The production was mostly traditional, and the music was directed by Savoynetter Richard Stockton. The principals were on the whole capable, although Aline had a musical theatre voice and tended to "scoop" many of her notes, for which she was heavily criticised by the adjudicator Beryl Dixon (this subsequently became a running theme in her adjudications, as did footwear). The standout performers of the evening (also singled out for praise by Ms Dixon) were Michael Harding as Doctor Daly, Margaret Walker as Lady Sangazure, and Ian Henderson as John Wellington Wells.
Camberley's cabaret was rather less inspired. A whole hour of "torch songs" from the musicals left many of the audience tiring of the programme by the end, although there were several high spots, such as the "Sleeping on our Own" trio from Martin Guerre.
Savoynet was well represented later than evening in the Pot Luck Iolanthe. Nick Sales started off his extremely full festival schedule (see later) by singing Lord Tolloller, Karen Ann Loxley was Leila and yours truly sang the role of Phyllis. David Craig, Lord Chancellor in the 1996 Festival production of Iolanthe, reprised his role with great aplomb, while Ian Henderson (JW Wells in Camberley's Sorcerer) provided a superlative Lord Mountararat. It was generally agreed that this Pot Luck was much better organised, due to the fact that all of the parts were pre-cast and they were not rooting about for performers on the night (although Ian Smith did issue an appeal for a volunteer to sing Fleta, not realising that it was a non-solo singing role!).
The day dawned rather gloomily and there were doubts about the weather for the forthcoming Costume Parade that afternoon. However, we were assured by Ian Smith that the parade would not be cancelled since BBC North West would be filming it as part of a programme they would be showing on Friday 7th August. If wet, we would parade through the Conservatory instead. Peter Parker was asked to provide additional footage of the parade to be used in the introductory sequence for the Festival videos, but in the end this footage was not used.
At 10.30am we all trooped into the Paxton Theatre for the rehearsal of the Scratch Pinafore taking the place of the traditional Big Sing. The chorus was provided by, well, whoever wanted to sing, and the principals were a mixture of former D'Oyly Carters and young talented principals from the Derby area. Under the competent baton of Andrew Nicklin, we were soon licked into shape.
The weather had brightened slightly by the time of the Costume Parade, so I donned my Elsie Maynard costume and we all met at the bandstand for a rendition of "Hail Poetry" for the BBC cameras before commencing our trek around the Pavilion Gardens. However, I think the cameras were more interested in the three horses from the production of Princess Ida last Thursday (although only one was used on stage on the night). As per usual, Savoynetters Karen Ann Loxley and Clive Woods delighted us all with their efforts (they must start planning their costumes a year in advance), and deservedly won the Costume Competition dressed as Captain Shaw (complete with gold helmet and fire hose) and the Fairy Queen. This was probably scant consolation for Karen Ann, however, as we found out that her beloved Philip Potter would not be attending the Festival due to illness. Philip Walsh also cut a dashing figure as Dr Daly complete with bone shaker bicycle which he rode through the gardens. Second prize in the competition was given to a pair of fairies from Iolanthe and third prize was given to the horses (although how they will wear their T-shirt prizes remains to be seen)!
Following the costume parade we all made our way into the Octagon for a quick parade around the hall before commencing the Scratch Pinafore.
The cast was as follows:
Thomas Round (deputising for Philip Potter due to illness)
Captain Corcoran Stephen Godward Josephine Jean Hindmarsh Sir Joseph Porter KCB John Reed Dick Deadeye/Carpenter ? Ralph Rackstraw Bosun ? Hebe Pauline Wales Little Buttercup Ann Sessions
Jean Hindmarsh proved herself to be in as superb voice as ever. Her voice sounded like that of a woman half her age and, as in her D'Oyly Carte days, her technique was impeccable. Her "The Hours creep on apace" was marvellous and was deservedly cheered by the audience and chorus. It is staggering that she can return to singing after such a prolonged break without losing her technique and tone quality.
Pauline Wales hardly seems to have aged a day. She still has that dazzling smile and was one of the few performers who could be said to be truly on top of the situation on the day. She knew exactly what she was doing at any given time and ably supported John Reed, who thankfully remembered all of the words to "When I Was a Lad" (and in the correct order, too).
Tom Round is another performer who still has enough technique to sustain him, although I think like many others his performance is based much more on charisma nowadays. His memory of the dialogue was slightly suspect, although considering that he offered to sing the role at less than a day's notice, his performance was remarkable (here it should be noted that Nick Sales was asked if he would sing the role of Ralph if Tom decided he did not want to sing both Ralph and also Box later on in the evening. Unfortunately for Nick, Tom was more than up to the challenge).
