No 13 — July 1979 Edited by Michael Walters
THE GONDOLIERS, Grosvenor L.O.C. Greenwood Theatre, Wed. 28th Feb. 1979.
I was only able to attend the opening performance, not a good idea if possible, with amateur productions. It was 6 minutes late starting, and the Nat. Anth. was played. Philip Lee conducted a good overture, with some very interesting rubati in the gavotte section. The Andante was perhaps a shade too slow, but it would probably have worked but for the horrible acoustic of the theatre. Mildred Vernon (Fiametta) had a pretty and pleasing voice. Edwin Hooker (Francesco) and Christopher Field (Giorgio) were competent, but Sam Everton (Antonio) was very hammy, and couldn't sing. Gianetta and Tessa were on stage from the beginning. The dialogue of the Ducal party was intensely dreary, except for the lines of Eileen Marner (Duchess) which were rather good, she was a suitable belligerent old battleaxe. Bert Bright (Duke) sang out of tune right the way through "In enterprise of Martial Kind" and was incompetent as an actor. The Luiz?Casilda duet dragged. Dick Rayment (Luiz) had a terrible wobble in his voice, and in "From the sunny Spanish shore" he was late and out of time in his second line. Ann Pooley was a matronly Tessa, no maiden she, I fear, and very far from merry. Janet Crossman (Gianetta) sang with a horrid lisp, and "Kind sir" was taken very fast. I think she must have been ill, for the performance was certainly unworthy of her. She seems to have done some slimming, which may have been a mistake. The scenery (Stage Productions Ltd.) and costumes (I.L.E.A.) were excellent. The Overture was played without the Sargent coda, and a gentleman sitting next to me, remarked to his wife "They have cut a bit of it, there's more than that". I did not stay for Act 2. MICHAEL WALTERS
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