May 15, 2006
The Gondoliers is one of the most frivolous pieces in the G & S catalogue. There’s no danger, social exposure or unrequited passion, and the satire that there is, on class and republicanism (the message is exemplified in the line “When everyone is Somebody – then no one’s anybody”) is of the gentlest. Because of this, the operetta has to be played with a great deal of flamboyance and gaiety, and the Oxford Operatic Society almost carry it off, hampered by a very few flaws.
The worst of these, at least for G & S traditionalists like myself, was an inexplicable and totally unnecessary prologue during the overture, explaining the baby-snatching story at the centre of the plot. This took the form of a recorded voiceover in the style of Stephen Fry at his most avuncular, with mime from some of the cast. It was bewildering for several reasons: one, Gilbert has already explained everything perfectly adequately in the script, two, the vocabulary used in the voiceover was jarringly modern and made the whole thing feel more like a panto than anything else, and three, in any case, what’s wrong with the overture? Most of the audience are there because of their love of the music, after all.
When the first scene followed this without the strength of enthusiasm and energy it needs even under the best circumstances – it’s a very difficult scene, with comparatively dull lyrics and at best a fairly saccharine charm – I was rather worried, but things began to liven up with the capture in matrimony of Tessa (cute and lisping Nicola Ball) and Gianetta (acid and classically-voiced Charlotte Sayers).
The principals are definitely the strength of this production. As soon as the pair of gondolier heroes start to get to their comic set-pieces; and from the moment the Plaza-Toro entourage comes on, the whole thing settles down and becomes a proper piece of entertainment. The Plaza-Toro family, in particular, are splendid – the duke and duchess Jonathan Cooper and Mary Ross make a delightfully awful couple and Martha Skipper, with a voice like a softer Edith Piaf, a petulant and appealing heroine.
The production also has gorgeous costumes and lavish sets, which is an enormous advantage to a piece that requires as much visual splash and energy as possible. The sound seemed to be excellent regardless of whether or not the mics were working. While some potential tensions and characterisations in the script remain unexplored, I should think that a great deal of the absence of lustre at the beginning can be put down to first night nerves, and that a few more audiences as friendly as last night’s will create a confident and strong production by the end of the week.
The worst of these, at least for G & S traditionalists like myself, was an inexplicable and totally unnecessary prologue during the overture, explaining the baby-snatching story at the centre of the plot. This took the form of a recorded voiceover in the style of Stephen Fry at his most avuncular, with mime from some of the cast. It was bewildering for several reasons: one, Gilbert has already explained everything perfectly adequately in the script, two, the vocabulary used in the voiceover was jarringly modern and made the whole thing feel more like a panto than anything else, and three, in any case, what’s wrong with the overture? Most of the audience are there because of their love of the music, after all.
When the first scene followed this without the strength of enthusiasm and energy it needs even under the best circumstances – it’s a very difficult scene, with comparatively dull lyrics and at best a fairly saccharine charm – I was rather worried, but things began to liven up with the capture in matrimony of Tessa (cute and lisping Nicola Ball) and Gianetta (acid and classically-voiced Charlotte Sayers).
The principals are definitely the strength of this production. As soon as the pair of gondolier heroes start to get to their comic set-pieces; and from the moment the Plaza-Toro entourage comes on, the whole thing settles down and becomes a proper piece of entertainment. The Plaza-Toro family, in particular, are splendid – the duke and duchess Jonathan Cooper and Mary Ross make a delightfully awful couple and Martha Skipper, with a voice like a softer Edith Piaf, a petulant and appealing heroine.
The production also has gorgeous costumes and lavish sets, which is an enormous advantage to a piece that requires as much visual splash and energy as possible. The sound seemed to be excellent regardless of whether or not the mics were working. While some potential tensions and characterisations in the script remain unexplored, I should think that a great deal of the absence of lustre at the beginning can be put down to first night nerves, and that a few more audiences as friendly as last night’s will create a confident and strong production by the end of the week.