
Opera della Luna (OdL), founded in 1994, is a British touring theatre troupe of actor-singers focusing on comic works. Led by artistic director Jeff Clarke, it takes its name from
Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...
's operatic setting of
Goldoni
Carlo Osvaldo Goldoni (, also , ; 25 February 1707 – 6 February 1793) was an Italian playwright and librettist from the Republic of Venice. His works include some of Italy's most famous and best-loved plays. Audiences have admired the plays ...
's farce ''
Il mondo della luna
' (''The World on the Moon''), Hob. XXVIII:7, is an opera buffa by Joseph Haydn with a libretto written by Carlo Goldoni in 1750, first performed at Eszterháza, Hungary, on 3 August 1777. Goldoni's libretto had previously been set by six other ...
''. The company presents innovative, usually zany and irreverent, small-scale productions and adaptations of
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900) and to the works they jointly created. The two men collaborated on fourteen com ...
,
Offenbach and other
comic opera
Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue.
Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a ne ...
and
operetta
Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...
, in English. OdL is a registered British charity.
After directing his own touring opera ensemble in the 1980s, Clarke formed OdL in 1994. He soon began producing touring adaptations of Gilbert and Sullivan operas and well-known operettas, like ''
The Merry Widow
''The Merry Widow'' ( ) is an operetta by the Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The Libretto, librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein (writer), Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's ...
'', ''
Die Fledermaus
' (, ''The Bat'', sometimes called ''The Revenge of the Bat'') is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée, which premiered in 1874.
Background
The original literary source for ' was ...
'' and several Offenbach pieces. The company has also presented shows and concerts on the
QE2 cruise ship and elsewhere, annual Christmas
pantomime
Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...
s and summer or festival productions. Other pieces have been by
Donizetti
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian Romantic composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the ''bel canto'' opera ...
,
Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma, to a family of moderate means, recei ...
,
Strauss
Strauss, Strauß, or Straus is a common Germanic surname. Outside Germany and Austria ''Strauß'' is usually spelled ''Strauss'' (the letter " ß" is not used in the German-speaking part of Switzerland). In classical music, "Strauss" most com ...
,
Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
and
Bernstein.
The company has generally undertaken two major tours each year, visiting more than a hundred mid-scale venues throughout the UK in some years. Occasionally the company has toured overseas. Clarke directs all of the productions, which are mostly small-scale adaptations performed without chorus, accompanied by a small orchestral ensemble.
History and description
In 1986, Clarke founded The English Players, a touring opera ensemble. His productions for that company included English-language adaptations of ''
Love in a Village
''Love in a Village'' is a ballad opera in three acts that was composed and arranged by Thomas Arne. A pastiche, the work contains 42 musical numbers of which only five were newly composed works by Arne. The other music is made up of 13 pieces bo ...
'' (which toured as far as
Denver
Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
, Colorado),
Boieldieu's ''The Caliph of Bagdad'' and ''
Abu Hassan
''Abu Hassan'' ( J. 106) is a comic opera in one act by Carl Maria von Weber to a German libretto by , based on a story in ''One Thousand and One Nights''. It was composed between 11 August 1810 and 12 January 1811 and has set numbers with recita ...
'' (two one-act operas presented together), ''
Il mondo della luna
' (''The World on the Moon''), Hob. XXVIII:7, is an opera buffa by Joseph Haydn with a libretto written by Carlo Goldoni in 1750, first performed at Eszterháza, Hungary, on 3 August 1777. Goldoni's libretto had previously been set by six other ...
'' and ''
Robinson Crusoé
''Robinson Crusoé '' is an opéra comique with music by Jacques Offenbach and words by Eugène Cormon and Hector-Jonathan Crémieux. It premiered in Paris on 23 November 1867.
The writers took the theme from the 1719 novel ''Robinson Crusoe'' ...
''. After four years, Clark disbanded The English Players while he planned for a new, better-funded company.
