Opera North: Carousel

[nineveh_uk]

Taking the usual missed connection at Birmingham New Street as read, we can move swiftly on to the good bits of the weekend, and specifically the reason I was in Leeds for the first place, Opera North's production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel. Which was brilliant. We were disappointed on arrival to learn that John Woodvine* would not be performing, assumed a lurgy, and then discovered on Sunday from the paper that in fact he had collapsed during the performance (though fortunately in the wings) on Friday night, cue "Is there a doctor in the house?", and the performance was called off. He's now in a stable condition it hospital. But my Dad recovered from the disappointment, especially as we were sitting in the stalls for once. Leg-room!

There's probably an argument that the difference between operetta and musical is that the former is written either before 1900 or not in English. Certainly the music of Carousel at least matches Lehar, and the whole experience is a great deal more enjoyable, and indeed profound, than The Magic Flute**. I've never heard a full recording, nor seen the film, but there were only two numbers I didn't recognise and I've been singing all of them for the past two days. The performances were uniformally excellent, the Opera North chorus and the Northern Philharmonia did their usual sterling stuff, and the dancers - let's just say I usually see the words "ballet" in an opera/musical and yawn, but the Louise's ballet section was enormously theatrical, helped I think by the young dancer's looking a realistic mid-teens. Though I'm glad that we didn't get the original hour and a half version, which - obviously - never made it to performance, even in 1945. It's on in Leeds for the rest of the week, then going to Salford, then the Barbican in London. Strongly recommended.

*I want to call him John Woodville, which is quite a different mental image.

**Admittedly Muppet Babies is probably more profound than The Magic Flute.

Comments

[castiron]

Sounds like a lovely performance!

(And now I'm visualizing baby Miss Piggy as the Queen of the Night.)

[nineveh_uk]

Dream casting!

[azdak]

I'm so sorry you missed John Woodvine, but good God, how old is he now? In his nineties? What a trooper to still be performing at all. I hope he recovers to plunge into the fray again.

[nineveh_uk]

According to Wikipedia, he's 82 (born 1929). Still damn impressive to be performing, even if the staging allows him to sit down for much of the time. The production runs until September, so it would be nice to think he makes it back for some of the run.

[azdak]

I saw him as Malvolio back when I was still at school, and I still remember exactly how he did the monologue when he gets "Olivia's" letter, so I think it's fair to say it was a literally unforgettable performance. And then I saw him again as Philip of Spain in production of Don Carlos (play, not opera) in what must have been around 1994, and was just as blown away by that (though it involved less lewd sniggering on the part of the audience). So I sympathise with your father's disappointment and am relieved that he managed to enjoy the rest of the play, in spite of this blow.

[sir_guinglain]

Who is John Woodvine playing? I'm sorry to read that he collapsed.

[nineveh_uk]

He's playing the Starkeeper, a spoken role - a sort of deputy divine judge.

[nineveh_uk]

Happily as far as Dad was concerned, John Woodvine was the icing on the Carousel cake, so he coped. I didn't think I'd seen him, but I am rubbish at remembering the names of actors, and on checking I see that I have, as the Player King in the RSC/Tennant Hamlet, where he did indeed give a masterclass in "this is how you do those bits of Shakespeare that you thought were pointless, but are brilliant in the right hands." I'd love to have seen him as Malvolio.