“Is G&S passé?” Dr. Robert Cello was asked in 1973. “Come on,” he snorted, eyes flashing. “Gilbert and Sullivan is timeless; it’s political satire at its best.”
The first production for the newly formed Davis Comic Opera Company was a potpourri at Wyatt Pavilion. There was a “Mini Mikado,” a full length “Trial by Jury” and “an assemblage of songs, dances, madrigals, heroines, heroes, and other persons from lesser and better known G&S operettas.”
Violinist Judy Riggs was in the orchestra for that first production, under the musical direction of Richard Brunelle. Little did she know then that she would play in every DCOC production for the next 33 years. “It was a good way for me to keep my music going,” she said, modestly.
The production was directed by Cello, with a cast of performers and musicians whose names continued to grace DCOC programs for years to come, and read like a “who’s who”of Davis musical theater history: Dick Walters, Ivan Sandoval, Stephen Peithman, Amy Patten, Martha Dickman, Barbara Slemmons, Cappy Stewart, Malcolm McKenzie, Dorothy West...some 50 or so performers and technicians eager to present the works of Gilbert and Sullivan.
Cello was obviously right. The town took the fledgling company to its heart and the initial show played to sell-out houses, despite the oppressive summer heat in the Wyatt Pavilion.
The company readied its second production, “Ruddygore,” for the opening festivities of the newly built Veterans Memorial Theater, which would remain DCOC’s permanent home. The portraits of “ancestors” used in the second act were actual portraits of the actors who played the roles. (Jim Hutchinson still has his hanging in his home.)
By the time the 1975 season opened, with the first production of “Yeomen of the Guard,” Bob Cello had gone on sabbatical leave and in his place Barbara Slemmons took over as director, and with Richard Brunelle on stage as Jack Point, musical direction was handled by Dan Parsons. The monumental 4-level castle, designed by the late David Wagner was the most ambitious to date. Again, the production garnered rave reviews, and the reputation of the young company seemed to be established.
Over its 33 year history, the Davis Comic Opera Company presented all 12 of the commonly produced Gilbert & Sullivan works and introduced the town to some 14 other period operettas, as well as two originally written works by Stephen Peithman and Bev Sykes. More than 50 shows in all.
The 1991 “Iolanthe,” directed by Charlotte French, with musical direction by Frederick Lange, was a high point for Stephen Peithman. It was a new way to look at an old favorite, being presented as if by a traveling theater company. Scenic designer Fred Forester built a set inside a huge crate, sitting on a bare stage. “Suddenly the overture began, guys came out and opened the crate and it was like a popup book. That was a magical moment,” Peithman recalled.
“Iolanthe” was not the first show to give an innovative look to an old favorite. Dan Kryston directed the 1978 “Princess Ida” (with musical direction by Carl Naluai) as a cartoonesque fairy tale, which offered opportunity for the most outrageous buffoonery in the company’s then-six year history. The sets by Richard Rose and costumes by Charlotte French could not have been more over the top. Malcolm McKenzie was a jovial, pot bellied King Hildebrand and Ida’s brother Arac, played by Henry Teichert, was described as “a tin soldier of a Kewpie doll.”
French also liked the 1993 production of “Mikado,” she directed, with Ralph Netz in the title role and Peter Shack playing Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner. She recalled that Shack’s young son cried because he “didn’t want Daddy to marry that witch woman.” (Lenore (Turner) Heinson, as Katisha)
A Martha Dickman favorite moment was professor/actor/director/singer Harry Johnson’s performance in the 1992 production of “Tintypes,” with a cast of five representing several well-known historical figures of the era from 1897 to the first World War. Directed by Stephen Peithman with musical direction by Patricia Lange, this was a show whose talented cast included three directors and four choreographers.
“I loved ‘Naughty Marietta,’” said Craig Morphis. “It was directed by Steve Peithman and what a fabulous cast, with Martin Beal and Anna Vikre, but it was so old fashioned nobody came to see it.”
