THE NEW ZEALAND OPERA SOCIETY

Sirius Opera: The Wellesley, Wellington, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9 May 2006.

Mrs Windermere: Flora Edwards, Ellen Watts, Christopher Anderson, Monika Smith.

The Genteel Pigeons: Craig Beardsworth, Ellen Watts, Bruce Carson, Marilyn Reynolds, Linden Loader, Christopher Anderson, Simon Baskerville, Annabelle Cheetham, Brigitte Heuser.

Libretti by Jeremy Commons, Music by John Drummond.
Accompanist: Hugh McMillan, String Trio: Rupa Maitra, Donald Maurice, Jocelyn Cranefield.
Director: Jacqueline Coats.

Two delightful short New Zealand operas made up a celebratory last season of Sirius opera. Mrs Windermere and The Genteel Pigeons, with libretti by Jeremy Commons, the genius behind Sirius Opera, and music by John Drummond, were a celebration for the audience too, many of whom have attended most of Sirius’s Wellington productions. They showed their approval this time by filling the house for five performances, and by their appreciation at the end of the evening.

The April issue of NZ Opera News included an article in which the plots of these two most recent operas were briefly described.

The shorter of the two, Mrs Windermere, had a cast of just four, plus pianist Hugh McMillan and a string trio of players who had played together in Dunedin, hometown of Professor John Drummond, the composer. Their playing was of a high order – not least in the extracts from Mozart’s Don Giovanni that were included by the composer to point up the seduction aspects of the scenario, based on a story by Anglo-Irish writer Elizabeth Bowen. The large and pleasing sound of Donald Maurice’s viola was particularly noteworthy.

Ellen Watts played the part of Molly, the young newly-married woman, with the right mixture of youthful hesitancy and insecurity, and deference to the older woman, played by Flora Edwards in superb form. Under the excellent direction of Jacqueline Coats, every nuance expression and indeed enunciation of the fine libretto was clear, yet not lacking in subtlety.

Arthur, the concerned husband of Molly, played by Christopher Anderson, was appropriately anxious but low-key as befitting someone not physically present – though perfectly visible to the audience. Stage manager Monika Smith played the silent role of the waitress at the tearooms.

Drummond’s music, Mozartiana and all, was apt, and amplified the mood that the words endeavoured to create. The singing was accurate, refined and characterful.

Composer and librettist were able to bring their undoubted comic gifts to the fore in the second, longer, opera. Music that ranged from Gilbert and Sullivan and vaudeville to classical from a variety of periods and styles enhanced the libretto and fitted it like a glove. The words were often hilarious, incorporating deliberately corny rhymes and amusing juxtapositions.

The cast of nine were all strong, with overplayed characterisations the order of the day. This style suited most of the cast very well; all roles were to some extent comic, but those played by Craig Beardsworth (Samuel Pigeon), Bruce Carson (Captain Frobisher Albatross), Marilyn Reynolds (Mrs Albatross), Christopher Anderson (George Tomata), Simon Baskerville (Mr Figgins) and Brigitte Heuser (Susan) were particularly so. The other performers, Ellen Watts (Charlotte Pigeon), Mrs Blight (Linden Loader) and Mrs Figgins (Annabelle Cheetham) were their equal in clarity of words and music, vocal line and tone, and excellence of acting.

The small venue allowed for the detail of the fine acting to be easily observed. Much credit must go to Jacqueline Coats.

Poking fun at Victorian manners and morals has never been more enjoyably scripted nor more musically set than this. With superb acting and singing, splendid costuming, intelligent directing, a night of enjoyable opera and good food saw Sirius off with a bang.

Review by Rosemary Collier