This was my first Gilbert and Sullivan in many years, thanks to the suggestion a friend who has recently gotten into opera in a big way, loves The Ring, but had never seen any G&S. With The Mikado being my favorite of the genre (and I’ve seen everything except Utopia Limited and The Grand Duke, which would not be contenders), it was an easy decision to make.
The set was simple but effective. As background, there was a large painting of a Japanese landscape. To the left, a set of folding screens and to the right of that a large box (think giant armoire) with many Japanese decorations. On the right there was the Mikado’s throne. And in the center, a cube a foot on each side, the executioner’s chopping block.
Our cast:
Nanki-Poo: Michael Desnoyers
Pish-Tush: John Melis
Pooh-Bah: Robby Stafford
Ko-Ko: F. Lawrence Ewing
Yum-Yum: Moira McManus
Pitti-Sing: Molly Mahoney
Peep-Bo: Talia Levitan
Katisha: Sonia Gariaeff
Mikado: Wm. H. Neil
Conductor: Monroe Kanouse
Director: Jane Erwin Hammett
The singing and playing were commensurate with the cost of the tickets, which was rather less than our Opera San Jose tickets. I’ll have to give it a strong gamma. Stafford’s Pooh-Bah was a standout in the quality of his singing, and Ewing acted the part of Ko-Ko very well. It was a pleasure to see Sonia Gariaeff again. The Lamplighters will present Princess Ida at the end of January/beginning of February, and I'd like to go.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment