The lights finally dimmed at around 7.45, and the immortal strains of the overture were heard. I asked myself - was there really any other place in the world I wanted to be at that moment? Certainly not, came back the answer.
The orchestra, under the leadership last night of Christine Nicklin, gave a pleasing rendition of the overture, and then the curtain rose and the opening chorus began.
No applause for the set, but it was most ingenious - built up on the right hand side with rocky steps leading to a high-level front right entrance. To the rear of the set was the ocean, and a marvellous galleon was moored in the harbour. The remainder of the set was devoted to the pirates' lair, and the pirates were discovered busy playing chess, draughts, mock swordfighting, even roasting chickens on a spit!
Mark Pollard as Samuel immediately got the show off to a bright start with his "for today" solo, and proved at all times to be a most animated and capable performer.
Michael Tipler as The Pirate King, resplendent in costume and make-up that gave a distinct nod in the direction of Stephen Spielberg's Captain Hook, sang pleasantly, but a little more projection would have been nice. The same was true of his dialogue, and as Beryl Dixon later remarked, it would have been nice if he had made the character larger - filled the stage with his presence, so to speak. Judith Oldbury as Ruth gave a pleasing rendition of "When Fred'ric was a little lad", and showed herself to be technically a very accomplished singer, with the only fault lack of volume, or, more correctly, projection, particularly in her lower register. I also felt that she was somehow hampered in her dialogue by a Dick Van Dyke "gorblimey" accent, though this was largely a personal preference on my part, I think.
The Pirate King's solo was handled nicely from a staging point of view, the pirates all assembling for the piratical equivalent of a "team photo" - a blindfolded photographer complete with all his kit having been led to the "all-but inaccessible lair". Upon the completion of the song, all the pirates (except Frederic, of course) climbed aboard the superb galleon which, joy of joys, then proceeded to leave the set, complete with cannon fire. A wonderful touch of innovative staging.
Andrew McPhee as Frederic was in looks and characterisation, all that one could have wished for in the part. It was no stretch of the imagination to look at him and see a naive 21 year-old pirate apprentice. His acting was pitched just right and his projection admirable. His singing did leave a little to be desired, as he clearly was not what one would call a G&S tenor. He did sing generally in tune (though Beryl Dixon later remarked on occasional flat notes), but the volume and quality of his voice was not up to the standard of his excellent characterisation and acting.
The entrance of the ladies - all from the high downstage right entrance, was always going to be a struggle, and indeed half a dozen were not on stage when the singing began. They sang well as a chorus, well balanced with (I think) 10 sopranos and 8 altos. The two girls with small solos (? Kate and Edith?) sang well, and the scene following "Climbing Over Rocky Mountain" was handled well. One thing I personally didn't like about this scene, however, was that Mabel entered along with all the other girls, but sat aloof from them on a rock towards the back of the stage, complete with parasol. She remained on stage throughout Frederic's solo, and appeared to dismiss him with a single glance as he implored her sisters to "cast their eyes\" on him. Rather than making a big entrance on "Yes! One!" as is customary, she merely coolly folded up her parasol, closed the book she had been reading and went downstage to meet Frederic.
At this point it is necessary to point out that, up until now, the principals had been competent and pleasant to look at, but without what one would call an operatic voice between them. All this changed the moment Deborah Norman opened her mouth to sing. This young lady is posessed of a perfect voice for Mabel, truly operatic, incredibly polished, with impeccable diction and placing. By no means had it been a poor show until this point, but for the overwhelming majority of the audience, the show received a massive boost from the moment Miss Norman began to sing.
She delivered Mabel's aria with verve, polish and panache in huge quantities, tossing off those high B-flat's et al with incredible ease. One felt she probably had another octave in reserve, just in case, so effortless was her singing. Throughout her rendition of "Poor Wandering One" she fluttered her eyelashes to such an extent that one wondered how she managed to keep it up for so long. Again and again they fluttered, as the wings of a butterfly, much to the audience's delight.
After this point, the half seemed to fly past, and before we knew where we were, the Major General (Peter Barlow) appeared. This was a super characterisation again, though once again, it was had to catch all his words, and one wished for a little more projection of the sung words. The only problem with "I am the very model" was that the Major General seemed hell-bent on singing it at one pace, whilst the orchestra and its director wanted to play it at another; it wasn't therefore until each chorus that the cast and the orchestra came together. We were treated to an encore of the first verse, but as this was sung even more sotto voce than the main song, most of the words were lost to those of us sitting in the Dress Circle at least.
"Hail Poetry" was without a doubt the choral highlight of the first half, and was justly applauded by an appreciative audience.
Thus ended an enjoyable first half.
We repaired to the area in front of the Opera House to discuss amongst ourselves the first half, and in no time at all, it seemed, the bell was ringing to bring us back to our seats for the start of the second half.
The scene had by now changed to the "Ruined Chapel By Moonlight", which had a very pretty starlit backdrop. The audience spontaneously applauded this set the moment the curtain went up. The set was not cluttered here, which was nice. A few steps, a couple of bits of ruined chapel and a few poplar trees to the right hand side was all, leaving space for what was to follow.
Namely, the big comic number. Entrance of the Policemen, led by their Sergeant, Stephen Godward on a bicycle, no less! "When The Foeman" was a highlight as it so often is, Stephen singing (and later speaking) the part with a gloriously thick Welsh accent that was just to your correspondant's taste. (Though a certain prominent Welsh Savoynetter may not have been quite so impressed.......:o)
The "Paradox" trio was handled well, with The Pirate King and Ruth either singing more loudly or projecting more than in Act 1. Ruth was armed not with her traditional pistol but with a large blunderbus-type weapon with a huge muzzle that gave opportunities for a few comical moments and rise to one or two chuckles from the audience. This was followed by a spirited "Away! away!", though the orchestra was perhaps a little loud for the three artistes, then Frederic and Mabel were left alone together.
The pair of lovers looked every inch the part and acted very well together, but the disparity in singing abilities was painfully apparent. This might sound unfair to Andrew McPhee - it isn't intended to be, nor is it one tenor bitching about another. I've been racking my brain but I can't recall seeing an amateur tenor in G&S (or anywhere else) who would have been able to match Miss Norman's abilities. Indeed, some professional tenors would have been outshone by this exceptional talent.
Soon, it was time for the re-appearance of the Policemen, and their short scene with Mabel. This was handled cleverly, the chorus taking on the appearance and sound of a Welsh Male Voice Choir, under the direction of their Sergeant, who was sent into raptures by the sweetness of their singing - the Sergeant remarking to my delight "there's lovely!"
"When A Felon" was handled in similar fashion to this, as a choir practice, no less, with hymn books being handed out, and then it was time for the Policemen to hide, which each policeman did to the audience's delight, behind his own personal poplar!
"With Cat-Like Tread" was sung with much gusto, and again, well-balanced, which was most welcome. There was just one hairy moment when Mark Pollard as Samuel looked as if he wouldn't be able to get his crowbar out of his bag, but eventually he managed to extricate it.
Enter the Major General once again, and as with most of the other principals, his Act 2 performance was better than his first act one. He sang "Sighing Softly" very nicely indeed, with no hint of the tempo troubles that had slightly marred "I am the very model" He was accompanied by the pirates from their hiding places, and the policemen from behind poplars that actually seemed to "wave their leafy arms above" - a lovely moment.
Almost before we knew where we were, the ladies arrived, the Pirates attacked, the Policemen came to the rescue, Queen Victoria's name was sufficient to bring the pirates to their senses, and the undoubted star of the show, Deborah Norman, brought the opera to a close with "Poor Wandering Ones".
The curtain was thus rung down on what had been for me a thoroughly enjoyable evening's entertainment. All of the departing audience seemed to have enjoyed the show immensely - it was that sort of a show - easy to enjoy, I would say. Well done and thanks to all at Derby for a smashing start to this year's festival, and for setting the standard for others to beat.