Through Thu 8/9
Very few performing arts organizations in the world have the experience or the moxie to present the Gilbert & Sullivan canon in the effervescent manner utilized by Ohio Light Opera. In fact, for the first years of its existence, G & S were the entire extent of their repertoire. But times change, and with it, a wider variety of musical adventures becomes available for audiences.
This year brings back Iolanthe in a truly incandescent new production. Right away, one is aware of a major addition: the ubiquitous “notice to the audience” that precedes nearly every stage performance everywhere anymore is a remarkable appendage. Artistic director Steven Daigle has written a witty version of this advisory in which every syllable is clearly enunciated as sung by the stage director Ted Christopher who also doubles as the Lord Chancellor in the production. Using the music of the “Nightmare Aria” otherwise known as “Love, Unrequited, Robs Me of My Rest.” in the second act, he didn’t even have to learn a new tune! As there simply cannot be a G & S production without a patter song, this is a very smart opening to the show.
Then of course comes the established tradition of the audience standing and serenading the Queen (whomever she might be at the time) with “God Bless the Queen.” The current Queen has had an extremely busy summer so far, so such a heartfelt plea seemed the right thing to do.
This current version of Iolanthe, although bound by more than a century of tradition regarding costuming and sets, is a very light-hearted and fresh look at one of the lesser-performed of the G & S oeuvre. Yet even adhering as it does to the original concept, this current version has a new sort of attitude, if you will. It’s wickedly funny, colorful and dazzling.
Briefly, the plot is this: in the world of politics, where the House of Lords rules nearly everything, a law was passed that forbids any togetherness between the peers (all men, of course) and the inhabitants of another world — the peri or fairies — all females. Surprise — any co-mingling will result in banishment for one or both. Except that some 24 years or so earlier when the delightful Iolanthe (Sarah Best) “married” a peer and bore him a son, Strephon (Stephen Faulk). The poor boy is somewhat hampered by his upper half being fairy, while his lower half is mortal. He is kept in the country, where he meets and falls in love with a local shepherdess Phyllis (Hilary Koolhaven). The two youngsters wish to marry legally. A huge obstacle is that she needs the consent of her guardian, the Lord Chancellor (the aforementioned Ted Christopher), but is afraid to ask him.
And then, Strephon approaches his mom for help, but when Phyllis observes the two of them together, and not knowing that fairies don’t age as humans do, she immediately jumps to the wrong conclusion. Being determined that woman is a challenger to her love, she immediately assumes him to also be in love with the other woman. The Queen of the Fairies (the energetic Julie Wright Costa) flits around the stage, trying her best to sort this out, until the dashing Private Willis (Cory Clines, 6’6” even before donning the two-foot-high bearskin hat) catches her eye and she immediately tumbles into love with him!
This is such a delightfully goofy production that truly doesn’t make a lot of sense, but no matter. You’ll enjoy it much more if you don’t have such expectations. The colorful, filmy costumes are by Jennifer Ammons, and coordinate splendidly with the constant but gentle arm movements suggesting the wings of the peri. The set is by Kim Powers and easily morphs from a country landscape to the palace yard at Westminster, complete with a huge Big Ben clock face, suggestive of the nearby House of Lords. Lighting is by Daniel Huston. Choreographer is Spencer Reese, and the OLO orchestra was conducted by J. Lynn Thompson.
This particular government then proves its newly responsible attitude by passing a law declaring that all peers must marry a peri, thus making all the pairings legal.
Iolanthe is now in repertory through August 9 in its usual venue Freedlander Theatre on the campus of Wooster College. For tickets call 330-263-2345 or go to ohiolightopera.org.
[Written by Kelly Ferjutz]
Wooster, OH 44691