The Trumpet Bray

ROCKVILLE, MD SING-OUT II The Victorian Lyric Opera Company (of Rockville, MD)’s SECOND G&S SINGOUT will be held August 29-30, 1998 It will begin with a reception on Friday, August 28th, at the mansion of the Rockville Civic Center. Singing starts Saturday morning at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater.

If you want to be considered for a role, call +1 301 879 0220 and leave your name and number. Or write to P.O. Box 10391, Rockville, MD 20849-0391. Or send e-mail to lese@capaccess.org - or visit the VLOC Web Site at http://www.vw.net/users/vloc.

The registration cost is $40 for participants and $10 for audience members for any 4-show segment of the day. Or you can spend the whole day in lazy languor as an audience member for $20.

VLOC will also be performing YEOMEN June 12 - 28 - check in the same places for further info.

[The following description of the first Sing-Out, published in a recent VLOC program, was gleaned from SavoyNet:]

In 1992 the Victorian Lyric Opera Company organized the Great G&S Sing-Out, in which performers from all over the US and Canada got together and in one day sang all of the extant G&S operettas. Neither overtures nor dialogue were used, and staging ranged from straight concert versions to whimsical or tender. [In which category would one place the Sudbury production of SORCERER, which was imported for that day? -- mlc] This musical marathon set off at 8:00 a.m. and ran thru the day, reaching its conclusion a little after midnight. Many participants sang in their favorite shows only and sat in the audience for others, and a few hardy souls sang straight thru. Friendships were formed and acquaintances were renewed. It was a day of camaraderie and beautiful music and VLOC has been asked several times [Often, frequently! - mlc] "When are you doing it again?!"

HANCOCK COUNTY PRINCESS IDA: The first two weekends in February always bring about "the promise of merry sunshine," whatever the weather, as The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Hancock County stages its cure for the mid-winter blues. This year proved no exception but I found that I had a rather schizophrenic response to this year's production of IDA.

The new Musical Director of the company, Robert Bahr, has raised an already high musical quality to new levels, particularly with the chorus. The musical pacing was excellent with clear singing diction throughout. Artistic Director Kathleen Lake, in her first effort in G&S, had many ideas, any one of which could have led to something lasting. Unfortunately, she used all of them instead of developing a consistent theme and sticking with it.

The curtain rose on a traditional Medieval Castle which was occupied by Androids from the Starship Enterprise. A full Star Trek theme would have been nice. ("I have known it done.") But - Gama was not a Klingon or other traditional Treckie enemy but a Persian Vizier accompanied by Arac, Guron and Scynthius clad in traditional (not even Persian) armor. (A Persian vs. Greek theme would also have been a nice change.)

Overlaid on this mixture was a "Theater of the Deaf" concept with the extravagant gestures of American Sign Language. With the chorus trying, but generally failing, to do such gestures in unison, the effect was not what could have been wished and the use of the gestures was inconsistently applied. It would have been interesting to see a fully-developed Theater of the Deaf production; this wasn't it. The director also used the traditional lines and semi-circles thereby destroying one of the great glories of the Company - the ability of the chorus to assume individual personae while still supporting the soloists. While on occasion lines or semi-circles are not out of place - during "Mighty maiden with a mission," for example - the lines were so crowded that the performers interfered with each other while carrying out their extravagant gestures.

There was a "Master of Protocol" in Hildebrand's Tower flashing one-liner "Idiot Cards" at the audience as if they were in a television studio and needed to be told what they were seeing or how to react. He also showed up in drag in a comparable tower in Castle Adamant, flashing again.

Add in the staging defects, usually associated with an amateur director, of having characters exit one side of the stage, then return a few minutes later from the opposite side; performers being on stage when they should not be (Hilarion, Cyril and Florian in the Act II Finale, right in front of Hildebrand - not even singing to bolster a somewhat thin men's chorus, which would have been understandable); no one leaving during the Act III opening scene when Ida clearly sends them off, to be left utterly alone (she wasn't). The director was obviously unaware - and didn't ask anyone or read anything that would have told her - that the scenes of "When e'er I spoke" and "I built upon a rock" are normally switched.

There were the insults to the intelligence of the audience of having a bright red etui ("full of scissors, needles - and cigars!") fully visible on stage throughout the entire second act and performers extensively grabbing swords by the blade. While theater in general calls for a "willing suspension of disbelief," this production strained the "credulous simplicity" of the audience.

