The Gondoliers

The Gondoliers
Book by W S Gilbert. Music by Arthur Sullivan. Kyneton Theatre Company. Director Francis Kelly. Musical Director Tim Francis. Choreographer Melanie Burlak. Designer Donald White. April 19 – 27, 2013.

If you wanted proof of the value to a community of a vibrant local theatre company, then you would need to look no further than the Kyneton Theatre Company – whose sparkling production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s final collaboration closed on Saturday night.

Even in spite of the brutal aesthetics of the restored Mechanics Institute (where the company are temporarily housed while their historic Bluestone Theatre home waits patiently for restoration around the corner in Hutton Street), this talented company rose well above the restrictions of the tiny stage and acoustic deficiencies to deliver a marvellously engaging production of G&S’s unloved child. Often compared less-favourably to the stalwarts of the G&S canon such as The Mikado, HMS Pinafore and The Pirates of PenzanceThe Gondoliers is rich with the beautiful melodies, harmonies, wit and unique banter for which Gilbert and Sullivan are rightly celebrated.

We first meet two gondoliers Guiseppe (Kyal Tripodi) and Marco (Jarrod Catt), who in spite of the attentions of the local female population, end up choosing to marry their sweethearts Gianetta (Elizabeth Barrow, who is shortly to begin working with Opera Australia) and Tessa (Kate Jackson). The celebrations are abruptly brought to a halt when the Duke of Plaza-Toro (Don White), the Duchess (Elaine Murphy), their daughter Casilda (Rianne Graham) and a drum-beating attendant Luiz (Matthew Francis) arrive in Venice in a flurry of pomp and circumstance – on this occasion, a hilarious entrance from the back of the hall and through the audience in a gondola! With the arrival of ‘The Grand Inquisitor’ Don Alhambra del Bolero (Peter Kelly), we then learn that one of the gondoliers is actually the King of Barataria who was married to Casilda in infancy.

The gondoliers are compelled to leave their wives behind and set sail from Venice to jointly rule their kingdom of Barataria (which they promptly declare a republic), before the identity of the real King of Barataria is revealed. After much rejoicing and a few hilarious recriminations, everyone lives happily ever after.

Mr Francis, the 21-year-old musical director, lead the company and his excellent ensemble of talented musicians, with an extraordinary level of skill that belies his age and experience (this was his first production as musical director). There is no doubt whatsoever that on the basis of this seriously accomplished debut, the services of Mr Francis will be in huge demand – with some of his tempi simply breath-takingly good. With exquisite work from flautists Kate Lawrence and Wade Dinning within a marvellously balanced orchestra, this was an orchestra that ensured this performance became unforgettable.

Kyneton Theatre Company is obviously an incredibly resourceful company with the enviable knack of being able to make the very best of the very little they have to work with. It was a particularly heart-warming feeling to arrive at the theatre and see Mr White’s gorgeous, functional set (and later, the costumes) that suited the demands of the production perfectly – with the arrival of the first gondola, gliding across the back of the stage, bringing audible gasps of delight from the audience. A good deal of creativity had obviously gone into the design and painting of the simple but effective set that positively glowed under Peter Kelly’s lighting design.

Ms Kelly created beautifully balanced stage pictures with her large cast of enthusiastic performers, and moved the production along at a brisk pace. While space on the stage might not have been at a premium in the ensemble numbers, it was fantastic to see such a large, committed and confident cast, obviously having the time of their lives.

So did we.

Geoffrey Williams

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