Seeing this production of one of the most popular and one of my favourite operettas for myself, as part of the Live in HD simulcast series last night, despite the mixed to lukewarm reviews I was also a little mixed on the production it was better than expected. It was a disappointment after the splendid Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg last month and the weakest of the season so far, but while it was lacking in a fair few areas there was still a good amount to enjoy.
One of the most enjoyable elements of the production was the choreography which was bursting with sizzle and energy and from the sprightly dancing it looked like the performers seemed to think so, the waltzes are elegant- the Act 2 waltz with Hanna and Danilo was quite sweet-, the folk dances are remarkably acrobatic for folk dances and the more can-can-like routines provide the most energy the production has. Kelli O'Hara joining in in the Grisette chorus line was a highlight of the production. The sets are simple(in an almost story book-like way) and colourful and all the costumes are splendidly opulent. The HD and camera work are sharp and do nothing to undermine any spectacle or the drama or choreography going on on stage. The orchestra were very well balanced and provide some really sumptuous, lovingly sentimental playing, excellent style, rich textures. The chorus sing beautifully and while their acting and chemistry has been more individual before they do look animated. Andrew Davis' conducting is a little square in places but it is a lively and glowing reading on the whole and he makes the most with the most sentimental sections without milking it too much.
And the principal performances are good on the whole. Renee Fleming has a tendency to scoop(an oft-habit of hers) but the creaminess of her voice is still striking even in her mid-fifties and there's a lot of golden warmth in the Vilja song. She cuts a charming and sometimes prim figure on stage, has an adorable unforced comedic touch without mugging and makes for an elegant lover. If there was a criticism though, it felt like Hanna had been toned down too much to be properly merry. Nathan Gunn tries too hard for laughs sometimes and missed the opportunity to show Danillo's vulnerability, but still is a suave and dashing Danilo with a sonorous timbre to his voice. Kelli O'Hara is a talented Broadway singer and if you're wondering whether she cuts it in operetta the good news is that she does as a sexy and effortlessly charming Valencienne, her vocal production has a beautiful silvery purity to it and it carries well, getting stronger the further the production gets. And Thomas Allen provides luxury casting as the Baron, making a potentially oafish character noble and amusing, he has little to sing but he still sounds good with smooth legato and along with O'Hara he has the clearest and most natural-sounding diction of the cast.
Not all the cast work however, with Alek Schrader coming over as a rather stiff actor and his tone is uneven, mostly ardent-sounding but sometimes he tightens up at the top. And Carson Elrod is rather too clownish and fey as secretary Njegus, it is sorely lacking in comic timing and comes over as stereotypical.
The biggest flaw with the production was that while it was a visual and musical treat, the energy that the choreography and dancing had did not translate in the dialogue scenes and the rest of the staging. The dialogue was rather witless and lacked flow with some of the jokes coming across as self-conscious, floating high-to-mid-air and not landing. It also doesn't know what tone to take, with some old-fashioned words, some colloquialisms and overly-complex attempts at Sondheim, a very odd mixture and it slows everything down. And there is a lot of mistranslation here, to the extent that characterisation is mucked up. The character heard in the singing doesn't come over in the dialogue delivery either, while it was crisp and precise in the singing department the dialogue delivery was leaden and under-rehearsed-sounding. The opening act is very ho-hum and the second act apart from the chemistry between Fleming and Gunn and that sweet waltz moment also plods a little. The production however really comes to truly vivacious life in the third act but it did feel too late.
All in all, was in need of more merriment and oomph but this Merry Widow did look great, was musically strong and energetically choreographed and danced, but they weren't enough to make up for the mess that was the translated dialogue and the lack of lustre in a lot of the staging. 6/10 Bethany Cox
One of the most enjoyable elements of the production was the choreography which was bursting with sizzle and energy and from the sprightly dancing it looked like the performers seemed to think so, the waltzes are elegant- the Act 2 waltz with Hanna and Danilo was quite sweet-, the folk dances are remarkably acrobatic for folk dances and the more can-can-like routines provide the most energy the production has. Kelli O'Hara joining in in the Grisette chorus line was a highlight of the production. The sets are simple(in an almost story book-like way) and colourful and all the costumes are splendidly opulent. The HD and camera work are sharp and do nothing to undermine any spectacle or the drama or choreography going on on stage. The orchestra were very well balanced and provide some really sumptuous, lovingly sentimental playing, excellent style, rich textures. The chorus sing beautifully and while their acting and chemistry has been more individual before they do look animated. Andrew Davis' conducting is a little square in places but it is a lively and glowing reading on the whole and he makes the most with the most sentimental sections without milking it too much.
And the principal performances are good on the whole. Renee Fleming has a tendency to scoop(an oft-habit of hers) but the creaminess of her voice is still striking even in her mid-fifties and there's a lot of golden warmth in the Vilja song. She cuts a charming and sometimes prim figure on stage, has an adorable unforced comedic touch without mugging and makes for an elegant lover. If there was a criticism though, it felt like Hanna had been toned down too much to be properly merry. Nathan Gunn tries too hard for laughs sometimes and missed the opportunity to show Danillo's vulnerability, but still is a suave and dashing Danilo with a sonorous timbre to his voice. Kelli O'Hara is a talented Broadway singer and if you're wondering whether she cuts it in operetta the good news is that she does as a sexy and effortlessly charming Valencienne, her vocal production has a beautiful silvery purity to it and it carries well, getting stronger the further the production gets. And Thomas Allen provides luxury casting as the Baron, making a potentially oafish character noble and amusing, he has little to sing but he still sounds good with smooth legato and along with O'Hara he has the clearest and most natural-sounding diction of the cast.
Not all the cast work however, with Alek Schrader coming over as a rather stiff actor and his tone is uneven, mostly ardent-sounding but sometimes he tightens up at the top. And Carson Elrod is rather too clownish and fey as secretary Njegus, it is sorely lacking in comic timing and comes over as stereotypical.
The biggest flaw with the production was that while it was a visual and musical treat, the energy that the choreography and dancing had did not translate in the dialogue scenes and the rest of the staging. The dialogue was rather witless and lacked flow with some of the jokes coming across as self-conscious, floating high-to-mid-air and not landing. It also doesn't know what tone to take, with some old-fashioned words, some colloquialisms and overly-complex attempts at Sondheim, a very odd mixture and it slows everything down. And there is a lot of mistranslation here, to the extent that characterisation is mucked up. The character heard in the singing doesn't come over in the dialogue delivery either, while it was crisp and precise in the singing department the dialogue delivery was leaden and under-rehearsed-sounding. The opening act is very ho-hum and the second act apart from the chemistry between Fleming and Gunn and that sweet waltz moment also plods a little. The production however really comes to truly vivacious life in the third act but it did feel too late.
All in all, was in need of more merriment and oomph but this Merry Widow did look great, was musically strong and energetically choreographed and danced, but they weren't enough to make up for the mess that was the translated dialogue and the lack of lustre in a lot of the staging. 6/10 Bethany Cox
