The Lucchesia is pretty good at supplying those essential supplies even the most cosmopolitan brits yearn for. Sri Lankan shops will supply curry powder, Marmite and ginger beer; the Irish pub near Lucca station builds up a mean Guinness and, in the musical field, a repertoire ranging from last year’s live Stones concert to Colombini’s outbursts of Elgar also greatly helps to appease Anglo-Saxon longings. Fish ‘n Chips regularly appear on Barga’s summer menu and, if there were still lapses, Viareggio’s English shop will fill most gaps in one’s stomach.
However, what is desperately missing in Italy is live performances of Gilbert and Sullivan. Strange, because in 1898 the Mikado, with its libretto adapted by Gustavo Macchi and music published by Ricordi, was shipped across to Florence’s Teatro della Pergola and scored a great success, one which was repeated in the theatres of Genoa, Rome, Palermo, Naples, Milan and Cremona.
Of course, not all Italians were fully able to understand the whimsical subtleties of English and, particularly, Gilbertian humour, although the audience appreciated the English avoidance of French operetta’s outre’ situations, but the Mikado made a particular impact on Puccini who remembered its delightful evocation of an exotic world when he came to compose his own masterpiece of Japonerie, ‘Madama Butterfly’, less than ten years later.
English National Opera’s production of another Gilbert and Sullivan masterpiece, ‘Iolanthe’, where the world of faeries collides with the House of Peers with devastatingly hilarious effect, is set to be an unforgettable success in the same manner as Jonathan Miller’s Mikado production, which we enjoyed some years ago. Happily, no update here is attempted and the operetta sits faerily in a Richard Dadd world of kaleidoscopically flimsy colours, giant flowers, anthropomorphic beasts and a thousand and one other comic touches which it would be unfair to disclose to those unfortunate enough not have yet seen it. It’s just so sad that designer Paul Brown did not live long enough to enjoy his wonderful scenario.
G and S have suffered unduly at the hands of poor amateur productions. To experience a first class professional performance under Timothy Henry’s baton, with such gorgeous actor-voices as Samantha Price’s, revealed once more to me how fortunate Britain is in having one of the finest operetta traditions in the world and, in Arthur Sullivan, a composer of the highest order, both in serious and light music. What a truly fabulous evening we enjoyed at England’s wonderful National Opera!
Not forgetting, of course, that ENO’s home is the unparalleled splendour of the capital’s largest theatre and Frank Matcham’s masterpiece dating from 1904, the London Coliseum:
A truly exciting and engaging performance wonderful singing and prancing fairies not forgetting the admonitions of the amusing fireman of the era the grenadier guard with his outlandish taller than tall busby created amusement with his neighing horse as did the fresian cow and sheep not forgetting of course the pink flamingo that kept having to be removed from the scene all added to the jollity of the pastoral viz Houses of Lords setting with unexpected and glorious arrival on stage via a steam train. I nearly forgot the perfect performance of the barking dog indicating approval of the Lords confused affirmations. The fairy costumes were wonderful with their varied gossamer differently shaped wings as well as the flying around on stage such fun. The colours and lighting superb also the scenery all adding to the vivacity light heartedness and humour not forgetting the Balkan flavour of the marriage festivities and dancing of the fairies. We do believe in fairies!
Thanks for your comment. I truly believe in fairies rather more now than any of the half-baked politicians we are saddled with (as they were in 1885…)