“I liked it when we stretched ourselves,” said Peithman. “There was a lot of concern about doing Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music” (which Peithman directed), for example, but we did a magnficent job. I was so proud!” The 1981 production, with musical direction by Frederick Lang, set design by Ed Nordsrom and costume design by Charlotte French, is still considered one of the all-time favorite productions.
Jim Hutchinson’s personal favorites are shows where he had the opportunity to step into the spotlight, as Sir Joseph in “Pinafore” and as John Wellington Wells in “The Sorcerer.”
Walt Sykes remembers the time an owl got into the theater and settled in the flies, and the audience was confused by the feathers floating down onto the stage during Act 1.
What may have been the scariest moment in DCOC history occurred during the 10th anniversary show. A storm caused the drains to back up. Water came in through the loading dock of the Veterans Memorial Theater, across the stage and down into the orchestra pit, where there was a lot of electrical equipment. Everyone mopped and swept and bailed. Curtain time was 12 minutes late.
In a 1974 interview, Bob Cello indicated plans of growth for the fledgling company, and expressed hope to expand to works by other composers as well.
If Cello could be here as DCOC looks back on its 33 year history, he’d be quite proud of this baby he birthed back in 1973.
Showing posts with label DCOC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DCOC. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Dry the Glist'ning Tear
I was loading groceries into my car when Sian Bianco stopped to tell me that the Davis Comic Opera Company was calling it quits.
DCOC, which was founded the year we moved to Davis, had been a part of our lives for more than 30 years. I had been its publicist for many years. My husband has been the technical director for more than twenty years. Our daughter was the set designer for one show. Now, seemingly out of nowhere, I learned that the company was about to be dissolved.
“It was probably time,” said Jim Hutchinson, a founding member, who performed up to 2003. “We had a good run, but even good things have to end.”
“I feel very sad about it,” said Martha Dickman, founding member, and producer for more than 25 years, “but we are losing people who understand and know what comic opera is.”
“I have to accept that there is no longer an audience for something that I love so much,” added Craig Morphis, who made his debut in 1986 as the Pirate King in “Pirates of Penzance.” “I love Gilbert and Sullivan. It’s incredibly clever and funny. It kills me that there just aren’t enough people who enjoy it to make a go of it any more.”
“It is a specialized type of theater,” agrees actor/musical director Roy Spicer. “It’s not comic, as in ‘ha-ha funny.’ Most younger people say ‘Gilbert and Sullivan--who?’ The world’s view of humor has changed.”
Bianco noted lower ticket sales, rising production costs, and increasing competition from newer theater companies. “It’s all about money and time and competing against iPods, DVDs, playstations and other theaters,” he said.
It wasn’t like that in 1972, when the late Dr. Robert Cello, head of the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital met with cast members from a Davis Art Center production of “Fiddler on the Roof” and proposed forming a company to perform the works of Gilbert & Sullivan.
“We were almost the only game in town and it was fun” said Dickman. “We had the backing of the community then,” she added.
The City of Davis provided $500 in seed money. (The company returned the money a year later as its contribution toward improving lighting at the Veterans Memorial Theater.)
Performer, director, writer and founding member Stephen Peithman noted that there weren’t many musical theater groups in the greater Sacramento area in 1972. “We pulled in audiences not only from Davis but from Sacramento as well. We had a huge audience and a huge number of people involved.”
Many members lived in Davis and worked at the university, so could arrange their schedules to do community outreach, give free performances in the parks, participate at events like Picnic Day, visit schools, etc.
There was also a continuity of contact. DCOC produced two shows a year. Subscribers could set their calendars by that schedule. A newsletter (“The Basingstoke Bugle”) was published regularly, informing company and audience alike of upcoming events, performer news, and behind the scenes stories. The champagne gala, with hors d’oeuvres made by company members, was the highlight of the theater season for many people.
