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SOCIETY; WEMBLEY
OPERATIC SOCIETY
PRODUCTION; "BRIGADOON"
DATE; 28/5/99
VENUE; WINSTON CHURCHILL HALL, RUISLIP
REPORT BY; VIC GOLDING
Wembley's first venture in their new venue was Lerner and Loewe's Musical "Brigadoon", a tale with elements of "Sleeping Beauty` and "Rip Van Winkle".
Allowing for the adjustment needed to stage in a smaller hall, the technical side, under Stuart La Plain, worked reasonably smoothly, though gaps in the scenery and wrinkled cloths were sometimes in evidence.
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The
Orchestra, conducted commandingly by Tom Rainbow, was splendid, but the
percussion, now that they are not in an orchestra pit, was a bit too emphatic,
and Tom's broad back obscured front centre stage from where we sat. A
point to watch, perhaps, for future performances!
Lighting, from John Jetten, and Sound, from Denis Cater and Ron Laver, were well-controlled, and Jean Lloyds Make-up was excellent.
Costumes were colourful and the made a brave display, though Sandy's 'modern' spectacles jarred.
Props, by Amanda Hutchinson, Sarah Edwards and Juliet Edgar, were suitably in period - 'Jean' obviously knew her nightdress would be on top of her 'hope chest', and the spinning wheel made another appearance!
Tom Rainbow's production
was lively, and his handling of the Chorus scenes was good, though more
curiosity and astonishment could have been shown at the appearance of
the 20th Century intruders. His choreography of the many Scottish reels
was energetically danced with the men's sword dance being particularly
effective. In other instances,
the dance sections seemed over-long.
Like their more famous "My Fair Lady", Lerner and Loewe's "Brigadoon" relies heavily on the singing and acting abilities of the two leads, Fiona and Tommy. The burden of the music, especially in the high register, seemed to strain Mary Moscrop's voice, though her acting and movement were superb. Dennis Hopwood, as Tommy, had a pleasant and melodious voice, but seemed rather wooden in his acting. When he picked up the 'family bible' he too instantly took in the relevant contents. His American accent, O.K. when he was with his seasoned side-kick, Jeff, slipped at other times.
The cynical Jeff as excellently played, with an authentic accent, by Ted Blake, and the man-hungry Meg (Shirley Emanuel) was amusing and partnered him well, though in both her 'patter' songs it was difficult to distinguish the words, as she tried to get her tongue round the Scottish names!
Luisa Hind, as Jean, danced with her usual grace, lighting up the stage with her smile, and her 'bridegroom', Charlie, was sympathetically taken by Mike Woodward with a pleasant light tenor voice.
Paul Couchman (How that young man gets around!) acted vigorously as the frustrated Harry Ritchie, and made a very convincing 'corpse', his 'head' injuries obviously being on the upstage side!
In minor roles, Ray May (Donald Ritchie) and Brian West (Andrew MacKeith) acted competently, Trisha Tebbatt mimed her part well as Maggie, and Sandy, MacGregor and Angus were well-acted and sung by Jonathan Hassell, Darren Jhuboo and Andy Murray.
Peter Fidler made the most of his expository cameo as Mr. Murdoch, Jennifer Georgia, in a tiny role, made a great impact as Jane, and Hugh Williams, in the thankless part of Frank, showed the importance of a background character. Craig Marshall played the bagpipes strongly, but was, unfortunately not in key with the Orchestra (or perhaps they with him?)
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The Chorus acted and reacted well, but the attempt at the Scottish accent obscured most of the words they were singing, except when they were all at the front of the stage, as in the final number, which came over really well.
Thank you for your kind invitation, and good luck for future productions in your new 'home'.