All of the above would have been bearable and would have made for a typical amateur production were it not for the utter contempt (and if "Contempt is not the word ... then it surely should be") which was shown to the dialog. It was a typical Broadway concept of getting the words over as quickly as possible to get to the next musical number. The diction was clear, the words understandable but everything was pushed. There was no pacing, no pointing of lines and no pausing. The few laughs which the dialog got quickly died as the audience realized that the action was going on without them. While the end result was what must have been the fastest IDA on record - 2 1/2 hours from start to finish including two 15 minute intermissions and no cuts - one was left with the feeling that this could have been a great production if the director had been more willing to trust the performers.

As usual, the saving grace for the production was the performances. No real superstars, no glaring weaknesses, just solid and skillful interpretations which brought as much characterization to the roles as was possible when the pacing of the dialog mitigated against it. It was perhaps natural that the most complete and well-developed character was the one who has the least dialog - Lady Psyche, to whom Bronwyn Kortge brought a clear and bright soprano and a great deal of mischief. John Cunningham as Hildebrand delivered his usual solid performance - well sung and well acted, but seemed to show some frustration at having all of his "laugh lines" stepped on by the pacing. Virginia Cunningham performed Lady Blanche with her usual style and strength including a memorable "Come, Mighty Must." Irving Hodgkin, in his first major solo role, started a bit tentatively but grew throughout and was quite believable as the irascible King Gama.

For once Hilarion actually looked the 22 he is supposed to be. Zachary Field provided great acting skills to a somewhat stodgy role. Of course since he is really a baritone, not a tenor, perhaps that is not so much of a surprise. He did lack the top notes though. David Blanchette as Cyril and Roland Dube as Florian rounded out the trio in a most satisfactory fashion. Kurt Schaller, Anthony Pizzuto and Rich Hewitt blended well as Gama's sons and produced believable, now-traditional, oafish, semi-moronic characterizations. Fatima Peterson was a charming, mischievous Melissa who sang her role with great accuracy and enthusiasm.

The only disappointment was Valerie Eaton as Princess Ida. Whether she was not well on the nights I saw her or was uncomfortable singing a soprano role (she was last year's Katisha) was not clear. She did not have the top notes and, in another major Directorial miscalculation, was given a characterization which never allowed her to become the dominating figure on stage as Ida needs to be. Her entrances may be generously characterized as oozing onto the stage. She simply appeared and was noticeable only when she began her singing or dialog. She showed so much more animation as Katisha.

It was an enjoyable but ultimately unmemorable production. It had so much promise but could, with the right direction, have been so much more.

-- J. DONALD SMITH

TRIAL, PINAFORE double-billed at Sudbury. Sparked by first-rate acting from Lonnie Powell, Amy Allen and Walt Howe, The Sudbury Savoyards delivered a workmanlike HMS PINAFORE at Lincoln-Sudbury High School in late March. Powell was credible as Ralph, the lovelorn sailor; Allen was a more spirited Josephine than the cold, correct, class-struck woman we often see; and Howe was eminently triangular in posture and speech. All sang without flaw.

They got competent backing from the other principals. Laura Schall Gouillart gave us a Buttercup rather more winsome, less Gypsy, than usual. Eric Ruben's Sir Joseph dripped the hauteur of the character as many act it -- he towered over Captain Corcoran (Stephen Curtis), both physically and psychologically. (Personally, I prefer a bit more of a popinjay, poseur Sir Joseph, but others do not, and I waive the point.) Curtis seemed less imposing than the Captain of HMS Pinafore ought to be, in part because of that height disparity, but due also to a slight propensity to slapstick and an Irish brogue in dialogue, not really consonant with his supposed English gentry origins. The set was severely simple, as was the choreography.

Workmanlike is also the word for the TRIAL BY JURY which preceded PINAFORE. Ellen Spear's Angelina was resplendent in wedding dress and voice. Peter Stark's Learned Judge looked suitably rotund, sputtered well when required, and sang as well as a good judge should. The other principals were adequate. Movement seemed rather subdued for the most part, and business was minimal.

In both pieces, the chorus sounded good, as did the orchestra for the most part. Orchestra and chorus fell out of synch a few times. Kathy Lague was music director for both pieces [and - at the risk of breaking Our self-imposed rule never to review shows in this rag - We must say that she showed more delicate appreciation for certain aspects of the music than we expect in persons of her relatively-inexperienced station - more than some more-experienced conductors We’ve heard, in fact -- mlc] and stage director for PINAFORE; Bill Kuhlman stage-directed TRIAL -- rather new directions for both. (And while wishing them well in such endeavors, I do miss them on stage.)