[Clarke, Jeff. ''Borrowed Light: A retrospective of 15 years on the road with Opera della Luna'', Jeff Clarke and Opera della Luna, Bicester (2010). ]
With the help of marketer and versatile theatre professional Graham Watson, Clarke established Opera della Luna (OdL) as a registered charity with a board of directors and a base of regular supporters. The company's name, adapted from the name ''Il mondo della luna'', is intended to convey its zany style of adaptation. OdL's first production, in 1994, was ''Robinson Crusoé''. Plagued by transit strikes, the show lost money.
[Bradley, p. 86] Clarke and friends made up part of the deficit by playing evenings of
music hall
Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...
concerts.
[ The company recovered and has toured successfully ever since. In 2010, Clarke described OdL's first 15 years in a memoir of the company organised around photographs of its productions, ''Borrowed Light: A retrospective of 15 years on the road with Opera della Luna''. The book describes all of the company's productions up to 2010 and includes cast lists.][ Ten years later, in celebration of Opera della Luna's 25th anniversary, Clarke published a further similar volume, ''Borrowed Light 2: Another 10 Years on the Road with Opera della Luna''.][Clarke, Jeff. ''Borrowed Light 2: Another 10 Years on the Road with Opera della Luna'', Bicester: Opera della Luna ]
Gilbert and Sullivan adaptations
''Parson's Pirates''
The company achieved its first theatrical financial success in 1995 with Clarke's adaptation of Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900) and to the works they jointly created. The two men collaborated on fourteen com ...
's ''The Pirates of Penzance
''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 3 ...
'' called ''The Parson's Pirates'', about the vicar of St Michael's Under Ware, who is tasked with raising church funds through an amateur production of ''Pirates''.[ The original idea had been merely to produce an evening of Gilbert and Sullivan hits with five singers. Clarke wrote, in his 2010 memoir,
Actress Louise Crane played Ruth and is still a member of OdL. Choreographer Jenny Arnold had worked on '']Robinson Crusoe
''Robinson Crusoe'' ( ) is an English adventure novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. Written with a combination of Epistolary novel, epistolary, Confessional writing, confessional, and Didacticism, didactic forms, the ...
'' with the old company and has continued as choreographer ever since. The piece (and all of OdL's subsequent G&S pieces) is played without chorus – principals are assigned to cover choral lines in the music, in sometimes startling and amusing ways. The original three-night stand was a surprise hit, and touring followed.[ Since then ]Richard Suart
Richard Suart (born September 1951) is an English opera singer and actor, who has specialised in the comic roles of Gilbert and Sullivan operas and in operetta, as well as in ''avant-garde'' modern operas. He is probably best known for his numer ...
and Ian Belsey have performed in the production numerous times. Critic George Hall wrote that the production "is an evening of brilliance, both a tribute to and an affectionate send-up of 'Pirates'' done with verve, style, some excellent voices and a hefty quotient of camp. With Richard Suart ... we know we're in for a treat.... Ian Belsey nd the rest of the castare all great fun and Jeff Clarke directs the whole at a cracking pace.... This is a show both for Gilbert and Sullivan devotees and for novices.... In short, a total treat – irresistible and unmissable."
''Ruddigore'' and ''Mikado''
Three other G&S adaptations soon followed, with direction by Clarke and choreography by Arnold, all adapted for a cast of 6 to 8 and no chorus. The first was ''The Ghosts of Ruddigore
''Ruddigore; or, The Witch's Curse'', originally called ''Ruddygore'', is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy Operas and the tenth of fourteen comic operas written tog ...
'' (1997), where a couple of nerds, Amanda Goodheart and Kevin Murgatroyd, have car trouble like Brad and Janet in the ''Rocky Horror Show
''The Rocky Horror Show'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to various B movies associated with the Science fiction film, science fiction and Horror film, horror genres from the 193 ...
''. They find themselves in the spooky Brigadoon
''Brigadoon'' is a musical with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and score by Frederick Loewe. The plot features two American tourists who stumble upon Brigadoon, a mysterious Scottish village that appears for only one day every 100 years; on ...
-like village of Rederring, where they discover their ancestors and become embroiled in the tale. One reviewer said that the production supplied "Belly laughs, baronets and more than a touch of ''Blackadder
''Blackadder'' is a series of four Period piece, period British sitcoms - ''The Black Adder'', ''Blackadder II'', ''Blackadder the Third'' and ''Blackadder Goes Forth'' - plus several one-off instalments, which originally aired on BBC1 from 19 ...
