Review: The Merry Widow, Opera North at Leeds Grand Theatre, Saturday, September 29, 2018
IF the fabulously wealthy Hanna Glawari had been a guest on Mrs Merton's television chat show, she might have been politely asked: "So what first attracted you to the billionaire Stefan Glawari?" The elderly Pontevedrian banker dropped dead during their honeymoon leaving his young widow in sole possession of a vast fortune. Now, the widow has arrived in Paris on the hunt for a new husband and the Pontevedrian Embassy there is in a state of panic. Hanna must be prevented from marrying a Frenchman, otherwise the tiny Balkan principality will be bankrupt.
Opera North's luxurious period staging of Franz Lehar's delightful Ruritanian froth premiered at Leeds Grand in October 2010 and still retains its appealing "edge". This could be attributed to the statues of semi nude nymphs (similar to the ones in nearby City Square) that adorn the stage, Stuart Hopps' ripping choreography, or the vivid characterisations from the principals and the effervescent Opera North Chorus. The attractive voice of Irish soprano Maire Flavin is perhaps a size too small for Hanna Glawari. But Flavin came into her own with a lovely Vilja Lied crowned by some exquisitely floated top notes. Hanna's romantic sparring with Quirijn de Lang's Count Danilo had the necessary crackle of electricity. The Dutch baritone has the elegant phrasing and dashing good looks for the smoothest of Danilos.
However, two survivors from the 2010 cast almost steal the show: Geoffrey Dolton as the bumbling Baron Mirko Zeta, Pontevedrian Ambassador, and the irrepressible Amy Freston as Valencienne, his erring wife and former chorus girl. Every syllable of Freston's idiosyncratic "Franglais" is crystal clear and her love duet with Nicholas Watts' passionate Camille de Rosillon is a joy. Freston still turns a cartwheel and does the splits in the Maxime's grisettes' riotous can-can. How's that for versatility?
Lehar's rich orchestral palette including cimbalom, muted horns, gorgeous portamenti strings, yearning violin solos and gently rustling woodwind is lifted from the pages of the score by the Orchestra of Opera North, conducted by Martin Andre. Unmissable.
Runs October 2nd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 10th & 12th October at Leeds Grand Theatre
by Geoffrey Mogridge
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