TROWBRIDGE AMATEUR OPERATIC SOCIETY’S

Production of

ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD

To quote from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet what's in a name? That which we call a rose by any name would smell as sweet. That indeed may be very true but unfortunately as far as your publicity team were concerned, or anyone else trying to sell the show for that matter, its name or perhaps rather more what it implies in its name is a real stumbling block. As they undoubtedly found out once you mention the name and the composer Offenbach, even though you tell them that it is a very funny light comic opera you have a great deal of work to do if you are going to convince them that it is worth coming to see. It is a strange anomaly that in a era when Andrew Lloyd Webber and others have reintroduced the conception of a wholly sung libretto, in other words operatic format, that the words light opera as opposed to a musical still send audiences running for cover. Really such works never fully recovered after the 1939/45 war and have steadily gone into decline in the public's affection ever since. This is a pity because not only this show but many others well worthy of a revival are sitting there full of good music and often interesting and funny librettos. However while many companies would find them well worthwhile to do it would be a very brave one that would try to present such shows year after year. You have to live with the fact I am afraid that the majority of the audience out there can't get past the title, the composer and those words operatic. Because it restricts audience sizes and when you have, as you had on this occasion, a production which was good value both musically and as a piece of entertainment this is a great pity.

The well designed set with its red echelons of level was a pleasure to look at and not surprising as it was designed for the director was used to maximum effect. The set dressings and properties were also of a high quality. All appeared to go well with the stage crew throughout the evening except during the setting for Act III. Whatever came crashing down behind the curtains as this was being set up sounded painful and costly. Whatever the damage it had been put right before the curtain rose without any undue delay. A plus mark to all concerned with the repair work and a black mark to whoever caused the problem in the first place.

Lighting can make a big contribution to such an open set as we had on this occasion particularly in helping to vary the moods of scenes and to enhance the changes in the music. There was liaison here between the lighting team and all the others directly concerned with the production and musical input. I made notes continuously throughout the evening that the change of lighting had added to the moment; If there were any errors from the team in the way of slow or missed cues then I confess I slipped by me.

With the show where the vocal work is all important and is invariably far more difficult than some more modern straightforward scores the work of the musical director takes on an added importance. The way in which the chorus handled themselves throughout this production and the way in which the soloists seemed completely at ease with the work which they had to do, you have to say 'well done' to the musical director for having made such careful preparation with them of their musical input. Add to this that we have an orchestra that was fully under the musical director's control and therefore was completely supportive as far as soloists and chorus were concerned and you indeed have a very strong musical base to the whole production.

It is fatal in such a production where the music is of such importance for a choreographer to get carried away and to make too much use of the chorus or the soloists. If they do of course you will find that the singing invariably suffers because individuals are concentrating too much on where they are about to stand, where they are about to move or where they are about to put their feet. I never the feeling throughout this show that this choreographer was placing too great demands upon the company as such. At the same I didn't get the impression that the director had bound them hand, foot and finger and not allowed them to move the company in order to create some excellent pictures and to have some good effects as and when they were needed. When this happens, and I have seen it happen on more than one occasion, the production becomes absolutely static and becomes little more than a concert version losing a great deal of its entertainment value. The director and choreographer really were at pains to make sure that this wasn't going to happen to this company and so we did indeed see changing patterns throughout the evening which meant that we had pleasant pictures to follow.

These pictures were further enhanced by the work of the wardrobe team and, in view of the style of costumes, it is very important that the hairstyles and wigs when they are used fit in to the picture as well. Although the show does allow for some bending of these rules we need the traditional robes as a foundation and it was good to see that this rule was adhered to when it mattered.

Returning for a moment to movement because this was so well planned and never put the chorus under any great pressure their work was always of a high standard, both vocally and in the way in which they were able to create little cameos around the stage as the scenes changed. The girls' contribution to 'A Shepherd Am I' was an early indication of the quality that we could expect. One thing that was not good from the chorus was the sounds of them assembling behind the curtain during the well-played overture. Once the curtain rose onto that first attractive picture all was well and the quality of the harmonies in the opening number made us quickly forget the ill discipline that had gone before as they were assembling. There was no such ill discipline on stage and I doubt that there was any such backstage apart from perhaps that moment.

This was indeed a well-planned production which ensured that it moved smoothly from beginning to end. Here was a director who knew how to balance the importance of a dramatic moment with the music and with the movement. Very often this balance is not correct and as a result you tend to get a certain jerkiness with a production with the pace often slowing down at all important moments. This never occurred throughout this production, which had obviously been carefully planned before it even got underway.

There was also a nice balance between the different characters, work had been done to ensure that they had the sort of relationships that the author and composer intended and as a result invariably they developed to the full. This is a fun piece of theatre and all those connected to the production had the faith in it to sit back and play it absolutely straight rather than race about trying to force the humour within it The result was we had a highly entertaining evening and I am only sorry that that name, the composer and the fact that light opera is somewhat out of fashion deprived you of the sizeable audiences that you deserved.