Behind the scenes there were the little traditions that bonded the company.
There was Krade’s barn, out on Road 95, where sets were built and stored. It became the company “place,” which ceased to exist when Harry and Margaret Krade sold their farm and moved into town.
Cast parties, lasted long into the night, with people gathered around a piano to sing. Groups went Christmas caroling each December.
The tech crew held its own private party on stage, the second week of performance, when the pressure was off.
“(Costumer) Marinka Phaff would have all of the costume ladies to her house after a show,” recalls performer, director, choreographer and costumer Charlotte French. “She’d make borscht and bread in the shape of our initials.”
Cappy Stewart, who, with husband Doan, did props for all DCOC shows, became the “M&M lady,” with her bowl of candies backstage at all performances.
The company saw its share of romances and marriages, witnessed the birth of DCOC babies, and said goodbye to beloved members like Amy Patten, Carolyn Wyatt, Harry Krade, Susan Wershing, and Cello himself, among too many others.
Children of DCOC members grew up in the company. LuAnn Gruebele (now Higgs), daughter of keyboardist Pat Lange, joined the chorus for the first show as a young teen, and moved into leading roles. The MacKenzie children all appeared in productions, as did Leslie Walters (daughter of Richard and Shipley). Jeri Sykes designed the set for “Tintypes,” Colin Gordon and Don Matteson joined the tech crew. Greg, Diane and Cindy Wershing worked with mother Susan on lighting. Lee Riggs, who grew up ushering at shows that his parents, Ralph and Judy were in, joined the chorus and now serves on the board.
This sense of “family” was exactly what founder, Bob Cello had in mind. In a 1973 interview, he stated, “You have to have a family feeling in a theater company, with everybody needed, everybody important, from the actor to the publicity people to the ticket-taker.”
Many state that most of their close friendships today grew out of involvement with DCOC. “People became a family and are still there for each other as long term friends,” said Lee Riggs.
“DCOC has been not only a major part of my life but it’s why I’m in Davis,” added Stephen Peithman, who noted that without DCOC, “Stage Directions,” the national magazine for community theater, started by Susan Wershing, would never have been a reality.
Nancianne Pfister, who joined in 1976 as director’s assistant (“I didn’t even know what a director’s assistant was!”), a position she held for more than 25 years says, “There is no way that I could even begin to calculate how this company has enriched my life. I met all these incredibly talented, warm, wonderful, eccentric, crazy people. My kind of crowd.”
But change was inevitable. As the company’s reputation grew, actors came in from Sacramento, wanting to get on-stage experience. Most weren’t interested in becoming involved with the company beyond the show itself, and after a production or two, they moved on. DCOC began to lose that family feeling.
Finding a volunteer orchestra was easier in the early years, but when more opportunities arose for musicians to be paid by other venues, the company bit the bullet and began paying musicians. Bianco, who has been musical director as well as performer, notes that costs for the orchestra alone went from zero to $7,000 per show, at a time when audience attendance was beginning to decline. River City Bank stepped in with orchestral sponsorship, but it wasn’t enough.
There were still big money makers, HalWright, vice president, insists. He recalls the 2002 “Mikado,” directed by Gil Sebastian, which was a sellout.
“When Gil brought in Musical Director Kern Holoman and his university orchestra, that was the epitome of what true community theater was about,” said Lenore Sebastian. (“That’s also what led to DCOC being involved with ‘HMS Pinafore’ at the Mondavi Center,” she added.)
Morphis admitted that the “Pirates of Penzance” he directed in 2003 made more money than any show in the previous 10 years.
“This was a hard decision for the board, and not a happy one,” said Riggs. “but I think in the long run, it was the right decision.”
There is talk of a final show, or a potpourri, or perhaps just a party, but there is no set plan. “We don’t want to see DCOC go out with a whimper,” stated Sebastian, emphatically.
