Patience

With the potential closure of the Alexander Theatre at Monash University, the Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Victoria moved to the Darebin Arts and Entertainment Centre for this production. A long way from their home base, the theatre is a similar size to the Alex, and, moving toward the back for the second half, I had no problems hearing everything. Unfortunately the audience was relatively small and I hope this will pick up.

In the title role diminutive soprano, Sabrina Surace, used her big eyes and expressive face most effectively and sang well. I have encountered the Lady Angela, Emily Crawford, before and was pleased that she has ironed out her vocal problems and her outstanding mezzo voice is now backed by a solid vocal technique. She was a constant delight.

As the aesthetic poet Bunthorne, I’m sure Rod Pidcock was reprising a role he has played many times before, and he was very funny and didn’t miss a beat. As his rival, Grosvenor, Andrew Blair showed good comic timing and a pleasant singing voice, but had problems with the choreography for his duet with Bunthorne in the second act.

Brett O’Meara was a very good Duke with a good singing voice, and Andrea Tappe displayed a lovely voice as Lady Jane, but wasn’t big enough to get the laughs that should go with this role.

In the past Gilbert and Sullivan operettas have often reprised Gilbert’s choreography and moves, such that every performance was a repeat of the previous. This production featured a lot of innovative choreography, particularly the Chorus of Dragoons and the Dragoons’ trio. The three Dragoons worked very well together. The ensemble singing was well balanced, but not always coordinated with the orchestra.

I trust this will be well supported as the company looks for a new home.

Graham Ford