Ann Sessions had rather more difficulty with her portrayal than the others, but it should be borne in mind that this was not one of her standard DCOC roles and she is not a true contralto.
The show was rather weak on the whole, although it had curiosity value since I had never seen a production of "The Zoo" before. Eliza was very weak vocally and could not hold her line very well, but was a good actress and this compensated somewhat for her vocal difficulties. Laetitia Grinder was far too old for the role although she had a very pleasant voice. They must have taken her age into account, however, because the man playing Grinder was even older than she was!
Thomas Brown and Carboy were contrasting portrayals in that one could sing but not act and the other could act but not sing. However, the cast managed to glean a lot of the comedy from the production and it was a pleasant enough way to spend the afternoon (although not up to the Pennine Players' standard - see entry for August 6th)
And so to the first performance of "Pirates of Penzance" by the new all-professional Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company. The production got off to a superb start with the opening scene gradually appearing behind a gauze during the overture, looking very much like day breaking at the seashore. A short tableau behind the gauze followed with a few daughters playing at the seashore accompanied by Major-General Stanley.
The pirates were played as upper-class twits rather than the usual "rollicking band of pirates" who really seemed the sherry-drinking type. During the initial scenes the pirates read broadsheet newspapers, although I felt that the device was a little overused after about ten minutes.
Frederic (Richard Roberts) was one of the most dashing young G&S tenors I have seen in a long time (Nick Sales excepted, of course!) with a lovely, clear, operatic voice. Unfortunately, he did tend to distort his face slightly as he sang, and he slipped up on a few of his lines, but that really was a minor gripe. I also detected an occasional American twang, but on reading the programme I discovered that he had studied in the States.
The entrance of the daughters was beautifully done, with the most spectacular costumes I have ever seen in a production of Pirates. The hats especially looked as if they had come straight off the catwalk, and they were worn so well - not one daughter's face was disguised by the massive brims. (The same could not be said of Ruth, who in Act 1 wore a hat half the size of the daughters', but unfortunately positioned it so that it shaded her face). Only Mabel wore an unflattering dress - she also had a small (but pretty) voice and did not project very well, but her characterisation was very good indeed.
Eric Roberts as the Major General was full of funny business and although many people found his performance lacking, I found it extremely enjoyable. He carried the part with comic flair and did not for one moment allow his characterisation to flag.
My one complaint is that the production was ragged and lacked polish in places, but I will allow that it was the first night (however, by all accounts, the situation did not improve with subsequent performances by the Comp any - perhaps a little more rehearsal would have been prudent).
I fully intended to attend the "Cox & Box" at the Festival Club later than evening, but in the end I was too exhausted and had to concede defeat.
The Festival Club this evening was "A Victorian Evening with Geoff Hales and His Travelling Theatre" - I still had not caught up on lost sleep, so I again decided to relinquish that pleasure, and we went for a relaxing Chinese meal instead.
The piano duly arrived and we started to set the show. By this time it was getting quite late in the morning and I was unsure whether we would even get halfway through. Luckily, I was proved wrong - although the rehearsal lasted an extra hour, by the time we left for the afternoon the whole of the show had been set.
This was obviously a society with a background in musical theatre. Most of the voices were "West End" and tended not to hit the note straight on. Beryl Dixon was especially hard on Gianetta and Tessa's voices in her adjudication, which I felt was rather harsh given that they both put such a great deal into their performances. Julie Nicholson as Gianetta in particular had a lovely voice and was a superb dancer.
Tessa, Gianetta, Marco and Giuseppe were all played with a very strong Essex/Cockney accent, which worked extremely well. As Ms Dixon herself observed, they are supposed to be common folk (in contrast to the Ducal party) and this came across very strongly in the production. The dialogue from all four sparkled and had a palpable enthusiasm - just what one would wish to see in The Gondoliers.
Colin Self as the Duke of Plaza Toro was patchy. He affected a speech impediment as part of his characterisation, but it became more of an impediment than it should have been as it detracted from his dialogue (and in fact there were many errors, some of which strayed rather further from the plot that Gilbert must ever have intended). Fred Bagley as Don Alhambra suffered from the same problem, that of erroneous dialogue. He also seemed ill at ease on stage and did not project the kind of large character one would expect from the role. Lucy Logan as Casilda had a weak voice although she looked the part and her dialogue with Luiz (Stuart Collier) was good. Luiz himself also gave a good performance with a touch of comedy, although he seemed a little too familiar with the Ducal party in the first act.
