Iolanthe

It is such a joy to see live theatre back in the Windmill Theatre after such a long absence. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon which is what light opera is all about. I was most impressed by all aspects of this production and felt that this was one of the best shows that I have seen your company produce. The lighting and the set all worked well depicting the intended scene.

My congratulations must go to the production team of director, musical director and choreographer who executed their tasks with skill and imagination. The choreography was remarkable bearing in mind the very young age of four of the dancers. It was simple and effective and made excellent use of the stage space available. Their costumes were imaginative and colourful. The direction of principals was inventive, particularly given the small number of them on stage at any given time. The music was a delight, beautifully performed providing a perfect accompaniment to well sung songs. It was nice to see a chorus of varied age groups who all put so much energy into the musical numbers and were obviously enjoying the show. There were times when the stage looked quite “busy” but it did not detract from the whole.

The principals gave excellent performances with great singing. Iolanthe as a show requires a great many good and some really excellent singers. The part of Phyllis was played by Hannah Wickham who has a dream of a voice and gave a stunning performance. Gudrun Lehmann-Shanks as Queen of the Fairies proved her ability over the years giving another memorable performance. Simon Newman as Strephon, was a joy to watch and sang with conviction as did David Martin as Private Willis, who delighted the audience with his antics and facial expressions. Stuart Box as the Lord Chancellor was brilliant. All the other principals filled their parts to perfection and sang exceptionally well. What more can I say? Brilliant!  

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