The Gondoliers

This production of ‘The Gondoliers’ was particularly strong in the music department, with a good orchestra, talented Principals and a willing Chorus.  The Gondoliers made a good team, to overcome the difficulties of the late casting of Marco, so that their voices and characters worked well together and they conveyed their integral place in the plot.  ‘Rising Early in the Morning’ was most pleasing, as Giuseppe described the menial duties of the pseudo-heirs-apparent.  The strength of this show was in its Principals and when Marco and Giuseppe sang with Gianetta and Tessa the magic of Gilbert and Sullivan was most evident.  ‘Now Marco, dear’, and the quartet ‘A Regular Royal Queen’ were particularly entertaining, with each couple’s duet warmly-sung and with clear diction and expression.  The smiling and pretty brides, Gianetta and Tessa, were well-cast for their energy and lovely voices: ‘When A Merry Maiden Marries’ was light and expressive; ‘Kind Sir, You Cannot Have the Heart’ was indignant and passionate.  Casilda and Luiz  made a good musical pairing, and they gave a strong impression of their romantic attachment.  Luiz was at first somewhat constrained by his role as drummer, but Casilda was free to act the part of the sulky and dissatisfied daughter, which she played admirably.  There was comedy in ‘O Rapture’ and in the requiem ‘There Was a Time’ we heard the superior and touching quality of Luiz’ voice, the pathos of the piece enhanced by facial and vocal expression.  

Acting skills came to the fore with the arrival of The Duke of Plaza-Toro and his Duchess: the Duchess’ sinuous flirting with the orchestra conveyed immediately their inferior status, while the Duke described with gusto his own cowardly nature in the clearly-enunciated lyrics of ‘The Duke of Plaza-Toro’ and used clear facial expression to emphasise the sordid nature of his business in ‘To Help Unhappy Commoners’.  The Duke conveyed strongly the comedy in the dialogue and his relationship with the Duchess; his discomfort at explaining the situation to his daughter was convincing.  Don Alhambra epitomised the Venetian themes of deception and revelation: with his Commedia-like appearance and characterisation he stooped and scuttled round the stage like an elderly spider, pulling strings, singing and speaking always with crisp clarity and expression to bind the story together; we enjoyed the excellent sound and movement of the Gavotte and the Eric and Ernie moment; ‘Just One Cornetto’ raised the biggest laugh of the evening.  The Ladies Chorus were at their best as they bid farewell to the Gondoliers; the Mens Chorus shone in the opening of act two; the entire ensemble battled bravely with the Cachucha; and all combined to create a finale fiesta.  

The steel deck set made an ideal Venetian landing stage, leaving a good space for movement and the use of projection to create various backdrops worked extremely well.  Lighting effects were noticeable at the end of act one, when a silhouetted figure appeared on the jetty, and again in the finale, as fireworks fizzed on the backdrop and streamers shot into the auditorium.  

Principals were impressively-dressed in 1950’s Italian chic: the Duchess, like some exotic insect, was waspish in yellow and black; Casilda in glittering silver; Don Alhambra in Venetian black; wedding gowns were 1950s style; Ensemble costumes were a youthful and bright 1950s style, with sombre grey headscarves to dampen the spirits as the Gondoliers depart for Spain.

A very pleasant musical evening, with some lively comic touches.

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