The only low spot during the production was the opening of Act 2, which lacked life and was frankly boring. An innovative touch had Giuseppe (Nicholas Maude) climbing on a table during "Rising Early in the Morning", which subsequently turned out to be a trampoline on which he bounced. The joke was repeated for the second verse, however - the first time it was funny, the second time merely tedious. The Ducal party's re-entry was surprising in that they were made up in full powder with completely white faces - quite effective and emphasised their shift in station between the two acts.
Overall, despite the shortcomings, a lovely, lively production which captured the Venetian atmosphere and spirit extremely well - they'd "caught it nicely".
After rehearsal, most people went to pick up their costumes before heading out to Poole's Cavern for the Savoynet Big Cavern Sing. On arrival, we were all issued with free badges and made our way to the entrance, where we sang a quick "Hail Poetry" before heading down into the caverns with the other tourists.
The tour guide was obviously well-versed in the script he had been taught, down to all the corny jokes (which I am sure seemed much funnier on the page). We stopped in the "poached egg" cavern to sing the first half of our programme and than carried on to the end chamber to sing the remainder. I cannot comment on the overall quality of the performance, but by all accounts the sound was very good, and the audience certainly seemed to appreciate it.
The programme ran as follows:
Hail Poetry - Sam Silvers + Chorus Brightly Dawns Our Wedding Day - Jackie Richards, Julie Bjerregaard, David Cound, David Duffey A Nice Dilemma - Sharon Brindle, Sam Silvers, John Genzano, Philip Walsh, Nick Sales, Bob Richards, Chorus A British Tar - Nick Sales, John Genzano, David Duffey, Men's Chorus Eagle High - All When The Buds Are Blossoming - Shani D'Cruze, Ann Allwright, Kelsey Thornton, Sam Silvers Strange Adventure - Jackie Richards, Sylvia Greinig, David Cound, Philip Walsh I Hear the Soft Note - Sharon Brindle, Julie Bjerregaard, Jackie Richards, Nick Sales, Sam Silvers, Philip Walsh, Chorus Once More Gondolieri - All
The production was marred by at times excruciatingly slow tempi, which meant that, for me at least, the first act dragged terribly. The second act was a little better, but the slow tempi were especially noticeable in the patter trio. The ghost scene was average - nothing startling and a little mundane. There was a problem when the ghosts returned to their frames, as one over-enthusiastic chorister saw fit to close his portrait before the lights went off. The agonies were certainly non-traditional - the lights all came on and the ghosts started dancing to Abba's "Waterloo", which completely ruined what little atmosphere they had created. The original finale was used instead of the reprise of the Act 1 "Oh happy the lily" - "a refreshing novelty", as Old Adam might put it.
Ben Newhouse-Smith (Strephon in the 1996 Festival Iolanthe, and Oxford's Dr Daly last year) gave an extremely good portrayal of Robin. He is strong vocally, has excellent diction and is also a very good actor. He was utterly convincing throughout the production, and must have been in the running for a nomination for an award.
Kathleen Rice-Oxley was a disappointing Rose. Although tuneful in her singing, she lacked any life or spark - this is especially important in a role like Rose, who ought to be a playful little minx. The humour of the "etiquette book" scene was simply lost and she did not seem to interact with either Robin or Richard.
David Menezes as Richard Dauntless had a beautiful tenor voice, although not very powerful. He again seemed to lack the dynamism important in such a bluff and "big" character, but his "Battle's Roar is Over" was lovely.
Tom Entwhistle as Old Adam was in fact not old, as one might expect from a student group, but he was redescribed as a "gentleman's gentleman" which was very prudent.
Lynnette Peterson as Dame Hannah had a very strange transatlantic accent, and was of course much younger than her character. She had a "musical theatre" voice and was not really vocally strong enough to carry off her introductory song.
Rachel Phillippo as Mad Margaret was also the co-producer of the show, and gave a reasonably good performance. Again vocally she was not so strong but she improved greatly in the second act and she managed to extract most of the comedy out of her scene with Despard.
Martin Lamb as Sir Despard was, for me, the star of the show. His powerful, well-trained voice and his large presence on stage made for a very domineering presence on stage during Act 1, and his complete shift to gentle district visitor in Act 2 was all the more marked.
