The Merry Widow

Last Friday evening I went to the opening night of the latest PSU opera production, Franz Lehar's The Merry Widow. As I have said before, operetta is not, by and large, my 'thing'. I am also very much aware that it is a genre that is fiendishly difficult to do well and that productions that are presented with anything less than total commitment and a thorough understanding of what makes operetta an enjoyable art form are going to leave an audience flat and unsatisfied. So, let me be frank; when I went along to Saint Mary's Academy theater my expectations were not of the highest. A part of my feeling of misgiving was that this show was following last year's fabulous production of Verdi's Falstaff. This year there was no Richard Zeller to make everyone else in the cast work to give their roles 100% of their effort and talent. Fortunately, this production was in the totally safe hands of opera legend Tito Capobianco, who for the last few years has been the Jeannine B. Cowles Distinguished Visiting Professor in Opera. So, how was it? It was excellent and a real delight! After a rigorous and exhausting rehearsal schedule, the cast finally 'got' what Viennese operetta is about and the result was a show that amused, sparkled and ultimately impressed. The singers in all of the principal roles sang strongly and with a minimum of intonation problems, the passages of spoken dialogue (strangely enough, the bits that scare singers the most!) were delivered with wit, and the humour was pitched just right - not annoyingly over-the-top. Capobianco had even added a few lines of dialogue of his own, topical and very funny and absolutely in the spirit of the piece. W.S.Gilbert would have whole-heartedly approved. The chorus both looked and sounded good. Sets and costumes were sumptuous and gave the show a very professional look. There was even a hilarious dance number that, rightly, got the biggest cheer of the night.

It is with a deep personal sadness that I have to report that my old friend, and a man with whom I have shared an apartment these last four years, died in the early hours of this morning. He had been very sick for almost a month and died from complications that arose after a series of surgical procedures.

I first met James when I joined the Portland Opera in the Patron Services Department in 2004. He had been working in that department for some years before I joined it. We quickly became friends - he made friends with everyone, and usually in a matter of minutes! I anticipate that a number of you who are reading this will remember him calling you to persuade you of the great benefits of buying subscriptions to the opera season and making a generous donation.

He was a man who was never happier than when playing host to friends over a grand meal, a number of adult beverages (Tanqueray 10 was his gin of choice) and copious amounts of wine. His life of over-indulgence naturally came with a price. His body was the temple of his soul, it is true, but it was also the ballroom and bowling alley, and ultimately he tipped the scales at - well, let's just say that it was more than was good for him.

James was a kind, sweet, generous man and I, together with his family and many, many friends, will miss him.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that Washington National Opera wrote to me asking me to be their guest at the 2010 Opera Ball which this year will take place at the Russian Embassy, and the following evening at a performance at the Kennedy Center Opera House. Well, at the end of last week a large envelope arrived in my mail box and was found to contain a very grand formal invitation (pictured above). I am very excited for many reasons. Perhaps at the very top of the list is that I will finally get to meet Priscilla! No final arrangements have yet been made but all being well we shall get together for brunch on the Sunday morning following the opera. I expect this will be a somewhat emotional experience for both of us - for me, certainly! The trip to Washington will also provide the opportunity for me to personally thank many of the people who made last year's event such a special one. I shall make a trip to WNO's offices and see Mark Weinberg, the Executive Director who gave the nod to so much of what happened that required his company's participation, and Michelle Pendoley, WNO's Manager of Media Relations, without whom none of it would have come to fruition and who was unstintingly helpful and generous. I am hoping to be able to get to the costume shop so I can visit with Marcia LeBoeuf, Director of Costuming, and Timm Burrow, Senior Costume Co-ordinator. Between them they were responsible for the gorgeous ballgown that Priscilla wore and in which she looked simply stunning!