Wednesday 20 May 2015

Gondoliers and Sweeps

We had our regular Tuesday rehearsal last night. This year we are doing The Gondoliers, a mock Italian rollicking romp of a show. The gondoliers are somewhat dim yet happy, and the Contadine are spoilt and manipulating ! Poor men or as Gilbert says 'Povero Gondolieri' !

We have to work very very fast and last night we moved on a long way, and if we keep that going, and with the wind in the right direction we should squeeze by and deliver by July 14th.........

It is a big ask as we started so very late for a show of this size, and I must trust that the quintet of the Duke, Duchess,Casilda and Luiz, plus the horrid Don Alhambra will get down to it and rehearse like hamsters on a wheel in the last fortnight before the first night. I do trust them, even given that for Luiz and Casilda it is their duel first roles ! I have faith !

The chorus are singing well - too well, to which my poor ringing eardrums will bear witness. By the end of the rehearsal I was feeling as if I had a bad case of tinnitus, the resonance had a big effect, and that was with the two highest and biggest voices suffering sore throats so unable to sing !

Two weekends ago I travelled to Durham to the Chorister School to watch my old student Miranda's production of Britten's Little Sweep. It is just so rewarding to see the work that my pupils are doing, it is the 'full circle' scenario - I feel sure Middy must have felt that too, and probably her mother Madam Constance Hall, a famous singing teacher from Hull. So these delightful youngsters in the photo are, if my calculation is correct, products of the fifth generation of the Middleton Singing Stable !

A gorgeous picture from the last scene when the little sweep boy is hiding in the laundry basket and the crabby sweeps are attempting to lift it out to the waiting horse and carriage ! Will they find him ?

 

 

No comments:

Post a Comment