‘Four Comedies & a Funeral’
Fringe festival 18-27 March
(Calendar 2010 - click here)
PRICES: $35 (Adult), $28 (Senior), $25 (AMICI), $15 (Student), $10 (Children)
SUPER SPECIAL COMBO $40 (per person)
Book two nights and watch the whole festival
Programme A (triple bill):
The Impresario (Mozart), Riders to the Sea (Vaughan-Williams), Dr Miracle (Bizet)
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Performances: Thu 18, Wed 24, Fri 26 and Sat 27 Mar at 7.30pm (+ Sat 20 Mar at 2pm)
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The Impresario (Mozart)
The Impresario Senor Carolo Radicchio (Alex Milligan) assisted by his Music Director Senor Martino (Jesse Martins) and secretary Signor Bruno Fagioli (Grant O’Connor) is forming a company to perform a new opera in Salzburg. Two prima donnas Madame Heartfelt (Elizabeth Mandeno) and Madame Silvertongue (Kerry Scurr) audition with contrasting arias to show their strongest points. Each then sings their claim for the highest fee, singing about the nobility of their art whilst trying to defeat the rival with ever higher notes. But the Impresario manages to achieve a truce and all agree that everybody recognizes the need for the amibition of artistes provided it is not at the expense of their colleagues.
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Riders to the Sea (Vaughan-Williams)
After a short prelude, Nora (Brooke Miller) asks her sister Cathleen (Sarah Wood) to help her identify clothes taken off a drowned corpse thinking they belong to their brother Michael, lost at sea like his father and four of their other brothers. They hide the clothes so their mother Maurya (June Dams) will not see them. Maurya enters despairing that her remaining living son Bartley (Jarvis Dams) is to take horses to Galway Fair, which involves a sea crossing. Bartley arrives to find some rope, and rejects their pleas for him to stay. Maurya, with foreboding goes to pack him food for the journey. Whilst she is away the two sisters recognize the clothing as belonging to their brother Michael. When Maurya returns and hears that Michael is dead she realizes her vision means Bartley also will die. As she sings of the deaths of her menfolk, Bartley’s dripping body is carried in to the keening of the womens chorus (Alice Armitt, Bona AhKoo, Emily Blumenthal, Ella Smith, Natalia Drecci, Samantha Moller, Hannah Hockings, Erica Lindsay, Celeste oram, Kirsten Heaps, Georgina Kemp, Alex Foster, Lelani Walker). Almost relieved Maurya sings that the sea can hurt her no more ‘They are all gone now – no man at all can be living for ever, and we must be satisfied’.
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Doctor Miracle (Bizet)
The Mayor of Padua (Jarvis Dams) suspects his daughter’s suitor Captain Silvio (Cameron Barclay) of making the early morning racket in the town square, but discovers it actually comes from the booth of a visiting charlatan quack called Dr Miracle. After warning Laurette (Sian O’Gorman) she is banned from seeing Silvio again and chasing him off, the Mayor hires a new servant ‘Pasquin’, who claims to hate all soldiers. The new servant prepares an omelette which tastes ghastly and only the Mayor can force himself to eat it. While he and his wife Veronica (Catherine Reaburn) take a stroll in the village ‘Pasquin’ reveals himself to Lauretta as Silvio in disguise. They decide to elope but the Mayor returns, recognizes Silvio and banishes him. Almost immediately a soldier arrives to warn that the omelette was poisoned and the family despairingly send for the visiting chalatan Doctor Miracle. The bearded Latin-speaking Doctor agrees to treat the poisoned Mayor, but demands Laurette’s hand as payment. They all agree, the Mayor recovers, then Silvio reveals himself, explaining the poisoning was a hoax in order to gain permission to marry Laurette. All ends happily.
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Programme B (Double bill)
Thomas & Sally (Arne), The Telephone (Menotti)
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Performances: Fri 19, Sat 20, Tue 23 and Thu 25 Mar at 7.30pm (+ Sat 27 Mar at 2pm)
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Thomas and Sally (Arne)
Sally (Marlena Devoe), a village maiden, is pursued by the elderly village Squire (Adam Thompson), who is aided by his housekeeper Dorcas (Bernice Austin), a lady of doubtful morals.. In the nick of time, Thomas (Robert Hughes), Sally’s sailor sweetheart, returns from sea with his sailor mates (Christian Kim, Grant O’Connor , James Roberson, Jonathan Selu) rescues Sally from her situation, proposes and all ends happily with their wedding.
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The Telephone (Menotti)
Ben (Warren Kilham) wishes to propose to Lucy (Tizane McEvoy) but is unable to gain her attention for long because of her obsession with her telephone. In desperation he goes out and telephones her with his proposal.
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