Spare a thought for Amy J Payne, the gutsy mezzo-soprano who plays the title role in Opera North’s Pass the Spoon. Divas, of course, are used to leaping from castle walls or being swept away in avalanches but seldom is a singer required to be swallowed whole by a monstrous gourmand. Payne plays June Spoon, the vociferous host of a TV cookery programme, and whether or not she will be “passed” or, alas, be turned into excrement is the 11th-hour dilemma in this frankly bonkers show.
The idea was cooked up (pardon the pun) back in 2008 when Irish composer David Fennessy and director Nicholas Bone hooked up with David Shrigley, the visual artist famous for his distinctive, darkly humorous line drawings and witty captions. Described as “a sort-of opera,” it premiered at Glasgow’s Tramway in 2011.
Shrigley considers life with its mundane cruelties and responds with a scabrous wit and deadpan irreverence. In the opera, June and her hapless assistant Phillip Fork, plan a slap-up meal for the reputedly baby-eating Mr Granules. The real heroes, however, are the foodstuffs: a trio of terrified tubers, a manic-depressive egg and a banana convinced of his superiority as an exotic fruit compared with mere root vegetables. The cast is completed by a psychotic butcher and a dancing turd.
Fennessy’s score, played by an onstage chamber orchestra of 11 all dressed as chefs, held the attention throughout. Rooted in 20th-century modernism – at its most macabre, Birtwistle’s Punch and Judy sprang to mind – he wasn’t averse to trotting out a tune here and there or even purloining Für Elise. Motoric rhythms, caustic strings and the hiss of sharpening knives all played their part, as did wah-wah trombone, chamber organ, harp and a kitchen drawerful of percussion. Opera North music director Garry Walker kept things tight, especially important given the orchestra was frequently required to sing and shout.
Bek Palmer’s set complete with table, counter and shiny red fridge complemented the playful costumes, designed by Shrigley in his signature style. With their tiny eyes and quivering slits for mouths, the doomed vegetables were surprisingly moving amid the general air of lunacy. The silent Mr Granules, a cross between a waddling ogre and a gluttonous businessman, was a hoot. The resourceful Bone moved his pieces around the board with a cool efficiency.
Payne worked tirelessly as Spoon, pumping out the decibels each time she hurled forth the word “soup”. She was well paired with Xavier Heatherington, who slipped effortlessly in and out of head voice as the querulous Fork. Mark Nathan was an authoritative Banana with Peter Van Hulle a curiously disturbing Butcher. Stealing the show, though, was Frazer Scott doubling as Mr Egg and the delightfully lavatorial Shit.
• At Howard Assembly Room, Leeds, until 21 December