There are hints of another company rising out of the ashes, but nothing definite. The one certainty is that the Davis Comic Opera Company will cease to exist on June 1, 2006.
“I have no regrets,” says Peithman. “There is a lifespan for everything. We had a good run. We did high quality work and created a family that still exists, but nothing is forever. There is sadness in something ending, but we keep the good memory of what we were able to accomplish.”
DCOC, which was founded the year we moved to Davis, had been a part of our lives for more than 30 years. I had been its publicist for many years. My husband has been the technical director for more than twenty years. Our daughter was the set designer for one show. Now, seemingly out of nowhere, I learned that the company was about to be dissolved.
“It was probably time,” said Jim Hutchinson, a founding member, who performed up to 2003. “We had a good run, but even good things have to end.”
“I feel very sad about it,” said Martha Dickman, founding member, and producer for more than 25 years, “but we are losing people who understand and know what comic opera is.”
“I have to accept that there is no longer an audience for something that I love so much,” added Craig Morphis, who made his debut in 1986 as the Pirate King in “Pirates of Penzance.” “I love Gilbert and Sullivan. It’s incredibly clever and funny. It kills me that there just aren’t enough people who enjoy it to make a go of it any more.”
“It is a specialized type of theater,” agrees actor/musical director Roy Spicer. “It’s not comic, as in ‘ha-ha funny.’ Most younger people say ‘Gilbert and Sullivan--who?’ The world’s view of humor has changed.”
Bianco noted lower ticket sales, rising production costs, and increasing competition from newer theater companies. “It’s all about money and time and competing against iPods, DVDs, playstations and other theaters,” he said.
It wasn’t like that in 1972, when the late Dr. Robert Cello, head of the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital met with cast members from a Davis Art Center production of “Fiddler on the Roof” and proposed forming a company to perform the works of Gilbert & Sullivan.
“We were almost the only game in town and it was fun” said Dickman. “We had the backing of the community then,” she added.
The City of Davis provided $500 in seed money. (The company returned the money a year later as its contribution toward improving lighting at the Veterans Memorial Theater.)
Performer, director, writer and founding member Stephen Peithman noted that there weren’t many musical theater groups in the greater Sacramento area in 1972. “We pulled in audiences not only from Davis but from Sacramento as well. We had a huge audience and a huge number of people involved.”
Many members lived in Davis and worked at the university, so could arrange their schedules to do community outreach, give free performances in the parks, participate at events like Picnic Day, visit schools, etc.
There was also a continuity of contact. DCOC produced two shows a year. Subscribers could set their calendars by that schedule. A newsletter (“The Basingstoke Bugle”) was published regularly, informing company and audience alike of upcoming events, performer news, and behind the scenes stories. The champagne gala, with hors d’oeuvres made by company members, was the highlight of the theater season for many people.
Behind the scenes there were the little traditions that bonded the company.
There was Krade’s barn, out on Road 95, where sets were built and stored. It became the company “place,” which ceased to exist when Harry and Margaret Krade sold their farm and moved into town.
Cast parties, lasted long into the night, with people gathered around a piano to sing. Groups went Christmas caroling each December.
The tech crew held its own private party on stage, the second week of performance, when the pressure was off.
“(Costumer) Marinka Phaff would have all of the costume ladies to her house after a show,” recalls performer, director, choreographer and costumer Charlotte French. “She’d make borscht and bread in the shape of our initials.”
Cappy Stewart, who, with husband Doan, did props for all DCOC shows, became the “M&M lady,” with her bowl of candies backstage at all performances.
The company saw its share of romances and marriages, witnessed the birth of DCOC babies, and said goodbye to beloved members like Amy Patten, Carolyn Wyatt, Harry Krade, Susan Wershing, and Cello himself, among too many others.