''".
Next was ''The Mikado
''The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen Gilbert and Sullivan, operatic collaborations. It opened on 14 March 1885, in London, whe ...
'' (1998). The company's updated adaptation is set in a hip tailor/design shoppe and inspired by the sexy, flashy world of fashion. As Clarke described the genesis of the production, he was in New York City over Christmas 1997 and visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
, which was showing a special exhibition of the work of Gianni Versace
Giovanni Maria "Gianni" Versace (; 2 December 1946 – 15 July 1997) was an Italian fashion designer, socialite and businessman. He was the founder of Versace, an international luxury-fashion house that produces accessories, fragrances, make-up ...
. "I was confronted with a dress; a cheeky mini-crinoline, sexy and sassy, classical and witty. The startling originality, colour and fun of it hit me like a blow – imagine three of these – the three little maids! Remembering that Ko-Ko, before his elevation to Lord High Executioner, had been a cheap tailor.... the germ of an idea started. Why not make Ko-Ko a designer? ... a Jean-Paul Gaultier
Jean Paul Gaultier (; born 24 June 1952) is a French haute couture and prêt-à-porter fashion designer.
He is described as an "enfant terrible" of the fashion industry and is known for his unconventional designs with motifs including corset ...
– camp, outrageous, and bursting with creativity and invention. This gave the green light to filling the stage with all sorts of over-the-top theatrical fashion creations".[ Clarke engaged fashion designer Gabriella Csanyi-Wills to create the costume designs; she originated the idea to make the second act set, Ko-Ko's garden, out of fabric. Clarke decided that Katisha would be based on the older women in '']Dallas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
'' or ''Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others.
H ...
''. "Women long past the first flush of youth, but determined not to grow old gracefully. ... fshe becomes a sympathetic character, the whole plot collapses. But the ridiculous picture of a woman in love with a man half her age is one we are all familiar with ... the key to what makes Katisha pitiful."[ This production, featuring Simon Butteriss as Ko-Ko and the ]Opera Babes
The Opera Babes are an English crossover classical music duo, consisting of Karen England, mezzo-soprano, and Rebecca Knight, soprano.
The duo came to wide attention when they sang "Un bel dì vedremo" (from the opera ''Madame Butterfly'') on ...
as Yum-Yum and Pitti-Sing, also became a success, and theatres were eager to book it. One new opportunity for the company was the chance to showcase the production at the 1999 Covent Garden Festival – OdL's first London performances – and at subsequent Covent Garden Festivals. The production continued to be very popular on repeated tours.
''H.M.S. Pinafore'', ''The Sorcerer'' and ''The Gondoliers''
''H.M.S. Pinafore
''H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London on 25 May 1878, and ran for 571 performances, w ...
'' was first presented in 2001 on the QE2 cruise ship and sailed as far as Australia. Clarke's adaptation was designed to meet the ship's one-hour time limit for entertainments. This was repeated in subsequent seasons on the H.M.S. President, a ship moored on the River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...
that doubled as the Festival Club for the Covent Garden Festival ( Julia Goss played Little Buttercup), and in 2002 on a different cruise ship with both ''Pinafore'' and ''Mikado''.[ In the energetic opening scene of ''Pinafore'', the company erects the H.M.S. Pinafore right before the audience. Clarke noted, "Many an old sailor, when his sea-faring days were over, worked on the fly floor of a theatre ... used to signal cues to fly the scenery by whistling. That is the origin of the theatrical superstition that it is bad luck to whistle in the dressing room. ... I wanted to find some visual way of showing this connection, so to have the sailors "flying" the scenery by pulling the ropes and tying them off would be a great trick.][ The company's typically zany version of ''Pinafore'' is played in Victorian dress with few textual and musical changes from the original.
