Reaching the two-decade mark is a significant milestone for any arts organization, not least for a company specializing in presenting operetta. In our speed- and technology-obsessed age, this musical genre can often seem quaint and unfashionable. The fact that Light Opera Works has bucked the odds and managed to survive is a testament to the skill and tenacity of company founders Bridget McDonough and Philip Kraus and all the rest who have helped to keep the local flame burning for this vital and delightful form of musical theater.
The production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Gondoliers,” which opened the company’s 20th season Saturday night at Cahn Auditorium in Evanston, was greatly anticipated, as the first helmed by the company’s new artistic director, Lara Teeter. Yet anyone looking for a significant stylistic departure from previous LOW shows will search mostly in vain. The same company strengths (casting, musical direction, costumes) and weaknesses (on-and-off amplification, oft-used sets and overbroad comedy) seemed as present as ever. Yet despite some rough edges on opening night, this new show provided a generally enjoyable performance, worthy of one of G & S’s best shows.
Premiered in 1889, “The Gondoliers” was the last great success enjoyed by Gilbert and Sullivan. The down-at-heels Spanish Duke of Plaza-Toro wants to improve his social and financial standing by wedding his reluctant daughter to one of two Venice gondolier brothers, who is believed to be a prince of the island of Barataria. Gilbert’s usual preposterous plot of mixed-up births and sly lampooning of English social class conventions, allied to some of Sullivan’s most inspired music, makes for one of the English duo’s best collaborations.
Saturday’s performance got off to a weak start with the opening 20 minutes of uninterrupted music hampered by inaudible solo singing and cloudy choral work, sounding like the amplification was either turned off or not working. Things improved sonically and stylistically with the arrival of the grandee Duke, played by Frederick Reeder. While a little prissy and over the top at times, Reeder combined the humor and singing most idiomatically, with a wonderful nimble agility in his patter songs.
Irritated by the demands of his singers, Gilbert sought his revenge in “Gondoliers” by spreading the music among nine major characters, none of whom has a leading part. As the Palmieri brothers gondolieri, Erich Buchholz and Christopher Garbrecht, if not very incisive on the humor, were solid vocally, with Buchholz giving a lovely reading of “Take a Pair of Sparkling Eyes.” Both were well matched by their brides Gianetta and Tessa, Kelli Harrington and Amy Pickering, the latter delivering a graceful “When a Merry Maiden Marries.”
Michelle Areyzaga as the Duke’s daughter Casilda and Calland Metts as her lover Luiz formed an equally complementary pair, blending nicely in their duet. Peter Pohlhammer showed fine G & S style in both his comedy and singing as the Grand Inquisitor, and Ann G. Hoselitz was a formidable Duchess.
Teeter’s direction and choreography were lively and inspired with a few individual touches, and Sahin Sahinoglu’s sets did something with little. The garish white powder and rouge for the characters’ transformation (somehow) to Parisian court royalty in Act II seemed a little bizarre, but Mary Ellen Park’s costumes were clever and colorful.
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“The Gondoliers”
When: Through Sunday
Where: Cahn Auditorium, 600 Emerston St., Evanston
Phone: 847-869-6300