Children of DCOC members grew up in the company. LuAnn Gruebele (now Higgs), daughter of keyboardist Pat Lange, joined the chorus for the first show as a young teen, and moved into leading roles. The MacKenzie children all appeared in productions, as did Leslie Walters (daughter of Richard and Shipley). Jeri Sykes designed the set for “Tintypes,” Colin Gordon and Don Matteson joined the tech crew. Greg, Diane and Cindy Wershing worked with mother Susan on lighting. Lee Riggs, who grew up ushering at shows that his parents, Ralph and Judy were in, joined the chorus and now serves on the board.
This sense of “family” was exactly what founder, Bob Cello had in mind. In a 1973 interview, he stated, “You have to have a family feeling in a theater company, with everybody needed, everybody important, from the actor to the publicity people to the ticket-taker.”
Many state that most of their close friendships today grew out of involvement with DCOC. “People became a family and are still there for each other as long term friends,” said Lee Riggs.
“DCOC has been not only a major part of my life but it’s why I’m in Davis,” added Stephen Peithman, who noted that without DCOC, “Stage Directions,” the national magazine for community theater, started by Susan Wershing, would never have been a reality.
Nancianne Pfister, who joined in 1976 as director’s assistant (“I didn’t even know what a director’s assistant was!”), a position she held for more than 25 years says, “There is no way that I could even begin to calculate how this company has enriched my life. I met all these incredibly talented, warm, wonderful, eccentric, crazy people. My kind of crowd.”
But change was inevitable. As the company’s reputation grew, actors came in from Sacramento, wanting to get on-stage experience. Most weren’t interested in becoming involved with the company beyond the show itself, and after a production or two, they moved on. DCOC began to lose that family feeling.
Finding a volunteer orchestra was easier in the early years, but when more opportunities arose for musicians to be paid by other venues, the company bit the bullet and began paying musicians. Bianco, who has been musical director as well as performer, notes that costs for the orchestra alone went from zero to $7,000 per show, at a time when audience attendance was beginning to decline. River City Bank stepped in with orchestral sponsorship, but it wasn’t enough.
There were still big money makers, HalWright, vice president, insists. He recalls the 2002 “Mikado,” directed by Gil Sebastian, which was a sellout.
“When Gil brought in Musical Director Kern Holoman and his university orchestra, that was the epitome of what true community theater was about,” said Lenore Sebastian. (“That’s also what led to DCOC being involved with ‘HMS Pinafore’ at the Mondavi Center,” she added.)
Morphis admitted that the “Pirates of Penzance” he directed in 2003 made more money than any show in the previous 10 years.
“This was a hard decision for the board, and not a happy one,” said Riggs. “but I think in the long run, it was the right decision.”
There is talk of a final show, or a potpourri, or perhaps just a party, but there is no set plan. “We don’t want to see DCOC go out with a whimper,” stated Sebastian, emphatically.
There are hints of another company rising out of the ashes, but nothing definite. The one certainty is that the Davis Comic Opera Company will cease to exist on June 1, 2006.
“I have no regrets,” says Peithman. “There is a lifespan for everything. We had a good run. We did high quality work and created a family that still exists, but nothing is forever. There is sadness in something ending, but we keep the good memory of what we were able to accomplish.”
Monday, October 11, 2004
Iolanthe
Everyone is in love with Phyllis. And why wouldn’t they be?
Davis Comic Opera company newcomer Kelly Mustain has the role of the young ward of Chancery in DCOC’s production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s “Iolanthe,” directed by Jill Wright, which opened at the Veterans Memorial Theatre this week end, for a three week end run. Mustain is cute as a button, with a terrific voice to boot and it’s easy to see why everyone loves her.
Phyllis has a few problems. She doesn’t know that her fiance is half a fairy, the girl she thinks is his secret girlfriend is actually his mother, her guardian and all the noble peers are in love with her and it looks like she might have to marry an old man she does not love.
Not a good day for Phyllis.
