NODA REVIEW
HATTON OPERATIC SOCIETY - THE MERRY WIDOW
JUNE 2005

Franz Lehar's wonderful operetta, filled with conspiracy and passion, continues to be a favourite amongst theatre goers, not least because of the delightful music, and Howard Chapman and his accomplished orchestra certainly did justice to the memorable musical score.

The opening was colourful and the evening dresses and suits looked good. In the lead role Tamara Migrina's acting and singing were impeccable and she made an excellent 'widow', flirting with the men whilst feigning disinterest in Danilo. Ian Henderson was first-rate as the work-shy Count Danilovitsch, with his splendid baritone voice and an easy stage presence. 'It goes to show' was very good indeed and the 'Merry Widow waltz' was superb. Their feelings for one another were unmistakable.

The blustering, incredibly unworldly Baron Zeta, trusting to the point of stupidity, was well acted and sung by John Connor, and as his coquettish wife, Aileen Smith gave her usual excellent interpretation. I enjoyed her rendition of 'A highly respectable wife' very much.

A notable and relaxed performance was from Roy Selfe, who brought out the humour nicely in the role of the factotum Njegus. Peter Calver's singing was a little unpredictable but his acting was good as Camille the Count de Rosillon.
The other attaches and guests supported the principals satisfactorily in both singing and acting, as did the chorus.

The set was uncomplicated and the properties suitable for the updating, but perhaps a little more could have been done to create the night-club atmosphere on the roof garden.

Clive Walker's stage direction was sound and the ‘Vilia’ ballet was nicely choreographed and danced. The ladies movements were well rehearsed and performed but the same couldn't be said for the gentlemen's number 'Women! Women! Women!' Although it was basically marching, it wasn't together at all, however I'm sure it would improve as the week progressed. The 'Grisettes' were secure in their dance and I found their 'Can-Can' much more pleasing than the usual bawdy version beloved and overworked by amateur societies. It was just right. Their costumes were attractive too, as were the traditional dress ones worn in ‘Vilia’. Make up and hairstyles were fine and the sound and lighting departments worked well.

Bringing The Merry Widow up to date seemed to make little difference to the actual set, and the illicit, exciting liaisons of a hundred years ago did not really translate into the much less inhibited society of today. Sadly the topical comments were generally missed by the audience, so apart from the modern evening/day dress, the update did not have much of an impact on the production. Having said that it was enjoyable to watch and admirable of the director to try something a little different with such a well-known operetta.

Your programme is a different format than usual and the front cover is attractive. The audience does enjoy reading about the performers but the cast biographies were not included, no doubt to allow room for the other interesting contents on this special occasion. I believe there were a couple of mis-spelt names; Njeus ( Njegus) and Danilovitach (Danilovitsch).

Thank you for inviting me to review the production, and for the hospitality shown to my guest and I on the evening by John Tranter and his team. Good luck with rehearsals for your next musical, which I very much look forward to seeing next year. Fiddler on the Roof is one of my favourite shows.

E. Gloria Smith
NODA Regional Representative