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The Mikado |
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Aberystwyth Showtime Singers |
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Aberystwyth Arts Centre |
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February 8, 2008 |
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The Mikado, performed by the Showtime Singers, Aberystwyth Arts Centre,February 7th. Review by Alex J Gilbey. As shows go, this one is long on details. Complex score, intricate plot and fiendish libretto combine to give an incredible spectacle when done right. Pitching up on the first night I was prepared for the occasional slip in character or fluffed line. Ten minutes in I gave up looking and settled back to enjoy the performance. After a brief and accomplished overture from Wynford Jones’ orchestra the curtain rolled up to reveal a Japanese courtyard while the chorus launched into the first song. Scenery was basic and remained unchanged throughout. A set of stairs leading to an upper level gave the setting some depth and the stage was framed by the backdrop of a Japanese arch. This along with an oriental statue and a fibreglass rock gave some tone without distracting attention away from the performances. Performances there were in plenty. Subtlety had been dispensed with in favour of large characters and larger songs and I can’t say I missed it. With a horde of kimono bedecked chorus members looking on and setting the mood wonderfully, the leads began to make their appearances. Ranging in age from student to non-student they pulled together to produce a spectacle that held the audience rapt. Taking in doomed love, resurrected lovers, hugely corrupt characters, ineffective executioners and God knows what else, with tunes you can hum all the way home, the play took the audience along with it whether they wanted to go or not. If you don’t know the basic shape of the thing, then it would take far too long to describe it here. Think of it as musical comedy with a cast of characters scrambling to avoid being married, discovered or beheaded and voicing their irritation in incredibly funny songs. Props were few and far between, usually consisting of letters, lists and an executioners axe that the executioner feels unqualified to use. Costume however was eye catching, with kimonos in every colour of the rainbow and false beards with lives of their own. With the full chorus on stage this gave an exceptionally vibrant look to the thing, but one that reflected back onto the characters. Criticisms are few and minor. As was to be expected on the first night of a play this complex there were occasional slips in lines which were quickly glossed over. Perhaps for the same reason the occasional line faded slightly. These however were largely irrelevant and when the orchestra received a terse word of command as the curtain rose on act two, it bought a smile not a frown. Musically the show was triumphant. Gilbert and Sullivan were (are) universally renowned and occasionally reviled for complexity in words and music, and orchestra and singers coped magnificently, with hardly a word lost or (so far as I could tell) a note out of place. There were a few moments when eyes seemed to have glazed over as people recalled their next line while others said theirs, but this disappeared as the show gathered pace. As per usual I am torn over whether to mention specific names. This being an ensemble piece if one person is named then so must the other be and if them why not everyone? I will however applaud the ladies and gentlemen of the chorus, the Director Joanne Julier and the Musical Director Wynford Jones. And these shall be the only names mentioned, unless, to paraphrase, I am insulted with a substantial bribe. This seems unlikely. On that note then, go and watch it for yourself. You’ll certainly enjoy it more than reading a review of it. Far more musical. |
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| Alex Gilbey | |
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