“Iolanthe,” the seventh collaboration of the British dynamic duo, opened at the Savoy theatre in 1882. The Aristocracy had always been the target of W.S. Gilbert’s biting wit, but in this "fairy opera," the House of Lords is lampooned as a bastion of the ineffective, the privileged and the dim-witted. The political party system and other institutions also come in for a dose of satire.
DCOC gives a visually striking, often sprightly production that brought many laughs to the audience.
Marguerite Morris plays the title character, Iolanthe, a fairy banished many years ago for breaking the biggest fairy law: she married a mortal. Morris has a beautiful voice and brings much depth to the character, with an especially poignant and tender scene in Act 2.
Rachel Robinson, as the Queen of the Fairies, is an interesting bit of casting. Gilbert & Sullivan were famous for including a large matronly woman in each of their operettas--Little Buttercup in HMS Pinafore and Katisha in The Mikado, for example. The Fairy Queen is traditionally an older, larger woman (making the line “I see no objection to stoutness--in moderation” worthy of laughs). However, Robinson is neither older nor larger. And for once, the casting makes sense, since the dialog indicates that the nice thing about fairies is that they are immortal and never grow old.
The Fairy Queen is approached by fairies Celia (Rhiannon Guevin) and Leila (Savanah Scott) to forgive Iolanthe and return her to her fairy band. Guevin and Scott are delightful fairies, Scott bewitchingly impish and 14 year old Guevin coyly petulant. Both are consistently fun to watch.
As Iolanthe’s young son, Strephon, Roy Spicer is a likeable fellow who gives an energetic performance. From his first entrance, one has the sense that this is a professional at work. He has a strong baritone voice and there is nice chemistry between himself and Phyllis.
Craig Morphis’ Lord Chancelor is simply wonderful. Morphis takes command of any stage and never fails to deliver a memorable performance. The Lord Chancellor struggles with his love for Phyllis and his sense of duty, which will not permit him to award her hand to himself. Morphis’ rendition of the “Nightmare Song” was crisp and clean with every rapid-fire syllable understandable.
The Peers are led by Lord Tolloller and Lord Montararat. Peter Shack as Tolloller has never been better. He made the role his own.
Montararat is played by long-time DCOC favorite, Malcolm MacKenzie, who effectively portrayed the peer as a doddering old fool. MacKenzie was a late addition to the cast, replacing the original actor who was unable to continue, and had not yet learned all his lines, which he read from a notebook he carried around with him on stage. This may also explain why he lacked his usual forceful projection, having difficulty getting some of his lyrics over the orchestra.
Malcolm’s son Ken MacKenzie played Private Willis, the Grenadier Guard with the impossibly tall fur hat, who catches the eye of the Fairy Queen. Willis’ song does not fit comfortably within Ken’s vocal range but he made the best of it.
The orchestra, under the direction of Sean Bianco was full and rich and special kudos are due trumpeters Christopher Rumery and Paul Marenco for their competent handling of the introduction to the March of the Peers.
Sets were designed by Robin Houston, who has created an enchanting fairy glade, including a stone bridge arching over the orchestra pit. The second act, set in front of the Houses of Parliament includes a Big Ben so realistic that even the hands on the clock move.
The sets are enhanced by the intricate lighting design of Richard Williams.
Laura Coe’s costumes were colorful, with wispy fairy garb and rich fur-lined capes for the peers.
Will Phyllis and Strephon wind up together? Only Iolanthe, whose dark secret is the key to their happiness, knows the answer to that question. The peers and the fairies are virtually at war, and long friendships are nearly torn asunder. But in the end, it is the Legal Mind which comes up with a clever solution to the problem.
Davis Comic Opera company newcomer Kelly Mustain has the role of the young ward of Chancery in DCOC’s production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s “Iolanthe,” directed by Jill Wright, which opened at the Veterans Memorial Theatre this week end, for a three week end run. Mustain is cute as a button, with a terrific voice to boot and it’s easy to see why everyone loves her.