Beryl Dixon was again hypercritical of the performance (although not nearly as constructive as she should have been) which left many people dissatisfied. Although many of the points she made were fair, her brusque manner rendered some of them insulting to the recipients. I was surprised she did not mention the shoes, one of her favourite topics, given that the bridesmaids' shoes were a mixture of all types and styles, not to mention Rose Maybud's AWFUL canvas shoes.
Other items included an a cappella all-girl trio singing an arrangement of "Peter Piper", Flanders and Swann's "The English are Best", and a great "Road to Mandalay" from Martin Lamb. Martin finished off the evening with a fantastic Louis Armstrong impression singing "Wonderful World" to a cappella accompaniment. The appreciative audience ovation they received was well-deserved.
We were also graced by the appearance of Savoynetter Peggy Ann Jones who joined the Ladies' Chorus for the morning rehearsal. (As far as I understand, she fully intended to join us on stage for our performance in the Opera House, but on the evening she came backstage and told us that she felt she hadn't had enough rehearsal time to do the show justice - very commendable and a most professional attitude.)
The choreography (what there was of it) was rather modern, but at least it was consistent with the updated setting and the chorus seemed to know what they were doing. The tea scene was quite well set and lively, but I think they went too far in dancing the Macarena during one Act 2 chorus number.
The principals, with the notable exception of Sir Marmaduke, were very weak. Several of the characters were, I suspect, merely hampered by the constraints of the producer. Aline and Alexis were portrayed as upper class Sloane Ranger types complete with speech impediment, and both were reduced to caricatures - it is probable that they are both capable of playing the parts well, but had been instructed to play the characters in this way. Certainly Alison Vincent as Aline had a nice enough voice (she was nominated for Best Female Voice - the only nomination I really did not agree with) and was very lively in her scenes. Philip de Grouchy as Dr Daly was also an extremely lively interpretation and his dialogue was good, although he tended to rush ahead of the orchestra during his songs. The same could not, unfortunately, be said of Constance (Nichola McKinlay). Her voice was really not up to the task and it was a real chore listening to her struggling with the music. This, however, was a blessing compared to Adam Case as John Wellington Wells in the most misguided piece of casting I have ever seen in my life. The man (I call him a man, yet he seemed little more than a boy) simply could not sing in tune, nor could he act, and he lacked any tangible stage presence which is a prerequisite in JWW. His introductory song was mangled beyond all recognition, and I and many others had our heads in our hands during this number. He was accompanied by an assistant, Debbie, in his introductory scene (in an obvious parody of the magician Paul Daniels), and while this was reasonably well-executed, the joke was abandoned after the first number and poor Debbie was left with nothing to do for the rest of the opera.
Alexis and Aline brought on the teapot, which was approximately 2 feet high and was used to fill smaller teapots during the banquet. Very imaginative and effective. Unfortunately, the effects in the teapot were slightly less impressive - the pyrotechnics had been used elsewhere on stage at an earlier point, and those in the teapot itself were little more than a pathetic fizzle (reducing a couple sitting near me into paroxysms of giggles). The "sprites of earth and air" appeared on stage decked in masks from "The Scream" by Munch (and the horror movie of the same name), which was quite effective. The scene was however spoiled by red and blue lighting which made the stage look like a disco (plus a strange ultraviolet light that unfortunately also managed to turn Alexis' trousers bright purple).
I was tempted to leave after the interval (like many others in the audience), but I was intrigued to see the additional material, including the "Ahrimanes" scene. In fact, the second act was of a higher standard, apart from the scenes with Wells. One inexplicable insertion was that of a slightly rewritten "None shall part us" from Iolanthe just before Alexis' second aria. I assumed that this was in the original production, but I was informed afterwards by several more well-informed people that the insertion was purely arbitrary. It didn't work and merely slowed down the action, since it was immediately followed by Alexis' ballad.
I had mixed feelings about the Ahrimanes scene. David Rayner playing Ahrimanes was extremely good and very menacing, with good projection (which made me wonder why he had not been cast as Wells), but although the scene was very well played it did not seem to add anything to the plot. Others I spoke to afterwards said it clarified the plot for them, but it has never been a surprise to me that Wellington Wells automatically knows of the solution to their predicament - he is a sorcerer, after all.
We all waited with baited breath to hear the adjudication - what on earth would she say about such an awful show? Nothing could have prepared us for the adjudication we heard. Not a SINGLE criticism, not a single detrimental comment - some of the comments she made could only be described as dishonest. We could only assume that someone had spoken to her about her manner of adjudication of the earlier performances, and this had led her to err in the other direction. This group will have left Buxton having learned very little from their mistakes.
