Anna Burnside reviews a ‘fresh and relevant’ production.
America’s opioid crisis has been extensively documented, from Patrick Radden Keefe’s Empire of Pain and Beth Macy’s Dopesick to Barbara Kingsolver’s novel Demon Copperhead. There have been films and documentaries. Now there is a new opera, composed by Missy Mazzoli, with libretto by Royce Vavrek, presented by Scottish Opera.
The Galloping Cure comes at the story sideways, by way of the Kafka story A Country Doctor. A small-town doctor is overwhelmed by patients she is unable to help. Then Lucky Mack’s carnival arrives in town, with a carousel whose horses provide instant and delicious relief from mental and physical pain.
The story unfolds through the eyes of the doctor, Theresa Hart, performed by Daniela Mack. Her empathetic performance captures all the emotions of a mother - her daughter Noy is quickly caught up in addiction - as well as a caring medic.
Added narration comes from the doctor’s two dogs. Catriona Hewitson and Edward Jowle add welcome comic relief which is carried on through the supertitles and questions about whether they are singing in canine or English. In a mildly bonkers allegory where fairground rides stand in for addictive drugs - why not?
In a similar vein, when the chorus are not townspeople, they are sheep.
The Galloping Cure looks at both the physiological and financial costs of addiction. At one point Lucky Mack, a terrifyingly plausible Justin Austin, guarantees an elderly lady’s continuing access by harvesting her organs. Somehow Susan Bullock, playing the hopelessly addicted patient, makes the live removal of her kneecaps funny.
Conductor Stuart Stratford and the orchestra of Scottish Opera sail through Mazzoli’s demanding score, which adds in beats from Blume and Lorna Dune to pull the storytelling into the 21st century.
The set, moving scaffolding cubes and an astonishing lurid LED lightscape, add to the rave nightmare crowd scenes. Way to make music theatre fresh and relevant.
The Galloping Cure is by Scottish Opera and is presented as part of this year’s Edinburgh International Festival programme until 12 August 2026 (no performance on the 10th). For further details, go to their website.
Photo by Andrew Perry.
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