By Gioachino Rossini
Linbury Studio, Royal Opera House / Jette Parker Young Artists
October 2014
Directed by Greg Eldridge
Set + Costume Design by Holly Pigott
Lighting Design by Warren Letton
Photographs by © Mark Douet + Holly Pigott
The rising stars of The Royal Opera's Jette Parker Young Artists Programme present Gioachino Rossini's absurd early farce 'La Scala Di Seta'.
Giulia is secretly married to Dorvil despite the wish of her guardian Dormont that she should marry Dorvil's friend Blansac. Giulia hatches a terrifically complicated plot to encourage Blansac instead to fall in love with her cousin Lucilla. Germano, the family's old servant, watches on in incomprehension.
Eventually Giulia's plot succeeds – with the help of the eponymous silken ladder – and all live happily ever after.
Designer's Note
During the eighteenth century, particularly in France, the bed was often looked upon as a symbol of status and prosperity. The wealthier and more opulent its inhabitant, the more elaborate the bed. It was both a place of intimacy and public display; with the curtains closed a private room within a room, but once drawn back it became a stage upon which one was presented to society.
Drawing inspiration from these voyeuristic rituals of eighteenth century bed culture, we have created a world where the bed is our stage. Elegantly framed upon a mound of splendid colour and lavishly embroidered fabrics, the characters of La Scala di Seta indulge in a story of secret rendez-vous’, ridiculous games of match making, and playful manipulation.
As an evening of mayhem ensues, the layers of this materialistic and artificial world begin to fracture and peel away, revealing what soon becomes impossible to hide; natures pull of true love.
Press
“Designed by Holly Pigott, the stage was populated with costumes in a gorgeous medley of colours and textures, and dominated by the sumptuous lit à baldaquin in Giulia’s bedchamber.”
Yehuda Shapiro for Opera
“The ingenious set of an elaborate four-poster bed, whose roof formed a practical balcony (with a handy tree as the ladder) devised by Holly Pigott formed a happy playground for Greg Eldridge’s clear and entertaining production.”
Stephen Mead for OpernWelt
"Holly Pigott's 18th Century designs overcame the challenges of internal and external locations stylishly."
*** Simon Thomas for What's On Stage
"Holly Pigott's gloriously colourful designs gave an excellent focus to the story."
Mark Ronan for Mark Ronan Reviews
"The ingenious solution of director Greg Eldridge and designer Holly Pigott is to invert everything by placing the bedroom on the stage floor and have everyone descend the ladder from on high to reach it.
By letting Giulia's chamber with its sumptuous bed take centre stage in every way we are really invited to become voyeurs.
A sprig is placed among the sheets that after the interval blossoms into a full tree. This, in effect, constitutes the ladder with people appearing on a balcony set above the bed and then descending the tree into the room. This provides much commentary on the blossoming of love, but since this 'ladder' is entirely organic, it introduces the nature versus society debate that lies at the heart of many an opera. The implication is that true love represents the natural wholesome state of affairs and should always be allowed to triumph over the corrupting forces of societal expectation and hierarchy."
**** Sam Smith for Music OMH