OdL has performed all of its Gilbert and Sullivan productions at the ]International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival
The International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival was founded in 1994 by Ian Smith and his son Neil and is held every summer in England. The two- or three-week Festival of Gilbert and Sullivan opera performances and fringe events attracts thousands ...
nearly every year since 2003 as well as touring them extensively. Another G&S-related piece is ''The Burglar's Opera'', with a script by Stephen Wyatt, based on W. S. Gilbert
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (18 November 1836 – 29 May 1911) was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan, which produced fourteen comic operas. The most fam ...
's 1890 short story, ''Burglar's Story'', mixed with elements of ''The Threepenny Opera
''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a 1928 German "play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, '' The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François V ...
''. The music was adapted by Jeff Clarke from Arthur Sullivan
Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (13 May 1842 – 22 November 1900) was an English composer. He is best known for 14 comic opera, operatic Gilbert and Sullivan, collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including ''H.M.S. Pinaf ...
's orchestral music. This toured in 2005 and 2006. In 2007, Clarke introduced a new piece called ''Nightmare Songs'' in which Simon Butteriss plays an understudy to the principal comedian of a fictionalised D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company is a professional British light opera company that, from the 1870s until 1982, staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere. The ...
during World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and must be ready to go on at very short notice to play in any of ten G&S patter roles. Clarke plays another resident of his lodging house, an itinerant "variety" performer who assists and hinders the patter man's nightmarish rehearsal. The two men have performed the piece many times.
The company's adaptation of ''The Sorcerer
''The Sorcerer'' is a two-act comic opera, with a libretto by W. S. Gilbert and music by Arthur Sullivan. It was the British duo's third operatic Gilbert and Sullivan, collaboration. The plot of ''The Sorcerer'' is based on a Christmas stor ...
'' was first produced at the 2009 International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival. The setting of the opera is updated to the 1970s, and the love potion causes Dr. Daly to fall in love with Alexis, rather than Aline. Clips from the Buxton presentation are included in a 2010 Sky Arts
Sky Arts (originally launched as Artsworld) is a British free-to-air television channel offering 24 hours a day of programmes dedicated to highbrow arts, including theatrical performances, films, documentaries and music (such as opera perfor ...
TV series about G&S, narrated by Butteriss, called ''A Motley Pair''. OdL toured the production repeatedly over the ensuing years.[ A review called the show "one of the most delicious musical feasts on the circuit".]["Review: ''The Sorcerer''"]
''Bucks Free Press'', 14 October 2009 Another review commented, "Sharp and witty, it oozed fun and inventiveness while satirising the class structure of English village life and marriage. ... The uniformly good cast have fine voices, allied to stagecraft and excellent comic acting skills. They delivered the piece with pace and panache. Clever use of tableaux and excellent sung and spoken diction ... ensured total enjoyment." The company toured this opera extensively in the years following its premiere as part of its regular repertory.[
The last Gilbert and Sullivan piece staged by OdL was '']The Gondoliers
''The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria'' is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances (at that time t ...
'' in 2014; Clarke added to his usual small principal cast a local chorus, at each tour stop, made up of 24 local singers. Also during this period, Clarke directed, and some members of the company starred in, productions of the National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company, including ''Princess Ida
''Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant'' is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was their eighth operatic collaboration of fourteen; the next was ''The Mikado''. ''Princess Ida'' opened at the Savoy Thea ...
'' (2009), ''The Yeomen of the Guard
''The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid'', is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888 and ran for 423 performances. This was the eleventh ...
'' (2010 and 2011), ''Ruddigore
''Ruddigore; or, The Witch's Curse'', originally called ''Ruddygore'', is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy Operas and the tenth of fourteen comic operas written tog ...
'' (2011) and ''The Gondoliers'' (2012).[ Clark returned to the National Gilbert & Sullivan Company in 2022 to direct '']Utopia, Limited
''Utopia, Limited; or, The Flowers of Progress'', is a Savoy opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was the second-to-last of Gilbert and Sullivan's fourteen collaborations, premiering on 7 October 1893 for a ...
''.[Bratby, Richard]
"''Utopia, Limited'', National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company review – bounded rapture"
''The Arts Desk
''The Arts Desk'' (theartsdesk.com) is a British arts journalism website containing reviews, interviews, news, and other content related to music, theatre, television, films, and other art forms written by journalists from a variety of tradition ...
