troppo amore

An important goal of The Tall Poppeas has always been to perform repertoire in a way that is innovative, fun, memorable and appealing to a wide-ranging audience.

So the idea was hatched to create a show which incorporated the exquisite vocal music which we perform, into a play with songs.

Troppo Amore first came to the stage at the Mittagong Playhouse in 2002 under the direction of Leonie Cambage. Initially, it was more like a collection of staged scenes linked with poetry and very minimal dialogue from the era performed by the sailor and the singers.

The show really changed dramatically in 2003 when it was performed as part of Darlinghurst Theatre's In the Raw Festival, when Leonie wrote a new script developing the roles of the sailor and the nurse into almost scene-stealing characters! The plot took on some new twists, and after further development for the Melbourne Fringe Festival in 2004, Troppo Amore has become

a really humorous, energetic and

 genre-defying theatrical piece.

Mittagong Playhouse with Inara Molinari, Jenny Duck-Chong

and Jennifer Kaye

The Story:

Passiona, Trampolina and Mozzarella, are hopelessly addicted to love. Desperate to find a cure for their bittersweet addiction, they book into an exclusive island clinic run by the enigmatic Nurse Sharon, the love child of a capricious pairing by Amor between one Keith Packett, stationery wholesaler from Lidcombe, and Minerva, Goddess of War.

Infuriated by Sharon's meddling and eager to reclaim his best lovers, Amor decides to transform himself into a handsome shipwrecked sailor, and conjures up a violent storm during which he is rescued by the women. Overwhelmed by the unexpected appearance of the handsome "Captain Wishart", the women struggle to resist his magnetic attraction.

 The calm of the clinic disintegrates as each woman sets her seductive sights on the Captain and Sharon wages her own battle against the suspicious sailor, attacking him with his arrows and rendering him totally besotted with her!

Who will win this war of love is anyone's guess.

Credits:

Written & Directed by Leonie Cambage

Lighting Design: Lisa Benham

Set & Prop Design: Kate Shanahan

Animation and Projections: Daniel Millar

Choreography: Fiona Garlick of the Early Dance Consort

Costumes: Susan Carveth 

"...the trio is reminiscent of The Three Ladies in Mozart's The Magic Flute...finding their best moments in the ensemble work."

        Xenia Hanusiak, Herald Sun, October 5, 2004

"What a pleasant surprise my wife and I had last night (8th October) when we were amongst the lucky few who attended your performance of Troppo Amore at St. Martins...It was only at the last minute that we "discovered" Troppo Amore.  I wish we had seen the show earlier because we would have then been able to tell our friends to make sure they didn't miss it before the season closed...All I can say for the moment is, "Keep doing what you are doing; its great!"

Anthony Hambleton, unsolicited e-mail to The Tall  Poppeas, '04.

Lyndsey Gartside, Anna, Inara, Toby and Vashti


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