Our dress rehearsal was scheduled first since we were due to perform last that evening, so we made our way to the dressing rooms to get ready. After our run through we all had a fair amount of time to prepare for the evening ahead, so I took the opportunity of watching the other groups' dress rehearsals.
A lively chorus and some good principals gave a spirited performance of a little-known show. Much care had obviously been taken to make the show understandable to those who had not seen it before, as the diction was extremely crisp - one could hear every word clearly. Despite the fact that the chorus did not really have a chance to show off their harmony singing (most of the chorus is unison), they were animated and reacted well throughout the production and one really felt that they were interested in the goings-on of the principals.
Gareth Dickinson had a lovely baritone voice and was also a sensitive actor, giving life to what can be a lacklustre role if not played to its full. David Heathcote as Carboy was also vocally able with a pleasant tenor voice.
Lynn Armitage as Eliza (nominated for Best Character Actress) gave a lovely sparkle to the part. She adopted a Cockney accent which she maintained through both the dialogue and the songs.
Deborah Kiernan as Laetitia was a very weak singer who had trouble staying in tune throughout the show. She looked very nice and overplayed well what is an underwritten role, but she really was one of the two weak links in the show. The other weak link was Frank Hogan as Grinder. So many societies seem to think that old men and patter baritone roles do not require singers to play them - this portrayal was proof that the reverse is true. The role is little more than a cameo, but this makes it even more important to create an impression during the short time that the character is onstage.
The only reservation I had about the production as a whole was that the tempi were rather pedestrian at times, but overall, a very good rendering of the piece and a worthy "Zoo" to have in one's video collection.
A very enthusiastic production with a lot of life, not least from Tony Smith as Bouncer. One could easily have believed him a former military man, and it was nice to see the obvious bored reactions from Cox who had evidently seen all his "Rataplan" nonsense before. Tony has a natural stage presence and he looked utterly at home in his part, and he squeezed every ounce of comedy as often as he possibly could.
Again extremely slow tempi caused the piece to drag in places, and a lot of the humour was lost because of this. All three of the cast were competent, as John Carter as Cox being the weakest of the three, but it may have been more evident given that he was teamed with Nick Sales as Box and Tony Smith, both of who gave their usual high standard of performance. (It is interesting to note that Tony Smith was nominated for both Best Male Performer and Best Supporting Actor for the same role - I had always assumed that the two would be mutually exclusive. There has been discussion in the past about the definition of "Character Actor" - for example is Mad Margaret a Character Actress or a Supporting Actress? Perhaps a little more judicious definition of the awards is overdue).
As per the previous night, Beryl Dixon was full of nothing but praise for all of the productions, and gushed copiously. Some constructive criticism would have been useful, as none of the productions were faultless by any means, but I suppose compared to the previous night she really had "nothing to grumble at".
MC was Don Smith and Dr Clive Woods was accompanist.
The Pot Luck Patience followed the cabaret. Yet again there were Savoynetters out in force - Jackie Richards played Saphir (complete with harp and ring of flowers in her hair), Bob Richards was Bunthorne and Karen Ann Loxley played Ella. Sylvia Greinig was asked by Neil Smith to sing the role of Lady Jane by bribing her with drink. However, somehow (don't ask me how) she managed to persuade ME to take her place. I'm sure it was "not quite right (Not supremely perhaps)", but I had a laugh playing the old battleaxe anyway.
And so I went to bed a tired but happy bunny. How many times in your life do you get to sing the Plaintiff, Audrey and Lady Jane all in one day? Only at Buxton...
Returning to the Opera House, I met Paul Scott, as we had arranged a "Savoynet Orchestra" get-together. Choosing a secluded spot in the Pavilion Gardens, we busked some duets and some G&S, before Paul's sister arrived and told us we could be heard across the gardens as far as the Opera House. Needless to say, the meeting disbanded quickly after that and we made our way back to meet the others before our recording for BBC North West.
We met in front of the Pavilion Gardens armed with our Poole's Cavern booklets and Savoynet T-shirts. As well as the core "Trial" crowd, we were joined by Savoynetters Janice and Paul Rendel from Sale G&S Society (runners up in 1996 with "Patience). Paul Scott was our conductor for the afternoon, and we were shifted from one spot to the next singing various choral items, until we reached the bandstand where we remained for the rest of the broadcast. We were expected to sing continuously (or as far as possible) for the entire duration of the programme to provide background music for the live outside broadcast. Unfortunately, no one bothered to tell us to stop singing, so we were still bellowing merrily until about ten past seven, when we noticed that the crew were all packing up to leave!
