
( First Night)
It was a wobbly start, giving credence to the final theatrical rush conveyed by the script.
A beautifully sung solo by the Wardrobe Lady (Tracey Gillard) and the choral piece filled the stage with promise of liveliness and energy that became a feature of the show as it progressed.
Opening night is always fraught and things do go wrong. And wrong they went. At some points the prompt (Sue Vesey) almost became an integral part of the cast(and did great job!) Despite those hiccups there was much to be admired.
Lilli/Kate (Caroline Peacock), every inch the beautiful actress, sang and acted her way into our hearts. It was a strong and consistent performance. As Kate we loved her spirit and self-assurance.
Her sister Bianca/Lois (Sophie Johnstone) gave an equally strong performance and her lovely rendition of “Always True to You in my Fashion” brought the second half to a different level.
Bill Calhoun/Lucentio played by Emile Maurice-Toussaint was charismatic and athletic.
Indeed, the second half was much more lively, had better pace, and saw everyone “settled” into his or her roles, the first night nerves having evaporated it seemed. Harry Trevor/Baptista Minola (Andrew Hamel-Cooke) playing Kate and Bianca’s father with polish and confidence.
The chorus song and dance sections were very well done throughout and the spectacular “Too Darn Hot” despite intonation problems had verve, colour and a real sense of enjoyment. Nathan Farrell, as Paul, led the way with great style and panache.
It was a miraculous piece of choreography that allowed such athleticism by so many to survive and blossom in so small a space.
Fred Graham/Petruchio (Arnold Pindar) had difficulty in keeping his dialogue flowing but all was forgiven the moment he began to sing. Here he was in his element; the voice effortlessly “produced the goods.”
In fact the singing was always a pleasure and much credit for this is due to the Music Director James Marr and the trio of musicians. Well done!
The comedic characters, the 1st and 2nd gangsters (Jeff Wightwick and David West) were very, very amusing and the audience really loved them. Their faces expressed the whole gamut of emotions from gangster confidence to complete bewilderment by the goings on around them on the stage. Some fluffs in the singing of “Brush Up Your Shakespeare” perhaps made the audience enjoy their performances even more.
The costuming was very effective and colourful if sometimes less than secure than one might have hoped. The only really annoying costumes were the slip-on codpieces that did little more than cause confusion. Perhaps the General (played convincingly by Peter Leith) deserved more military ribbons on his uniform being a General with Presidential aspirations.
Other roles were very supportive. Annabelle Farrell as Hattie, Maurice Buckley as the stage Doorkeeper keeping the actors ready to get on stage and Hortensio (Keith White) and Gremio (Francis Pindar) played key roles allowing the other characters to play their parts convincingly. There were several examples of excellent interplay.
The colour in the final chorus was really lovely. How fortunate to have a cast who were able to wear period costume with such ease!
One or two glitches early in the lighting were soon forgotten as the stage filled with light and colour and the following spot always followed.
Complex and impressive sets changed smoothly and quietly. The revolve was used to great effect. Large pieces of set moved forward and around with wonderful ease.
I cannot praise too highly the chorus and the dancers who held it all together helped to create a really enjoyable evening. I wish I had seen it on the closing night—it was spectacular, I’m sure.
Polly.