'', 8 August 2022
Other repertory
1996 to 2009
Early on, the year after its first success with ''The Parson's Pirates'', the company produced a Donizetti
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian Romantic composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the ''bel canto'' opera ...
adaptation, ''Lucia, The Bride of Lammermoor''. As it turned out, the opera would be OdL's only non-comic piece, and Clarke decided that the company was better off making a name for itself through its zany comic productions than competing in the standard repertoire against the other small touring British opera companies.[
After introducing its first three Gilbert and Sullivan productions, the company turned to other works, as Clarke feared that it would become identified exclusively as a G&S company. In 1997, when the ]Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...
had to close for renovations, they presented a season at the Shaftesbury Theatre
The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden. It opened in 1911 as the New Prince's Theatre, with a capacity of 2,500. The current capacity is 1,416. The title "Shaftesbury Theat ...
, including some lighter works, such as ''The Merry Widow
''The Merry Widow'' ( ) is an operetta by the Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The Libretto, librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein (writer), Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's ...
'', with a translation by Jeremy Sams
Jeremy Sams (born 12 January 1957) is a British theatre director, composer, and lyricist.
Early life and education
Sams is the son of the Shakespearean scholar and musicologist Eric Sams.
He read music, French, and German at Magdalene Colleg ...
. It was not a success, and the Royal Opera agreed to license the translation to OdL after having seen the company's ''Mikado'' at the Covent Garden Festival. The company first played the piece at the Covent Garden Festival in 2000 and later toured it extensively, often to larger theatres. OdL's updated chamber adaptation included naughty puppets three years before ''Avenue Q
'' Avenue Q'' is a musical comedy featuring puppets and human actors with music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx and a book by Jeff Whitty. It won Best Musical, Book, and Score at the 2004 Tony Awards. The show's format is a parody ...
'' premiered. Clarke recalled, "Shadow puppets for Valencienne and amillein the pavilion required some restraint from Miss Knight and Mr arl
ARL may refer to:
Military
* A US Navy hull classification symbol: Landing craft repair ship (ARL)
* Admiralty Research Laboratory, UK
* United States Army Research Laboratory
* ARL 44, a WWII French tank
Organizations
* Aero Research Limited, ...
Sanderson, who were only too ready to make their assignation more graphic than Lehár intended. But the "grisettes" ere
Ere or ERE may refer to:
* ''Environmental and Resource Economics'', a peer-reviewed academic journal
* ERE Informatique, one of the first French video game companies
* Ere language, an Austronesian language
* Ebi Ere (born 1981), American-Nigeria ...
life-size puppets – dazzlingly costumed in frills and feathers and prepared to reveal far more than any chorus girls had previously done."[
]
In 2003, the Iford Arts Festival commissioned the company to create a chamber version of Offenbach's ''La belle Hélène
''La belle Hélène'' (, ''The Beautiful Helen'') is an opéra bouffe in three acts, with music by Jacques Offenbach and words by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. The piece parodies the story of Helen of Troy's elopement with Paris (mythology ...
'', which OdL later toured. Belsey returned, and Simon Butteriss made his debut with the company; they have both played many seasons for OdL, particularly in the Gilbert and Sullivan productions. Clarke did not tell the festival organizers what he had planned: "The show was rude. It contained not a few four letter words; the cast handed out Viagra
Sildenafil, sold under the brand name Viagra among others, is a medication used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension. It is also sometimes used off-label for the treatment of certain symptoms in secondary Ray ...
to the audience in the last act; and most alarmingly, in the celebrated Act 2 Helen and Paris duet 'Am I but dreaming?'", the mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...
was topless.[ The audiences were enthusiastic, and the piece toured. Iford later commissioned productions of ''Robinson Crusoé'' (2004), a scaled-down version of '']The Tales of Hoffmann
''The Tales of Hoffmann'' (French: ) is an by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on three short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, who is the protagonist of the story. It was Offenbach's final work; he died in ...
