‘Sex, violence and corruption — just no rock ’n roll’: Political thriller opera ‘Tosca’ hits Joburg stage

A political thriller is set to hit the stage at Johannesburg’s Nelson Mandela Theatre on Friday, and it’s unlike any many would have seen before.

“Listen, there is sex, violence and corruption — just no rock ’n roll. It’s thrilling,” says Magdalene Minnaar, the artist director of Cape Town Opera who is directing the production of Tosca that will run at the theatre in Braamfontein until July 30.

Tosca is set in Rome in June 1800 during the Napoleonic wars and a time of enormous political unrest.

The fast-paced plot, which spans a 24-hour period, centres on Floria Tosca, a singer, Mario Cavaradossi, her political activist and artist lover, and the corrupt police chief Baron Scarpia, who has long lusted after the title character.

When Scarpia suspects Cavaradossi of helping an escaped political prisoner, he seizes the chance to manipulate Tosca into revealing the prisoner’s whereabouts and her lover’s involvement. When Cavaradossi is arrested, Scarpia gives Tosca a terrifying ultimatum: give herself to him or her lover gets killed.

The themes of revolution and the abuse of power are easy for South Africans to relate to, even though the opera was composed by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini in 1899.

“When I direct, I want to leave fully developed, interesting, testing characters on stage who really challenge you and put up a mirror to society,” says Minnaar.

“In Scarpia (sung by baritone Conroy Scott) we have created the most menacing, narcissistic, psychopathic, murderer. He is a complete a**hole, and still so magnetic. He is dressed in white leather from top to bottom and he does a thrilling job.”

The production promises to be a feast for the ears as well as the eyes, says Minnaar.

“Nobulumko Mngxekeza is Tosca and I have not heard a recording of Tosca that is as good as her singing. I am not kidding. She is one of the best voices from South Africa. I find it phenomenal that she has had this massive career outside South Africa, but South Africans don’t know who she is,” she says.

The role of Cavaradossi is played by tenor Lukhanyo Moyake, who returned to South Africa from Germany during the Covid-19 pandemic. Like Mngxekeza, he also has had an exceptional career in Europe. 

Minnaar says she convinced Moyake to stay in South Africa with the promise of work in the country.

“It’s wonderful to see this level of talent on stage. All the singers on stage are phenomenal singers,” she said.

The talent continues in the pit where the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra will be accompanying the singers under the baton of Adam Szmidt.

Cape Town Opera has spent just short of R2m to bring the opera to Johannesburg.

“To make your money back on an opera, people will tell you it is just impossible. Alex [Gabriel, MD of Cape Town Opera] and I are working our butts off to prove everyone wrong on that,” says Minnaar.

“To make your money you have to have 60 to 70 performances which we don’t have an appetite for in South Africa. What I am working on is developing the audience, so that in 10 years time we can have 15 performances of Tosca running over three weeks and it’s all sold out.”

Minnaar has started staging operas for children and families, the latest of which was Cinderella, which was on earlier this month at Cape Town’s Artscape Theatre.

“With Cinderella, we didn’t have full houses. So I told everyone, ‘Calm down, this is the first time Cape Town Opera has put on a production for kids and families, and this is the long game.’ When we do the kids production next year, we will double our numbers.”

“People are scared of opera. They think it’s a fat person standing and barking at them with difficult music. But it’s not that. People perceive opera to be this difficult genre, but it isn’t.”

• Tosca begins on Friday at the Nelson Mandela Theatre in Braamfontein and runs until July 30. Tickets cost between R180 to R550 through Webtickets. The Cape Town season at the Artscape Opera House runs from September 12 to 17, with booking via Computicket.

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