Phyllis has a few problems. She doesn’t know that her fiance is half a fairy, the girl she thinks is his secret girlfriend is actually his mother, her guardian and all the noble peers are in love with her and it looks like she might have to marry an old man she does not love.
Not a good day for Phyllis.
“Iolanthe,” the seventh collaboration of the British dynamic duo, opened at the Savoy theatre in 1882. The Aristocracy had always been the target of W.S. Gilbert’s biting wit, but in this "fairy opera," the House of Lords is lampooned as a bastion of the ineffective, the privileged and the dim-witted. The political party system and other institutions also come in for a dose of satire.
DCOC gives a visually striking, often sprightly production that brought many laughs to the audience.
Marguerite Morris plays the title character, Iolanthe, a fairy banished many years ago for breaking the biggest fairy law: she married a mortal. Morris has a beautiful voice and brings much depth to the character, with an especially poignant and tender scene in Act 2.
Rachel Robinson, as the Queen of the Fairies, is an interesting bit of casting. Gilbert & Sullivan were famous for including a large matronly woman in each of their operettas--Little Buttercup in HMS Pinafore and Katisha in The Mikado, for example. The Fairy Queen is traditionally an older, larger woman (making the line “I see no objection to stoutness--in moderation” worthy of laughs). However, Robinson is neither older nor larger. And for once, the casting makes sense, since the dialog indicates that the nice thing about fairies is that they are immortal and never grow old.
The Fairy Queen is approached by fairies Celia (Rhiannon Guevin) and Leila (Savanah Scott) to forgive Iolanthe and return her to her fairy band. Guevin and Scott are delightful fairies, Scott bewitchingly impish and 14 year old Guevin coyly petulant. Both are consistently fun to watch.
As Iolanthe’s young son, Strephon, Roy Spicer is a likeable fellow who gives an energetic performance. From his first entrance, one has the sense that this is a professional at work. He has a strong baritone voice and there is nice chemistry between himself and Phyllis.
Craig Morphis’ Lord Chancelor is simply wonderful. Morphis takes command of any stage and never fails to deliver a memorable performance. The Lord Chancellor struggles with his love for Phyllis and his sense of duty, which will not permit him to award her hand to himself. Morphis’ rendition of the “Nightmare Song” was crisp and clean with every rapid-fire syllable understandable.
The Peers are led by Lord Tolloller and Lord Montararat. Peter Shack as Tolloller has never been better. He made the role his own.
Montararat is played by long-time DCOC favorite, Malcolm MacKenzie, who effectively portrayed the peer as a doddering old fool. MacKenzie was a late addition to the cast, replacing the original actor who was unable to continue, and had not yet learned all his lines, which he read from a notebook he carried around with him on stage. This may also explain why he lacked his usual forceful projection, having difficulty getting some of his lyrics over the orchestra.
Malcolm’s son Ken MacKenzie played Private Willis, the Grenadier Guard with the impossibly tall fur hat, who catches the eye of the Fairy Queen. Willis’ song does not fit comfortably within Ken’s vocal range but he made the best of it.
The orchestra, under the direction of Sean Bianco was full and rich and special kudos are due trumpeters Christopher Rumery and Paul Marenco for their competent handling of the introduction to the March of the Peers.
Sets were designed by Robin Houston, who has created an enchanting fairy glade, including a stone bridge arching over the orchestra pit. The second act, set in front of the Houses of Parliament includes a Big Ben so realistic that even the hands on the clock move.
The sets are enhanced by the intricate lighting design of Richard Williams.
Laura Coe’s costumes were colorful, with wispy fairy garb and rich fur-lined capes for the peers.
Will Phyllis and Strephon wind up together? Only Iolanthe, whose dark secret is the key to their happiness, knows the answer to that question. The peers and the fairies are virtually at war, and long friendships are nearly torn asunder. But in the end, it is the Legal Mind which comes up with a clever solution to the problem.
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