United Kingdom Gilbert & Sullivan, The Gondoliers: G&S Opera Company & Buxton Festival Orchestra / David Steadman (conductor), Buxton G&S Festival, Buxton Opera House, Derbyshire 4,5 & 12.8.12 (RJW)
Cast:
Duke of Plaza:Toro: Richard Gauntlett
Luiz: Daniel Hoadley
Don Alhambra Del Bolero: Donald Maxwell
Marco Palmieri: Stephen Brown
Giuseppe Palmieri: James Cleverton
Duchess of Plaza-Toro: Jill Pert
Gianetta: Victoria Joyce
Tessa: Victoria Byron
Inez: Hilary Glenny
Production:
Director: Jeff Clarke
Conductor: David Steadman
A number of professional productions are played during the Buxton Festival each year and in 2012 a new production of The Gondoliers by Jeff Clarke graced the stage. Jeff is the driving force behind Opera Della Luna, whose sparkling, humorous and imaginative stagings have been widely seen in the UK. All have been eager to see what this version of G&S’s twelfth opera has to offer.
W S Gilbert always said the chorus must be used as in integral part of any show, not just embellishing the music and standing around inactive. Here they convincingly dress the set with useful individualised stage business; maidens industriously forming floral decorations, butch gondolieri hoisting their Mediterranean sails, and later balletic and mincing courtiers. The choreography by Jenny Arnold complemented the music admirably. In “For every one who feels inclined“ where Marco & Giuseppe are making statements about ‘being equal’ as they go to individuals in the chorus who give a mimed negative response. (This is the first time I have seen this meaningful action used and it works.)
The cast were exceptional and all on good form, both in singing and acting: this was led by the believable and strong performances by a quietly authoritative Donald Maxwell, fussy and bubbling Richard Gauntlet, and sniffy and broody Jill Pert. Gilbert has given an excellent script for colourful characterizations of these roles. Stephen Brown and James Cleverton were an energetic and amorous duo who acted convincingly: their wide use of the stage was convincing. They harmonised nicely and showed that they worked well as a team. Victoria Joyce and Victoria Byron sang sweetly yet with strength, particularly in their solos, “When a merry maiden” and “Kind Sir”. (I was not taken by the West country action used to inject a common touch because after all we are hearing Italian translated for British ears in the performance.) Daniel Hoadley and Jeni Bern made much of their minor yet important roles: their convincing sincerity came across nicely in their duet, “There was a time”. The quintet, “Try we life long” was neatly balanced.
David Steadman took the opera at a nice pace and brought out strengths in the score with extra rallentandi that were not overdone. The Buxton Festival Orchestra (under leader, Sally Robinson) played superbly, accenting audibly Sullivan’s Italian-laced filigree and pizzicati.
Somewhere in a Clarke production there is always an unexpected turn to tradition by introducing a surprise element. Here he does not disappoint by having the large, dominant, realistically made ceremonial throne revolve to reveal a prison cell with a bare-footed Inez bound in chains. It brings more relevance to “Speak woman speak!” when prodded like a witch about to be dispatched. For me the long side panels of sky clouds with the horizon at floor level did not work and gave a bleakness to the stage whereas convenional wings are resourceful to break the line of sight.
A stylized set, although sparsely filled for the bustling opening scene, had much originality and was superbly painted by Paul Lazell’s studio. For me, it worked to a better extent than that Sadler’s Wells ‘postcard’ Gondoliers we saw some 25 yrs ago. Visually, the appeal lay in the carefully executed backdrop with a large panel of a St Mark’s, Venice vista in embossed relief, like a Wedgwood or an Elgin marble set against clouds. Wonderful! This flies at the end of the Act to allow a gondoliers’ boat to bounce over imaginary waves. Cleverly the walls of abstract clouds double up as walls of velvet in the saturated primary red lighting of Act II’s palace scene (using the Samoiloff effect). ‘Freeze motion’ sequences were effective in “When a merry maiden marries”, the cast holding their uncomfortable positions magnificently. The lighting was good, especially in catching the relief on the richly decorated throne and most effectively with the amber cross lighting in Act II’s “In a contemplative fashion”.
Tony Brett and his team provided magnificent costumes: a mixture of styles from the Louis XIV cocker spaniel wigged Duke and Don Alhambra to a more modern Sheringham/Goffinesque chorus with their floral/contrasting robed chorus blended well. The colours filled the stage admirably. Hilarious was the Act II black thigh-booted and wide-skirted Duchess, who entered with her back to the audience so that the joke wasn’t spotted until she turned round. The make-up also had its humour with Michael Gove/Ventriloquist high line eyebrows and doll-rouged cheeks. The fun of pantomime in this production is clearly not far away.
Raymond J Walker