The chorus looked very much like the chorus from "Les Miserables", including several young girls who were obviously supposed to be "ladies of pleasure" - this was a little strange at first, but the illusion grew on me and actually made the setting more realistic. The Act 1 Finale was actually staged very much like Les Miserables' opening chorus "At The End Of The Day", with people from the back pushing through lines of people in front of them. It sounds messy - it wasn't. It was immaculately done and made the chorus seem very menacing. I wish they had had the same menace during the entrance of Point and Elsie - I believe that the chorus should threaten the couple throughout "Here's a man of jollity", and they in turn should be visibly frightened.
Ralph Katz as Wilfred Shadbolt was an able performer - perhaps not the true bass one might expect from a Shadbolt, but he more than made up for this with his dialogue and characterisation, most notably in his scenes with Phoebe (Kitty Karn, Best Supporting Actress) Ms Karn was delightful throughout, her singing voice a joy to listen to and played Phoebe as the playful minx she really ought to be. A deserved winner.
Leah Tsamous was a rather younger Dame Carruthers than one might expect. However, she was nevertheless a very convincing Dame Carruthers and, although in reality a mezzo soprano, gave a very creditable performance. She was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress.
Glay Marie Posch was a beautiful girl with a stunning voice to match (nominated for Best Female Voice). Unfortunately she didn't make full use of it during the first act. Her "Tis done!" was very beautifully sung, but she seemed nervous and lacked much of the drama we have come to expect from this aria. She also tended to take breaths too often and at awkward moments. However, she seemed to settle down during the second act and her "Leonard, my loved one" in the second act finale was very moving and touching.
Russ Clark as Fairfax had a rather "heavy" voice for G&S, which I found a little unpleasant, but nevertheless he sang the role very well, with very good technique. His dialogue was also good and he took obvious pleasure in his tricking of Elsie during Act 2 - he did indeed seem like "a regular cad".
Joe Key as Leonard Meryll had an unfortunate Texas drawl which he made no attempt to disguise. However, his singing voice was pleasant enough and as a cameo his performance was more than adequate. James R Jennings as Sergeant Meryll perhaps would have done better not to try to disguise his accent, as his attempt resulted in a stilted delivery with little or no speech inflection. His singing was adequate, but he affected a limp throughout the whole show, which was commendable in consistency but slowed the action and was very distracting. (It may be possible that he really did have a problem with his leg - if not it was very well acted, if a little misjudged).
Billy James Hargis II as Lieutenant Cholmondeley gave an extremely misjudged performance. He postured and gesticulated whenever he was on stage, and overacted greatly. Even worse, he actually attempted to imitate (badly) Point's dance during "I've jibe and joke" - most unsuitable. (On talking to the cast later, I found that he had been brought in only three weeks before the performance, but that is no excuse - the director really should have spoken to him about his portrayal).
Alastair Donkin as Point for me was the biggest disappointment of the show. For me, a Jack Point must have pathos - one must pity him when Elsie leaves him for Fairfax. However, I did not feel sorry for him at all and I found what would otherwise have been a tremendously moving ending completely unemotional. This is one of the problems with a director also playing a principal role - it is difficult to step back and see the overall picture. He eliminated the customary pauses during "A Private Buffoon", much to its detriment, and wore a blond wig that really did not look correct (I found out later that this was not Donkin's decision, although if a producer cannot choose his own headgear there is something very strange going on).
Although this was clearly a very polished production, the show as a whole seemed to lack a little emotion. I normally find the final scene very moving, but the lack of a sympathetic Point meant that the whole experience was rather sterile and soulless. Perhaps they tried a little too hard - it was obvious they were aiming for the Championship, and perhaps with a more frivolous and unemotional show like Pirates of Penzance or Sorcerer they may have won. As it is, however, a very good performance, for which I'm sure everyone felt they got their money's worth.
This was one of latest nights so far in the Festival Club, as the Houstonites did not intend to let the evening pass without celebration. By 2am, they were still singing rowdy rugby songs and had no intention of leaving until they were flung out. The party then transferred to the Palace Hotel, where we stayed until 4.30am chatting and discussing the evening's performance. This left just enough time for me to return to my hotel, pack and leave for my best friend's wedding in Wales.