Featuring the plays: Creatures of the Impulse – Directed By Danielle Zuccala, Comedy and Tragedy – Directed by Ben Klein, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern – Directed by Sarah Berry, The Hooligan – Directed by Naomi Tooby
Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Victoria presented four one act plays written by W.S Gilbert all put together to make a show and what we got was a night ups and downs, hilarity, tragedy, characters all over the place and everything in between.
To start us off we had “Creatures of the Impulse” which revolves around a strange old lady, a fairy who has settled down at a village inn, the “three pigeons” and refuses to pay and leave her room. The job of the other characters was to draw the old lady but by doing this they become cursed by her and develop impulses which creates mayhem and chaos throughout the play. Kevin Yap, in the role of Sergeant Kloogue is hilarious and over the top, a highlight was when his impulse saying ‘don’t’ all the time made for comedic gold in his delivery. He did stumble a few times with lines but made up for it by going even more over the top, he handled it very well. As Boombleherdt, John Parncutt was my favourite in this particular play, his portrayal was again completely over the top and the way he kept the dead pan emotion made his character one of the funniest. Sam Hargreaves is stoic and charismatic as Peter, delivering his lines with gusto and authority. Heidi Lupprian as Pippette and Anna Castle as Martha are full of joy and bring heart and soul to the play, the other favourite in this play is Diana Burleigh as the strange old lady, her ‘not giving a hoot’ attitude was brilliant and I loved the way she played the role with wickedness. Philip Liberatore and Christine Bridge round out the cast as villagers and add their little bit of spice to the mix. The minimal set made for less distraction and more focus on the performances, which I liked.
Play number 2 is “Comedy and Tragedy”. This play is set in 1879 France and pays homage to the upper class citizens of the time but in a comic sense, almost making fun of the time. The costumes are lavish and over the top. In the role of Clarice de Quillacq, Sara Dimech-Betancourt is impressive with very energetic movements and expression, particularly in the acting scene which required a lot of physical comedy. Sam Hargreaves returns as Phillipe de Quillacq, he again brings stoicism to the role but adds even more to it with his voice projection and physicality, I was impressed with his ability to change between plays into the different characters. Cyrus Raco as the Regend of France was the highlight for me in this play, he was striking and commanding as he delivered the role and had great comic timing. Kevin Yap has another over the top role for this and he more than delivers, Heidi Lupprian and Christine Bridge bring the old school humour to life while not trying too hard. John Parncutt is back as the Docteur, he’s stern and authoritative performance is a joy to watch. The remaining cast of Anna Castle, Philip Liberatore, Timofey Alexandrov and Josh Weaver create the mayhem and chaos that any W.S Gilbert play needs!
Next we have “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern”. The costumes are more and more lavish for this particular play and really bring it to life and set the scene for the time period. Once again, we have Christine Bridge, this time in the lead of Queen Gertrude, she is classy yet funny in the role and brings a real femininity to her performance while Bruce Packard as King Claudius plays off her brilliantly with precision and the two of them really bring the laughs. Phillip Liberatore, probably the hardest working actor for the night, really shines in this, I really really like his expressions (or lack of!) as they bring an unexpected amount of humour to the play. Kevin Yap and Cyrus Raco as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are completely riotous, their enthusiasm was infectious. Sara Dimech-Betancourt is sweet as Ophelia and as Hamlet, Timofey Alexandrov once again brings the laughs with his deliberately over the top performance.
The final short play is The Hooligan and this is a more serious and dramatic as far as Gilbert and Sullivan are concerned as it deals with an inmate in a 1911 English prison. This play deals with violence against women, wealth, privilege and upbringing. The undisputed star of this play is Josh Weaver as Nat Solly. He brings vulnerability and anxiety to the role as he contemplates his future and what lies in store in terms of his prison sentence. I couldn’t take my eyes off him, particularly in the final scene. John Parncutt once again brings a stern nature to the character of Warder Marthers while Cyrus Raco very successfully brings out his serious acting chops as Warder Joe. Bruce Packard brings a no-nonsense approach to the Governor. The rest of the cast, Diana Burleigh, Anna Castle, Timofey Alexandrov bring their parts to life while Phillip Liberatore brings in the last bit of comedy relief in a dramatic end.
All in all, a very impressive night put on by GSOV and all four directors (Danielle Zucalla, Ben Klein, Sarah Berry and Naomi Tooby) should be well and truly commended all four plays together to create a celebration of Gilbert’s rarely seen works.
