May 13, 2008
Soundings: No reservations about 'Merry Widow'
For those who plan on attending the Virginia Opera's production of "Merry Widow," leave at the door your preconceived ideas and biases concerning this operetta and how well or otherwise it adheres to Viennese style, because to enter with reservation is to deny yourself the pleasure that abounds in this production from the moment the curtain rises.
Director-choreographer Dorothy Danner has put this attractive cast through its singing and dancing and acting paces, drawing from all excellent results. In this show, she's even got dancers singing and singers dancing. It's all great fun and guaranteed to bring smiles and chuckles from even the most resistant operetta attendee.
Of course, the material with which Danner is working is among the literature's best known and loved. From the time Lehar's lilting "Widow" debuted in 1905, the work has been dancing on and on some 24 different languages. It's all lighthearted business, the sole purpose of which is to entertain. And this production does just that.
Essentially the story of a merry widow, Hanna, and her exploits to win the heart of her one-time suitor, Count Danilo, the trappings and personalities surrounding the simple tale are a confection of delight. The cast boasts an enthusiastic and geared-for-fun crew, starting with the absolutely lovely looking and singing Diane Alexander as Hanna. She's sophisticated and elegant, with a twinkle in her eye as she flirts with Danilo. As for her voice, it's light, lyrical, and solid throughout her considerable range. Tenor Tracey Welborn is effectively matched, exhibiting a solidly centered voice and convincing air of the debonair.
Similarly swell performances can be found in Harold Gray Meers and Saundra DeAthos as Camille and Valencienne, respectively. As with the Alexander and Welborn, these two youthful and talented performers are just about perfect in appearance and sound. So, too, do great performances come from Terry Hodges (Baron Zeta), Daniel Olson (Vicomte Cascada), Michael Shell (Raoul), and Curt Olds (Njegus), the latter displaying a knack for humor that is well placed and metered.
The sets and costumes are marvelously detailed and visually appealing. Danner's choreography, while maybe not period, is wonderfully appealing. In fact, the dancing by the corps is the best yet the Virginia Opera has staged, not to mention the exceptionally fine job done by the singers in carrying out the routines. As for the Act II all male line dance done to "Girls, Girls, Girls"--a real show stopper.
If there's a weak link in the production, it's the use of body mikes. The mikes create an unequal distribution of sound and while they help singers be heard, they encourage a degree of laziness on the part of some who let lines normally and more appropriately projected drop or dwindle. And, in this performance, the mikes also made more apparent a few sounds better not heard as prominently.
Nonetheless, this is a winning production that deserves to be seen and heard. It creates a sense of magic and fun. Conductor Dan Saunders did a splendid job of keeping things moving and mighty musical. The orchestra responded in kind, making this a truly merry "Merry Widow."
Copyright © 2008, The Virginia Gazette
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