Hercules, you’re the top.

There is, perhaps, no medium of entertainment which has a greater reputation for inaccessibility than the classical opera. Regardless of any truth behind this perception, it is difficult for opera to escape the image of being that weird show exclusively performed for rich-folk and seniors. The trouble, I think, stems from the fact that this type of opera is borne from classical music, the playground of such masters as Mozart and Beethoven, who everyone will agree were geniuses, but whose music few people actually want to listen to. This association, stirred with the fact that, detached from a live performance, opera music is, admittedly, hard to listen to, has made shows such as the Handel and Haydn Society’s production of Handel’s Hercules a challenging sell to the masses.

But to this I say: challenge accepted.

Though the music might feel slow at points when compared to today’s Broadway ditties, and the eloquence of Handel’s 18th century baroque style may not be as exciting as Wagner’s 19th century liedchens, let it not be said that the Handel and Haydn Society does not know how to put on a show. This particular performance is a partially-staged one, meaning that they have specific actors for each role who stand and walk around the stage with music, but none wear full costumes, and where a set might have been, a full orchestra sits behind the performers. This type of show really puts the music front and center whilst still maintaining a clear sense of storytelling.

Now, you might think that such focus on music would be off-putting (especially after my last paragraph), but even you don’t always enjoy the music, you will find something to appreciate in the raw talent that the musicians display throughout the course of this show. Each of the six main singers do wonderfully unique things with their voices, making even the most dull songs a spectacle to hear. The orchestral players are clearly having a lot of fun with these songs, something which they exude through their instruments, transforming these ancient baroque melodies into quite the toe-tappers. And then there’s the choir. Oh, that choir. For my money this was the stand-out part of this performance, a vast array of beautiful voices singing together in lovely unison. Though some songs felt slow, the choir was always exciting. It’s a pity that there wasn’t more of them throughout the show, but what few songs they did sing made up for all of the lowest points.

Regarding the music itself, it wasn’t really bad, just old. The high points were wonderfully high, but the low points were long. Even in the likely case that opera isn’t your thing, this show is definitely worth seeing. It might feel its age at points, but, even in its most boring moments, this show is paradoxically fun.