Risingholme Production Of Pinafore”

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30155, 12 June 1963, Page 17

Risingholme Production Of Pinafore”

The launching of “H.M.S. Pinafore” last night went according to plan. The Risingholme Choir slipped smoothly into the stream of melody and wit which always ensure a happy voyage for performers and audience alike. The musical director (Mr Albert N. Wilson) kept his bearings throughout. He steered with assurance through the delightful allusive music of Sullivan: Handel, Mozart, Purcell, folk song, Bizet, barbershop ballad—what musical style is not represented in Sullivan’s anthology of operatic repertoire? The crew had been well drilled, although they were not always keeping their weather eyes on Mr Wilson’s baton. The attack and pace of some of the chorus work suffered a little in consequence.

“Pinafore” may sail on the wings of song, but it is built with Gilbert’s tongue-in-cheek libretto. The objects of his satire have not really dated. There was, even in the nineteenth century, room at the top, as Topman Ralph Rackstraw was able to demonstrate. The producer might therefore have directed the players’ attention more carefully to the elements of parody in the script. Gordon Wilson, with his absolutely superior grimaces, and Glenn Wilson, always Shakespearean in his heroic posturing, both understood just what was required. The others took their roles a little too seriously, perhaps. Dick Deadeye, for example, must be comic rather than horrific; and Ralph Rackstraw should fluctuate wildly between elation and despair. Diana Parsons, as Josephine, used the stage to better effect than the other principals. With relaxed movement, and a strong true voice, she sang as prettily as she looked. Linda Haase was a vivacious Hebe, using her eyes naughtily, severely, and sympathetically as the situations called for. Little Buttercup was not quite big enough in her voice or her movement, but did ccmvqy the motherliness of her character.

Leslie Taylor designed a splendid set. The meticulous detail of the back cut-out, with its houses on the hill and its well-rigged ships at anchor, contributed much to the staging. The costuming, too, .was most effective. It was a pity, however, that the lighting mechanic could not eliminate the dead spot, centre stage, in the second act; otherwise, the lighting was well controlled.

The accompanists, Gwyneth Ledsham and Julie

Strong, were helpful without at any stage obtruding. One missed, however, the verve and highlighting that even a small orchestra can add. Would the co-operation of a few string players be out of the question for future productions? The enthusiasm of the audience last night will no doubt encourage the choir to embark on future productions of Gilbert and Sullivan. If the choir pays even more attention in future to the acting of the operetta it chooses, then, with the musical talent the group obviously has at its disposal, the coast should be clear for a spankingly good run next year. The present season of three nights certainly fully justifies the time and effort w’hich must have been spent in preparation. —P.R.S.