 | Christchurch Gilbert and Sullivan Society | |
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| John Ponting's fine tenor voice and excellent diction made him the ideal choice for the role of Colonel Fairfax in this the most serious of the Savoy Operas. Unfortunately, several of his fellow principals rendered the magnificent libretto almost inaudible, either through turning upstage too often or by speaking too rapidly. And it wasn't the best idea to have several of the chorus dismantling and removing a large platform while an important piece of the dialogue was going on. However, there were more than enough good points to outweigh the bad, not least an absolutely superb set, subtle lighting effects | and some very strong principal performances. Christine Eastwood acted the part of Elsie Maynard delightfully, even if she did not seem entirely at ease vocally and was really not the right age for the role. Judy Broom was suitably pert as Phoebe and Zachary Higgins brought plenty of pathos to the part of Jack Point, but the show's highlight was Brian Morgan as a wonderfully sly, slimy Wilfred Shadbolt. It was also lovely to hear the rarely sung Dame Carruthers/Sgt Meryll duet, Rapture! Rapture! - and although those words may not quite apply to this production, it certainly had many enjoyable moments. | |||