee martini); it’s a delightful folly of a piece, about a father who despairs over his daughter’s caffeine obsession. And, in terms of the Bach canon, a work not often performed (that I am aware of). It’s followed by La Bonne Cuisine by Leonard Bernstein – again, a fun but not overdone song cycle featuring Bernstein’s take on recipes from a French cookery book. Then there’s Bizet’s Omelette Quartet, a snazzy four-part send-up; an excerpt from Lee Hoiby’s chamber opera Bon Appétit!, featuring Julia Childs baking a chocolate cake; and an all-cast finale by Kurt Weill, the Euro-American hybrid Ice Cream Sextet.
The cast excel
With music director José Dias adroitly guiding the action from his piano, the cast excel in their different roles, adapting smoothly to a new performance arena. It can’t be easy bringing the bold moves and robust levels of a concert hall or opera house, into the more intimate confines of a restaurant. But it works – no moves are excessive, no volumes extreme. Instead, the performance moulds to the venue. And indeed, the relative closeness of the space allows for more subtle gestures that may well have been lost on a big platform. Add in the occasional flurry of action from the open kitchen, and it’s a great balance.
And a great performance, by all concerned. Ané Pretorius (soprano), Jodie Khan (soprano), Siphesihle Mdena (tenor), Van Wyk Venter (baritone) and Garth Delport (bass) are all superb, and non-singing Alida Stoman a fun foil for the action. But I do have to single out soprano Janelle Visagie, a several-time Fleur du Cap award winner, who handled the Julia Childs solo spot with such style – and mixed together a cake at the same time! Just brilliant.
Adventurous and lively
The menu, inspired by the music, was no less adventurous and lively. I can’t speak to the meat-orientated dishes, but can vouch for the vegetarian plates, which included a breaded shiitake mushroom with plum pudding, red wine jus and mustard pomme puree, seitan roulade with baby onions, and caramel Turkish milk pudding and rose ice cream. Divine.
It’s not necessarily a cheap evening out. But, if you consider that some fine dining experiences cost the same, WITHOUT the unique opera programme, then it almost becomes a bargain!
All kudos to the team that put it together. It would be wonderful to see more versions of Bon Appétit! – let’s hope they bring it on.
What: Bon Appétit!
Where and when: The Restaurant at The Vineyard Hotel, Newlands from Thursday 31 March to Sunday 3 April 2022 at 7pm
Details and tickets: All tables will face the performance area. Seating is limited due to Covid restrictions, and advance booking is advised. A vegetarian version is also on offer. Tickets cost R950 per person through Quicket at https://www.quicket.co.za/events/168938-bon-apptit#/
WS