EURYDICE

You set out your stall from the first entrance creating a strong character that was sustained throughout. Having shown us your vocal talents early on in 'A Nymph In Love' you then proved that you could work well in tandem when joining Pluto in 'Mortals Below, Gods Up Above'. Good chorus work in this number but one little moan, as you stood one side of the stage and Pluto the other you allowed your shoulders to slump into an unattractive posture. As soon as you began to move the strong character of Eurydice re-emerged to present a much nicer picture.

There was a particularly good lighting effect as you sang 'Invocation' with excellent control. Having given you time off from the strains of vocals in Act II the composer put you to work with a will in Act III and you rose to the challenge extremely well. Your red dress went nicely with the predominantly red set and what a good 1940s style telephone to lend authenticity to the scene. At least it did so until it rang with a rather modern tone. That lovely old chair was another plus to the pictorial side of this scene. I mention the red dress but the opening dress you wore was again of very nice quality which importantly fitted the character. It was just the right sort of dress to allow you to rather flounce around the stage and you did so to good effect. You also sang the duet with Pluto to good effect making for a very pleasant musical moment.

There was a nice sense of fun in this characterisation and that combined with a fine singing voice ensured a most enjoyable performance.

CALLIOPE

You took up your position in the social order immediately the show started. There was no doubting that you were not the underling and your vocal presentation matched this idea. I do question a little your position at the back of the stage for the first few bars of the introduction to the opening number. At this early stage we were still making your acquaintance and needed a clear view of your face and its responses to the action going on around you. For the whole of this first scene the lighting team's work was excellent enhancing everything the company did and in doing so helping your performance tremendously. The relationship with Orpheus was first rate helping his character to evolve and your own to maintain its image.

Whether someone had put you off for some reason or another I don't know but you seemed less happy vocally as you joined in the finale of Act I than you had been up to this point. This, however, was only a small blip in a nicely presented character.

CUPID and VENUS

I place these two characters together because in principle they both have the same difficulty in establishing themselves. Unlike many of the other gods that we are presented with throughout this story these two are much more familiar images. We have all seen Cupid with his bow and arrow and, even if it is only the sans arms statue in the Louvre Museum, we know what the Venus Di Milo looks like. And as if to add to any difficulty you might have in establishing your two characters you also were given no spectacular s6lo numbers to imprint yourselves on our memory vocally. Not that there was anything wrong with the numbers in which you were involved, they were by no means the poorest numbers in the show and certainly with your contributions to help them along they came over extremely well. The partnership in the 'Hades' was particularly striking.

To get the full value from the humour on offer about these characters you really have to present us very much with the traditional portrait of Cupid and Venus that we expect to see. Whilst I was by no means unhappy with the characters that you presented to us I just feel that if you had stuck a little closer to these traditional images then even the slightest send-up of them would have opened up a wider humorous door. In spite of any reservations I may have had on this point here was a pairing that produced plenty of fun and a contribution to proceedings that was always enjoyable.

DIANA

Diana, the goddess of hunting, is really made for some satirical work and you can just imagine her as one of those 'hunting, fishing and shooting' ladies. Because of this there is a tendency to play someone like this or rather to overplay them and in doing so tend to spoil rather than add to the fun. Without ever comprising your efforts to establish a very definite figure you never looked like falling down this hole and destroying all your own good work. No real opportunities to test your vocal skills in a manner to catch the audience's attention and as with the character you had to be content to work around the periphery of most scenes. Another yawing trap opens up in front of actors who are placed in this position, there is a tendency for them to become rather lazy and not develop the characters fully at all. You I am glad were not in the mood to give a lazy performance and fully paid your dues to the production.

JUNO

I can't help but wonder if Phil Park who wrote this script was a fan of those 1930s/40s Hollywood light comedies with their stock characters. One you regularly saw were wives of middle-aged men who were forever nagging their other halves. A prime example if you ever come across any of the 'Mexican Spitfire' series of films starring Lupy Valez was Elisabeth Risden who was continually keeping a frosty eye on her wandering husband Leon Errol in order to keep a tight restraining rein on him. Wherever the idea came from Juno in this production is written as a typical shrewish wife and you played her that way to the hilt With you around Jupiter was never going to have an easy ride. He knew full well the risks he was taking if he ignored this lady's views. The manner in which you play the stage after Jupiter had so feebly failed to do so underlined the strong personality you had drawn. A nice trio with Jupiter and Pluto gave us a taste of your vocal abilities. Just occasionally you pushed too hard and the voice took on a rather shrill note but that aside this was a well presented, beautifully sustained character.

