No 41 -- Spring 1993 Edited by Michael Walters
It was with great surprise that I rolled up to buy a ticket, and found that I was obtaining the penultimate one. This is most unusual for an amateur operatic production in a theatre that size, but most gratifying. I had intended to stay only for the first act, but there proved to be so many people I knew present that I decided it would be impolite, my absence would certainly have been noted! So I stayed, and enjoyed feeling a martyr! The performance ended at 9.45, and it took 2 hours to get home, having half an hour to wait at Sutton station, and another half an hour at Clapham Junction. Mike Withers, Mac Newton and Brian and Mrs. Steele were among the orchestra, and I chatted to them in the interval. During this conversation, the producer Stuart Barker rushed up and introduced himself to me, saying that I had been pointed out to him. He wanted to give me information on his forthcoming production of THE MOUNTEBANKS which, alas, I was unable to see. John and Beryl Hyde of Geoids were in the audience, and I found myself sitting beside Clyde Gatell who had directed TABLE MANNERS for that Society. All in all, it was a folk packed evening.
And so to the production! Well, it was basically traditional, but Stuart Barker (who had been in the "submarine" PINAFORE at ULU) had introduced a number of details of his own. [The programme explained that he obtained a BSc in Physics at London University and then turned his attention to producing opera and operetta! Most commendable]. Neil Catton's set (same for both acts) was a fine ship, placed against a skydrop of moving (back projected) clouds. There was nothing else except the cutout of another sailing ship, which gave the impression that PINAFORE was in tropical seas rather than in Portsmouth. Michael Newton conducted some odd tempi, there was a tendency for nautical ensembles to start off slowly and then speed up – interesting, but odd. What I didn't like was the long pauses before many of the numbers, particularly after a character entered prior to launching into a song. These long silences held up the action. The orchestra played well, and the chorus sang well, but there were a few occasions when they were not together. However, Newton's credentials seem to be impeccable, he is director of music at Hampton School, and has long been associated with musical education. The lighting, by Tim Lawrence, was very peculiar, with curious darkening effects and spotlights, some of which did not seem to work. For "A many years ago" a curious red light bathed the stage, with masses of dry ice mist. I could not really determine the reasons for this.
Far and away the best of the cast was Michael Crow as Corcoran. He is a local GP, and appears in operatic productions for severalLondon amateur societies. Mr. Crow did everything right and nothing wrong. Every move, every inflexion of the voice, every gesture, seemed absolutely natural. He has a singing voice that is always interesting to listen to, and a natural sense of feeling for the character. The same could not be said of Denzil Edwards as Sir Joseph. I have never liked this performer, who claims to have begun in operatic productions as a child, and to have played in every G&S except THESPIS. I have seen him a number of times at ULU. He is a traditional ham, but there was little behind the gestures and facial expressions. Pulling faces is only a substitute for acting, and, in the words of Apollo from THESPIS, "nothing at all like the real thing". His performance of "When I was a lad" was about the most uninteresting rendition of that song I have ever heard.
Jane Williams (Josephine) had a beautiful voice (she trained at the Royal Academy and teaches singing and piano), but an annoying habit of clipping off her top notes. She acted with intelligence, but seemed rather matronly, and it was not an exciting performance. (Mike Withers told me that she had been absolutely brilliant in the Marilyn Monroe part in SUGAR). Kate Albert (Buttercup) was mellow–voiced and charming. Her duet with Corcoran was the highlight of the production.
Barry Scott (Ralph), a newcomer to this society, has cured his habit of shouting his top notes (see review of Geoids PIRATES OF PENZANCE in GG39) and sang with considerable style and sweetness. But he has a lot to learn about acting, his dialogue was stilted, and he has little idea how to move on stage or what to do with his hands. He needs help from an older producer with a lot of stage experience; such a young producer as Stuart Barker would probably not be able to help him much. Barry made his first entrance climbing down from aloft, singing "The nightingale" while clinging to the rigging – no mean feat. Paul Aylin (Bo'sun), Paul Sadler (Carpenter) and Marion Stewart (Hebe) were quite satisfactory in their roles, and James Godwin was a strongly sung Deadeye with no contrived or over–enforced histrionics. It was a nice idea to have the Carpenter come in initially in a falsetto in "A British tar" when he had the music upside down, but quickly righting it, and himself. Darren Betts was a splendid Tom Tucker. MICHAEL WALTERS
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