The Contrabandista / Cavalleria Rusticana

The first season of this double bill was so successful, that Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Victoria decided to repeat it at a different venue. Of course not everyone was available, so there were some performers new to their roles and, as it had been double cast in the first instance, many were new to me.

The Contrabandista was just as much fun the second time around, and the new Rita, Alison McIntosh-Deszcz, sang well and looked lovely. Her new Vasquez, Danny Starr, a musical theatre performer, has a very good voice, but struggled with the high tessitura.

The surprise of the evening was Andrew Lees in the demanding role of Turridu in Cavalleria Rusticana. I had previously seen him as Danny in The Merry Widow of Bluegum Creek and was pleased to hear his ringing tenor easily cope with the demands of this dramatic role, though his voice is not really big enough for this role in a large theatre at this stage. His acting was strong, and the occasional stiffness will dissipate with more experience.

Unfortunately, Kimberley Colman’s lovely lyric soprano voice was unsuitable for the dramatic role of Santuzza. Similarly music theatre baritone, Henry Shaw, a wonderful Jose in Contrabandista, did not have the impact in the upper register in the operatic role of Alfio.

One thing which I noticed this time was the use of stillness in Cavalleria Rusticana. There is great strength in this, and there were a number of occasions when it was used most effectively, adding to the tension.

This was a highly entertaining evening, though I would suggest G&S steer away from the verismo operas in future.

Graham Ford

Photographer: Robin Halls.