ORPHEUS

With a dominant mother to contend with and an uneasy relationship with your wife it would have been very easy to make this character far too unsympathetic. On first acquaintance I found you a little stiff and feared the worse but as time progressed your performance and with it the character became far more relaxed. You mimed the playing of the violin extremely well which added to the effectiveness of the scene. If, as sometimes happens, no effort is made to make such an action look real it detracts from the picture we are looking at considerably. I was not as convinced by your celebration to the news that Eurydice had descended into Hades which was a bit forced and looked rather phoney. The most important thing was that you never allowed us to take a dislike to your Orpheus. We may have thought him to be a little weak in character and rather selfish but never that he was a nasty person. In view of the show's title you would have expected more musical opportunities for Orpheus and I dare say you would have relished such a challenge. You had to be content with lesser offerings but took these in fine style. A couple of minor blips during this performance but on the whole a very enjoyable presentation of a well drawn character.

PLUTO

This is the sort of character we love to hate, which is all well and good but even such people must have a little redeeming feature about them if they are to be acceptable to an audience. Your Pluto I am glad to say had those little bits of sly charm which eased the portrait just enough to prevent it becoming all on one note. You had plenty of help from the girls in the 'A Shepherd Am I' number. They not only created attractive pictures but were vocally in fine form, which ensured that this particular number was as good to look at as it was to listen to. It was a good job that your voice and that of Eurydice blended together to make a pleasant sound because there was a recipe for disaster waiting with 'Mortals Below, Gods Up Above' if they had not. You dealt well with the other musical challenges that came your way always keeping the character as strongly drawn within the vocals as they were with the dialogue.

JUPITER

That expert lighting change from the sleepy mountaintop to daylight gave you an impressive start to Act II. The partnership with Juno developed throughout and gave us a string of goodies to enjoy. Your vocal contributions were a pleasure to listen to. You gentle dominated the trio 'Nothing We Can Do' in the nicest way not trying to upstage anybody but merely by the quality of your singing. The sound team did some splendid work offstage as you and Pluto talked about Eurydice adding considerably to this particular moment. You and Pluto lead the ensemble to excellent effect in the 'Minuet'. Congratulations here also to the choreographer for the movement which the ensemble carried out with ease and grace. You too gave the impression that you were always at ease within this character with the net result that you contribution to the show was always strong and enjoyable.

MARS

I think if I had been playing this role I would have felt a little cheated in many ways because Mars, God of War, after all should be a very imposing impressive figure and as written he doesn't have the opportunity to really expand into those areas. I am not complaining about the manner in which you handled the dialogue that you had or for that matter the work that you put in in support of others throughout the evening. I am probably being a little unfair to the authors it is just that having been brought up on Gustav Holst's Planet Suite I rather think of Mars, the bringer of War, as being a much more imposing figure than the one that was written in this particular show. All that being said you stayed faithful to the work which you were offered and presented it honestly and skilfully.

MERCURY

I asked somebody many years ago when I first started working for the BBC how they thought I could best get on in the company. The advice I received was this 'either you have to be completely brilliant or you have to make the biggest mess up since Mons'. The fact that I failed to do either is of no particular importance but the advice does underline the fact that when someone is involved in a little catastrophe you remember it unfortunately above all the good things that have been done. I know, therefore, it is a little unfair but my biggest recollection of your contribution is of a little hiatus that occurred when you told Jupiter that Eurydice had flown with Pluto. Words were obviously lost but it was impossible to tell from the audience who was to blame. If it was not you will you tell whoever was responsible for the hiatus off on my behalf and ask them for an apology on your own behalf. All this I am glad to say did not seriously upset the value of your contribution. The effects with the Olympic rings on the backcloth were impressive as you set out for your meeting with Pluto. This indeed was a nicely drawn character who fitted the bill admirably.

VULCAN

A good natural stage presence helped you to create a firm impression of the character with all too little ammunition at your disposal. When you have such an attribute it is very easy to overplay your hand and try and force your character forward into a more dominant position than that intended by the composer and lyricist. Here we had a performer with far too much experience for that to happen and he presented us with a well-rounded characterisation that fitted neatly as a glove into its position within the plot.

STYX

To try to sustain a character is difficult enough in ordinary circumstances, sustaining one under fire from the audience can be described as a triumph. It was unfortunate that you were bombarded by what I am sure was unintended heckling from the audience. The way in which you ignored it and kept your concentration was much to be admired. From your CV I see you have plenty of experience but under such pressure many others would have cracked. Your attitude not only helped those on stage but saved the audience from embarrassing moments as well. Just to add to all this good work you also created a nicely drawn character.

BACCHUS

Another nicely drawn portrayal which added to the overall picture. That kiss on Eurydice was delivered with confidence and belief. All that may seem to be the easiest and most natural thing to do and indeed it should be. On many occasions, however, I have seen this look one of the most phoney acts in the world almost as bad as someone trying to die on stage. In the hands of this practitioner I am glad to say that such a phoney picture was never an option.

Thank you very much for your very kind reception and hospitality. I hope your next production will not only prove to be an artistic success but an enormous success at the box office as well.