'The role of Tosca is intense yet liberating'

Murder, rape, blackmail, torture and suicide — it’s all entangled in the dark and twisted tale of Tosca.

At the heart of this film noir-inspired opera is the fiery femme fatale of the same name played by British actress Cheryl Enever.

The actress is relishing in the title role describing it as “intense yet liberating.”

Tosca, which is being performed as part of the Bermuda Festival of Performing Arts, tells the story of the devious police chief Scarpia who tries to befriend Tosca to get information about her lover Cavaradossi.

Her lover suffers at the hands of shady politics until Tosca is made a wholly indecent proposal.

 “As a role it is absolutely brilliant,” Ms Enever told the Bermuda Sun.

“It really stretches you as an actress because Tosca is such a fiery character. She is definitely someone who calls the shots.

“You really do go to extreme levels of emotions and that’s why it’s so much fun to do it. It feels liberating to go completely over the top when you cannot do that in real life.”

Director Nick Heath has designed the opera to be in the style of the film noir, inspired by the twentieth century pulp fiction writers.

Ms Enever added: “It is quite stylized with the forties fashion we have gone for. It works well. Puccini writes these things in real time so it is really compelling — it’s like watching a film.”

Ms. Enever has been performing the lead role of this Puccini classic throughout the opera’s ten-date tour. She said that the show, performed by Opera A La Carte, has been so popular that Mr. Heath is looking to extend the tour.

Ms Enever is used to playing the roles of strong women in her opera ­performances. Previous roles have included the Countess in Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro and the First Lady in Mozart’s The Magic Flute.

Although she has been performing opera for seven years, she originally trained to be a cellist while studying for a Music degree at Bath University, England.

She decided she wanted to become an opera singer but never went to music college to train to be one.

Instead she worked for an insurance company while taking singing and coaching lessons.

She said: “It was quite an unconventional route. I think I’m better for it actually. It keeps you balanced when you also have a job as well.”

This will be the first time Ms Enever has been to Bermuda but she won’t be a complete stranger as many of her friends from the insurance company she used to work for, now live and work here.