Summing up: Competent work, as one would expect from Sudbury, but short of what that company has so often shown it can do.

-- Gama, Rex

Gilbert wanted his plays to appeal to proper families, surely, but he was not above a few subtle and puerile remarks about digestion. [How Mozartian! - mlc] I can think of two uses of the word "emetical," for instance.

Nothing quite matches up to Bunthorne’s brilliant poem, O Hollow, Hollow, Hollow. Far from being "a hunting song", as Patience imagines, it is actually an advertisement for powerful purgatives and a nasty commentary on the, shall we say, blocked state of contemporary verse.

What does Bunthorne recommend to "get things going" again? That is, how can one ease the writhing and yearning of maidens and the poet on his plinth? With calomel - a purgative, colocynth - an emetic, and aloe - a cathartic drug. I stumbled upon these applications while exploring "colocynth" (zucchini in Greek), a word which Greeks today use for its sexual imagery. (I was intrigued by the adjective "amorous", but I think Gilbert used it innocently.)

The indelicacy of the subject of O Hollow, Hollow, Hollow and the outright parody of modern (to Gilbert) verse are obscured by an unusual rhyme scheme, a lovely meter and a truly poetic collection of gentle sounds. Like Sullivan, Gilbert was a master of the serious art, though he chose satire as his life’s work.

- - NELL WRIGHT

["How purely fragrant!" Although Harry Benford, in his soon-to-be revised G&S Lexicon, has raised similar points, We must pause to wonder anew how Lady Jane had the gall, as it were, to insist, "It is not indigestion!" -- mlc]

A video of Mikado in Hungarian is available from:

European Video Distributors
2402 West Olive Avenue
Burbank, CA 91506
toll-free: 888-423-6752

Catalog Number: 470. Prince: $29.95 plus shipping (or $49.95 if you want English sub-titles) Credit cards accepted.

-- DON SMITH

CALENDAR

SLOC at the Museum: In association with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and their upcoming exhibit, A Grand Design: The Art of the Victoria and Albert Museum, The Savoyard Light Opera Company will perform a concert of G&S on 4/ 19 at 3:00 PM at the Remis Auditorium, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Free Admission for museum visitors.

MITG&SP’s PIRATES performances are planned for Apr. 17, 18, 23, 24, 25 at 8 PM; April 19 at 2 p.m. E-mail savoyards-request@mit.edu, check out http://www.mit.edu/activities/gsp/home.html or call 253-0190 for directions or more info on MITG&SP events.

NYG&SS will hold its next meeting on Tuesday, April 14 at CAMI Hall, 165 W. 57th St., NYC. (See above for a description of the program, titled Sullivan and His Contemporaries.) Doors open at 7:30; the meeting starts at 8, and the Inner Brotherhood go out for coffee afterwards.

The Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert & Sullivan Players’ spring production, IOLANTHE, will play April 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 at 8 PM and April 4, 5, 11 at 2 PM. (Note: Opening night is, as usual, Black Tie, April 11 at 2 is a special Childrens’ Matinee, while April 11 at 8 will be their traditional "Hack Night.") Music direction is by Harvard regular David Lyczkowski (A NEGASSer who’s in the orchestra tells Us it’s one of the best he’s played with!), with stage direction by Vladimir Zelevinsky, a grad student at MIT. Dame Rumour whispers that professional-quality CDs of last year’s PIRATES are available for $15 + $2 S&H. And We hear good things about last fall’s MIKADO - review, anyone?! For more info, reach HRG&SP via moore@fas.harvard.edu, or by phone at 617-496-4747.

Valley Light Opera of Amherst, MA is planning Patience for November, 1998. Auditions will be held May 2-3.

If you find yourself in Illinois between May 30-June 7, visit Light Opera Works’ production of YEOMEN - call (847) 869-6300 for tix & info.

This summer, College Light Opera Co.’s plans include PATIENCE June 30-July 4 and MIKADO July 28-Aug. 1. More news as it breaks!

The Footlight Club of Jamaica Plain plans Pirates for the first 3 weekends of November, 1998. More news as it breaks!

The Jewish Theatre of New England, 333 Nahanton Street, Newton Center MA 02159 is aiming for a Nov. 1998 production of Yiddish PIRATES. For further information contact producing director David Mladinov at (617)558-6480 or Fax (617) 527-3104.