On Feb. 8, Vancouver Opera presented the local premiere of Jonathan Dove’s 1998 opera, Flight. This opera—inspired by the true story of an Iranian refugee stranded in Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport for 18 years—is an emotional rollercoaster ride from the comedic to the heart-wrenching.
The production originated at Pacific Opera Victoria in early 2020, just before the pandemic shut down. Stage direction was entrusted there to veteran Canadian theatre legend Morris Panych who has revived his retro-1960s vision for Vancouver Opera.
At the start of the opera, Ken MacDonald’s set design looked quite simple with a tall control tower centre stage, flanked by light fixtures on either side. Complexity was added as a front desk and round couches were rolled onto stage to lounge and sing upon. The central control tower was also revealed to rotate and provide a space to highlight individual characters standing atop of it.
Vancouver Opera’s 2025 production of Flight. Photo: David Cooper Photography
Working in tandem with the set was Alain Brodie’s lighting, which added to the stormy setting. Hanging lights changed colour or flickered to match the scene, even imitating the lights on the front of a plane at one point.
Occasionally, a scrim would lower and cover the entire stage with a cloudy sky or a plane projected over top of it. This cleverly allowed the audience to focus on the one character in front of the scrim while the potentially distracting set and other characters remained behind. The scrim was put to especially good use at the end of the opera when it displayed a plane as the characters’ shadows scaled the control tower’s stairs to enter the aircraft doors.
Clarence Frazer (Steward) and Asitha Tennekoon (Bill) in Vancouver Opera’s 2025 production of Flight. Photo: David Cooper Photography
The pace of the opera’s story is a little slow to start because of its need to establish the setting and circumstances of the Refugee. It soon picks up as more characters arrive on the scene with plotlines that introduced many shocking and laugh-out-loud moments. The cast had excellent comic timing, prompting spontaneous mid-show applause. The role of physical comedy was especially embraced by Asitha Tennekoon and Andriana Chuchman (Bill and Tina), who emphasized their more passionate and angry interactions with big physical movements.
Two standout performers were soprano Caitlin Wood as the Controller and countertenor Cameron Shahbazi as the Refugee. As the first two characters on stage, Wood and Shahbazi set the bar high for the rest of the performance.
Caitlin Wood (Controller) in Vancouver Opera’s 2025 production of Flight. Photo: David Cooper Photography
Wood offered impressive vocalism, including complicated runs and angelic high notes. Despite her character being less involved with the plot of the “messy” people below in the airport, the role offers incredible moments like the virtuosic aria in which she expresses her anger with an electric storm. Wood delivered the full package in both her dazzling vocal range and occasionally sarcastic acting choices so appropriate for a controller.
From the opening note of the show, Shahbazi captured the audience’s attention, offering a moving performance. His aria near the end of the opera showcased a distinct sense of urgency, panic, and distress when describing his escape with his brother from their home country. The emotion Shahbazi brought to his role culminated in an impactful ending where he learns of his brother’s death and is offered the in-between space of the airport as a home.
The sudden shift from comedy to tragedy leaves us with an unsettled feeling at the opera’s end which is not as happy as one might expect. Some audience members were still tempted to laugh while others sat in shocked silence, a testament to the production’s success in demonstrating the complexities of humanity.
Alex Hetherington (Stewardess), Clarence Frazer (Steward), Cameron Shahbazi (Refugee), and Henry Chen (Immigration Officer) in Vancouver Opera’s 2025 production of Flight. Photo: David Cooper Photography
Also worthy of note is Stephanie Tritchew’s versatility as the pregnant Minskwoman. The audience is introduced to the character when she refuses to fly to Minsk with her husband and opts to stay at the airport. Her choice seems odd at first, but Tritchew’s poignant aria in Act 2 encourages sympathy from the audience. In Act 3, the Minskwoman gives birth to her child on stage and feels a deep connection to her newborn child despite her fears about motherhood. Tritchew perfectly embodied the complexities of the Minskwoman, a role that demands strong vocals and acting ability.
Musically, the distinct lack of variation in the intensity and volume of delivery of some of the Act 1 and 2 numbers tended to reduce the impact of the score’s bigger moments. This improved in Act 3 when some of the more shocking twists occur such as the birth scene. The orchestra, conducted by Leslie Dala, brilliantly carried the cast throughout, delivering especially powerful playing in the final act.
Stephanie Tritchew (Minskwoman), Megan Latham (Older Woman), Andriana Chuchman (Tina), and Alex Hetherington (Stewardess) in Vancouver Opera’s 2025 production of Flight. Photo: David Cooper Photography
Vancouver Opera’s Flight makes for a night filled with laughter, surprise, and reflection. Its captivating plot and familiar airport setting make it a good choice for opera newbies. The opera’s underlying message about the hardships and treatment of refugees provides a potent contrast to the other characters’ stories which are more neatly resolved. The company did an excellent job of capturing Flight‘s comic and tragic duality.
The Vancouver Opera has two more showings of Flight on Feb 13 and 16. https://www.vancouveropera.ca/whats-on/Flight/