'' (2005) and Clarke's ''Lucia''. Clark wrote of these years, "The early part of the year would be work on QE2 ... followed by the company's spring tour. Summer would be taken up with preparations and performances for Iford and he International G&S Festival atBuxton
Buxton is a spa town in the High Peak, Derbyshire, Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, in the East Midlands region of England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.Alston, Cumbria also claims this, but lacks a regu ...
. There would be an extensive autumn tour from September to early November, and then the company would perform its annual Christmas pantomime
Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...
at the Corn Exchange, Newbury
The Corn Exchange is an events and concert venue located in the Market Place in Newbury, Berkshire, England. The structure, which was commissioned as a corn exchange and is now used as an events venue, is a Grade II listed building.
History
Th ...
."[ OdL began to present Christmas ]pantomime
Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...
s in 1995, including, ''Dick Whittington and his Cat
''Dick Whittington and His Cat'' is the English folklore surrounding the real-life Richard Whittington ( 1354 – 1423), wealthy merchant and later Lord Mayor of London. The legend describes his rise from poverty-stricken childhood with the for ...
'', ''Aladdin'', ''Sleeping Beauty'', ''Puss in Boots'', ''Cinderella'', ''Robinson Crusoe'' and ''Robin Hood''. Clarke felt that these productions enhanced the reputation of the company, and "the chance to create exciting music theatre for children was one we relished."[
In 2006, at Iford, the company revived ''Il mondo della luna''. Clarke's English translation hews closely to the original libretto, but some material is cut. The same year, OdL first produced a new English version of Donizetti's '']L'Elisir d'Amore
''L'elisir d'amore'' (; ''The Elixir of Love'') is a (comic melodrama, opera buffa) in two acts by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Felice Romani wrote the Italian libretto, after Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's (1831). ...
'' set at a health spa, which it then toured.[Evans, Rian]
"L'Elisir d'amore at Iford Manor, Bradford-on-Avon"
''Musical Opinion'', September/October 2007, accessed 16 November 2009 That Christmas, the show was a revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...
called ''A Little hristmasNight Music'', with songs from musical theatre, operetta, opera and cabaret. Occasionally, the company presented other similar revues that it called ''Moonstruck'' or ''The Amorous Goldfish''.[ In 2007, it also mounted ]Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of ...
's ''The Rake's Progress
''The Rake's Progress'' is an English-language opera from 1951 in three acts and an epilogue by Igor Stravinsky. The libretto, written by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, is based loosely on the eight paintings and engravings '' A Rake's Prog ...
''. At the end of the year OdL staged the first of its holiday-themed ''Christmas Nuts'' pastiches, which it continued to stage most Christmases until 2019, in aid of a charity. In 2008, the company toured Verdi's
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma, to a family of moderate means, receiv ...
''Un giorno di regno
''Un giorno di regno, ossia Il finto Stanislao'' (''A One-Day Reign, or The Pretend Stanislaus'', but often translated into English as ''King for a Day'') is an operatic '' melodramma giocoso'' in two acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto ...
'' ("King for a Day"). In Clarke's broad English adaptation, the story is moved to post-war Italy around the reign of Umberto II
Umberto II (; 15 September 190418 March 1983) was the last King of Italy. Umberto's reign lasted for 34 days, from 9 May 1946 until his formal deposition on 12 June 1946, although he had been the ''de facto'' head of state since 1944. Due to hi ...
, infused with elements of organised crime, and political humour is added. One reviewer commented that the production "makes up for what it lacks in ''bel canto'' elegance by being a riotously funny, enormously enjoyable evening's entertainment". In 2009, OdL began touring its version of Strauss
Strauss, Strauß, or Straus is a common Germanic surname. Outside Germany and Austria ''Strauß'' is usually spelled ''Strauss'' (the letter " ß" is not used in the German-speaking part of Switzerland). In classical music, "Strauss" most com ...
's ''Die Fledermaus
' (, ''The Bat'', sometimes called ''The Revenge of the Bat'') is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée, which premiered in 1874.
Background
The original literary source for ' was ...
'' in Clarke's English translation. The show was another success for the company, was toured to larger venues, and was featured in ''Opera Now'' magazine in May 2009.[Thicknesse, Robert. "''Die Fledermaus'': Theatre Royal, Winchester", ''Opera Now'', July/August 2009, p. 96] OdL toured this opera extensively over the following years.[
]
2011 to present
OdL's production of ''Don Giovanni
''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...
