Street Scene

Street Scene is an American Opera set in the 1920’s that portrays the life and experiences of various American people. Direction is courtesy of  John Fulljames with accompanying musical direction by Southbank Sinfonia Touring Orchestra’s Tim Murray. The Opera Group and Young Vic (fresh from the  success of Into the Little Hill and The Lions Face) join together for co-production.

Set in an apartment block in down town New York on the hottest day of the year, the lives of seven families unravel in chronological order highlighting the hypocrisy that infects society and the mundane aspects of everyday life alongside the turmoil that often occurs behind closed doors. Following the Maurrent family most closely we see the tragedy of loss, young love and alcoholism. Street Scene began with the Overture ‘Ain’t it awful, the heat’, which instantly set the scene for the hottest day of the year and revealed the capability of the orchestral accompaniment.

The double tiered set playa home to both the orchestra and the cast, evoking the look of a house or apartment block. Despite its high visibility the orchestra doesn't impinge on the actor's centrality. Another interesting element was the lighting as it acts as both natural day light and street lights, suggesting the rising and setting of the sun, reminding the audience of the 24hours script spans. At times the script was problematic; particularly the ambulance scene which was overdramatised and unrealistic to the extent of warranting laughter from the audience. Another minor detail was the length of the score, seeming unnecessarily long in places. However, the overall acting was generally of a notably high quality and the accents of the various denominations played by the cast were excellently executed. Street Scene excelled vocally and musically and on the whole, the play was an enjoyable production that reveals the effect of a single action can leave behind a trail of devastation and irreparable damage.