Princess Ida

~~The curtain rose revealing a splendid set and an extravagantly clad chorus looking out for the arrival of King Gama who is due to bring his daughter Ida to meet Prince Hilarion to whom she had been betrothed as a baby. Matthew Sielewiez-Stanhope made an immediate impact as the very regal King Hildebrand and Scott Brown (Prince Hilarion) his son soon convinced us of his fears at meeting his bride in his assured solo ‘Today We Meet’. The old and wrinkled King Gama (Ian Lawson) accompanied by his three rather unrefined sons Arac (Andrew Crawford) Guron (Andrew Laing) and Scynthius (RossMain), but not his daughter, left us in no doubt that indeed he was a very disagreeable man !.This somewhat short first act got the show off to a great start. With full bodied singing and stylised action from the chorus,  Hilarion and his friends Florian (Farlane Whitty) and Cyril (Chris Cotter) decide to go and woo Princess Ida who has established a women’s university in Castle Adament

The visual impact of both the set and costumes in Castle Adament was again quite magnificent. Lady Blanche (Rae Lamond) and Lady Psyche (Fiona Main) both brought depth to their characters as they tried to educate their somewhat unruly students in the uselessness of men. There were some amusing individual characters in the classroom such as the dunce in the corner and the persistent, attention seeking pupils .Gillian Robertson gave an excellent performance as the controlling Princess Ida who was so very ante men. Both of her solo numbers ‘Minerva’ and ‘I Built Upon a Rock’ were beautifully sung with great expression and for me were two of the highlights of the show.

 Act 2 contains some memorable ensemble work. Disguised as three female students, Cyril, Florian and Hilarion brought a great deal of frivolity into this act and their trio ‘I am a Maiden’ was vocally strong and fun. The quartet with these three and the Princess ‘The World is but a Broken Toy’ was a pleasure to listen to while the Quintet ‘The Woman of the Wisest Wit’ was again spirited and energetic . The melodramatic finale to this act demonstrated the strength of the choral singing as well as the powerful soloists.

Determined to defeat the invaders of their university, the female students wearing Wagnerian style costumes and led by the feisty Melissa ( Susanne Horsburgh) put up a great fight and were extremely animated both vocally and physically. A few soldiers in kilts dancing the Highland Fling was a neat touch and may have  been influential in persuading the ladies including Princess Ida to give in to their feelings and live happily ever after !
As always this was an excellent, innovative production with strong principals all of whom gave accomplished performances and a chorus who would be difficult to rival. The superb orchestra supported and never overwhelmed the singers. Excellent sets, costumes and clever lighting enhanced this first class production.

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