'' premiered at Ilford in 2011 and later toured to such venues as The Lowry
Lowry is a theatre and gallery complex at Salford Quays, Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is named after the early 20th-century painter L. S. Lowry, known for his paintings of industrial scenes in North West England. The complex opened ...
.[ Nicola Lisle, writing in the '']Oxford Mail
''Oxford Mail'' is a daily tabloid newspaper in Oxford, England, owned by Newsquest. It is published six days a week. It is a sister paper to the weekly tabloid ''The Oxford Times''.
History
The ''Oxford Mail'' was founded in 1928 by MP Fra ...
'' praised its "suitably explosive and menacing treatment of the more sinister elements of the opera, hile grief and love arehandled movingly and sensitively. ... ts comedybristles with energy and purpose, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, na witty and daring new translation." The company followed this with a revival of ''The Merry Widow'', which it toured for several years. It was then commissioned to produce three summer productions of French comic opera.[ Its farcical '' La Vie parisienne'' was first seen at Ilford in 2013, with a partly ]steam punk
Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and Applied arts, aesthetics inspired by, but not limited to, 19th-century Industrial Revolution, industrial steam engine, steam-powered machinery. Steampun ...
setting. The second of these was ''The Daughter of the Regiment
''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' ...
'' in 2014. Clarke puzzled over how to produce this opera in Ilford's small space with a small cast. He remembered that American G.I.
G.I. is an informal term that refers to "a soldier in the United States armed forces, especially the army". It is most deeply associated with World War II, but continues to see use.
It was originally an initialism used in U.S. Army paperwork f ...
's returning from the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
had formed motorcycle gangs with quasi-military hierarchies and often supported disadvantaged children.[ In his concept, a tough girl is raised by a 1950s "regiment" of California bikers.
The third was '']Orpheus in the Underworld
''Orpheus in the Underworld'' and ''Orpheus in Hell'' are English names for (), a comic opera with music by Jacques Offenbach and words by Hector-Jonathan Crémieux, Hector Crémieux and Ludovic Halévy. It was first performed as a two-act "op ...
'', a typical madcap OdL production that played at The Lowry and elsewhere after its 2015 premiere at Ilford. Rupert Christiansen
Rupert Christiansen (born 1954) is an English writer, journalist and critic.
Life and career
Born in London, Christiansen is the grandson of Arthur Christiansen (former editor of the ''Daily Express'') and son of Kay and Michael Christiansen (fo ...
commented in ''The Telegraph
''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include:
Australia
* The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...
'': "I can't think of a performance of ''Orpheus in the Underworld'' that I've ever enjoyed as much as this rumbustious, unpretentious, and jolly version, executed with tremendous verve". A few years earlier, in Paris, Clarke had been delighted by a double bill of two hilarious one-act Offenbach operettas, ''Croquefer, ou Le dernier des paladins
''Croquefer, ou Le dernier des paladins'' is a one-act opéra bouffe by Jacques Offenbach to a French libretto by Adolphe Jaime and Étienne Tréfeu, first performed in 1857 in Paris. It satirizes the immorality of the Crusades and the arrogance ...
'' and '' The Isle of Tulipatan''.[ Under the title ''Tales of Offenbach'', the company first brought Clarke's translation of the two to ]Wilton's Music Hall
Wilton's Music Hall is a Grade II* listed building in Shadwell, built as a music hall and now run as a multi-arts performance space in Graces Alley, off Cable Street in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is one of very few surviving music ...
in 2016 and then toured them. OdL next returned to Strauss. '' The Queen's Lace Handkerchief'' (1880) had been very popular in Austria, Germany and the US through the turn of the 20th century but is almost unknown in Britain. Clarke reconstructed and adapted the piece largely from American translations.[ OdL presented this "spirited revival" at Wilton's in 2017.][Bratby, Richard]
"Viennese Whirl"
''The Spectator
''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...
