The Gondoliers

There was a pleasing Act 1 set with a raised area and bridge across the back and a good Venetian feel.  It was a shame that the area under the bridge hadn’t been covered, as you could clearly see the platform that the Ducal party arrived on and the rope pulling it along, which rather spoilt the illusion of them arriving on a Gondola.  Unfortunately on the first night this caught on something and came to an abrupt halt, but the principals coped well and continued the scene undeterred, albeit without the Duke’s hat, which flew off under the bridge, and his shoe buckle that was kicked off the stage.

The Act 2 set was great fun with a beach party feel, complete with poolside bar, table and sun umbrella.  This worked really well for the opening ‘of happiness the very pith’ as the men lounged around drinking cocktails. The Director, Phil Courage, often favours interesting sets and this was no exception.

Costume, hair and makeup all worked well and were in keeping with the director’s strong setting.

The Duke and Duchess of Plaza-Toro worked well together. All of their scenes were strong with a good pace and they rather stole the show with this entertaining double act.  I especially loved the alternative words to ‘To help unhappy commoners’ which were well written and well delivered. ‘On the day when I was wedded’ was another highlight.

There was strong chorus singing, especially from the ladies during ‘List and Learn’ and some very pleasing solo voices in the opening scenes. There were times when it would have been nice to see a few more smiles but, on the whole, they performed well.  It was also lovely to see such a varied age range within the show.

Choreography was very well-rehearsed and ‘Dance a Cachucha’ was a particular highlight with some strong Spanish shapes and good energy.

The band had a shaky start but soon settled down.  There were a few odd pronunciations of some of the Italian words, but diction was good on the whole from the chorus and principals and there was a good balance between the singers and the band.

Although there were a few issues on the first night, I’m sure the production improved with each performance.  There were some strong principals and, on the whole, this was an enjoyable production.

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