Photo contributed
Writer: James Inverne
Director: Daniel Slater
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Peter Shaffer’sAmadeus set a high bar for plays about rival composers and writer James Inverne enters similar territory with That Bastard Puccini, a drama about the competition between Giacomo Puccini and Ruggero Leoncavallo to produce the most successful version of La bohème. One of them would bask in the warmth of public acclaim while the other would feel more frozen than heroine Mimi’s tiny hand.
In Milan, 1893, Leoncavallo is being labelled a one hit wonder, seemingly incapable of following up the enormous success of his opera Pagliacci. He mentions to his friend Puccini that his next project will be to adap works by French writer Henri Murger, to which Puccini replies “me too”. Leoncavallo bursts into barely controlled rage, accusing his friend of stealing his idea and various other acts of plagiarism, while Puccini remains placid, seemingly not concerned that there will be two operas, both entitled La bohème, being staged concurrently and, eventually, both will appear at different theatres on the same street in Venice on the same night.
Sebastien Torkia’s arrogant, sneering Puccini certainly merits the unflattering description of him in the play’s title, contrasting sharply with the frenzied rage of Alasdair Bucham’s Leoncavallo. Lisa-Anne Wood intervenes in the dispute as Berthe, Leoncavallo’s supportive wife and she also contributes impressively singing short extracts from the operas. The enthusiasm of this trio of actors gives director Daniel Slater’s production all its energy.
Lacking the scale and ambition of Amadeus, Inverne’s play takes a long time to develop a sense of direction. Foreknowledge of the outcome of the composers’ battle robs the drama of its tension and gaps are filled with hit-or-miss comedy, often involving the actors taking on subsidiary roles such as that of Gustav Mahler.
A pedestrian first act meanders aimlessly, frequently laden with stilted scene-setting dialogue, but there is a distinct improvement after the interval when the writer finally reveals the play’s purpose, which is to discuss the processes for creating great art.
Overall, That Bastard Puccini is lightweight and patchy, mildly entertaining even though slightly off key. However, Puccini’s version of La bohème was itself received poorly by Italian critics when it premiered in Turin; taking this as a precedent, Inverne’s play could yet have a bright future.
Performance date:15 July 2025
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