'', 9 September 2017
Ilford asked the company to stage ''Candide
( , ) is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled ''Candide: or, All for the Best'' (1759); ''Candide: or, The ...
'' for the 2018 centenary of Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...
's birth. Because the work demands a larger production that OdL typically mounts, it joined forces with Ilford Arts and then played the piece at two other venues. One review found the production to be a "whirling, high-energy collaboration hat
A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...
packs every possible punch in a furiously creative evening". The same year OdL was invited to appear at the Buxton Festival
The Buxton International Festival is an annual summer festival of opera, music and (since 2000) a literary series, held in Buxton, Derbyshire, England since its beginnings in July 1979. The 2020 festival was cancelled due to the Covid-19 crisis. ...
, where it revived ''Daughter of the Regiment''.[ This was repeated soon afterwards at Wilton's, where OdL also presented a semi-staged concert of '' The Arcadians''. At the request of the Buxton Festival, the company revived ''Orpheus'' in its 25th anniversary year, 2019, which OdL repeated at Wilton's, followed by revivals and tours of ''Parson's Pirates'', ''Pinafore'' and ''La belle Hélène''.][ The company gave only one performance, in January 2020, before theatres closed during the ]COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. For its first show upon reopening in 2021, OdL toured a double bill, titled ''Curtain Raisers'', of ''Cox and Box
''Cox and Box; or, The Long-Lost Brothers'', is a one-act comic opera with a libretto by Francis Cowley Burnand, F. C. Burnand and music by Arthur Sullivan, based on the 1847 farce ''Box and Cox (farce), Box and Cox'' by John Maddison Morton. It ...
'' by Sullivan and Offenbach's '' The Two Blind Beggars'', with a translation by Clarke.
OdL celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2024 with a run of ''The Parson's Pirates'' at Wilton's Music Hall.
Critical reception
The press generally praises the company for its innovative, irreverent small-scale productions. ''Musical Opinion
''Musical Opinion'', often abbreviated to ''MO'', is a European classical music magazine edited and produced in the UK. It is currently among the oldest such periodicals to be still publishing in the UK, having been continuously in publication ...
'' wrote, "Who needs grand opera
Grand opera is a genre of 19th-century opera generally in four or five acts, characterized by large-scale casts and Orchestra, orchestras. The original productions consisted of spectacular design and stage effects with plots normally based on o ...
when you can have Opera della Luna? The scale of their performances ... is so small as to be minuscule, but they are so skilfully conceived and realised as to be totally engaging. In their way, they are every bit as rewarding as far more ambitious, not to say pretentious stagings. Director Jeff Clarke can be relied upon to provide a whole new perspective on a piece through his brilliant translations".[ A review of the company's 2009 adaptation of ''The Sorcerer'' in '']Bucks Free Press
The ''Bucks Free Press'' is a weekly local newspaper, published every Friday and covering the area surrounding High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. It was first published on 19 December 1856.
It covers news for south Buckinghamshire—focusi ...
'' stated, "Opera Della Luna is innovative, imaginative and inventive. Its grasp on musical theatre is astounding and director Jeff Clarke should be applauded for bringing a new spirit of the age to G&S."[ ''Opera Now'' magazine wrote, in its review of OdL's 2009 production of ''Die Fledermaus'':
]Jeff Clarke's ''Rocky Horror Rocky Horror is the title character from ''The Rocky Horror Show''. It may also refer to
* The Rocky Horror Show (franchise)
* '' The Rocky Horror Show'', a stage musical from 1973
* '' The Rocky Horror Picture Show'', 1975 film adaptation of the ...
'' version of ''The Bat'' ... turned out to be rather brilliant, not to mention hilarious.... As is his wont, Clarke, panjandrum of Opera della Luna and its nifty pianist too, had not only translated but rewritten the show so as to be actually funny.... Clarke's hallmark is a cheery vulgarity underpinned with a subtle but distinct moral eye.... But this was all very good-natured.... This non-preachy evening was a success, in the end, mostly because of an inspired cast.... Clarke's little band moved things along at a terrific lick. The most enjoyable evening for ages.
Gilbert and Sullivan expert Ian Bradley
Ian Campbell Bradley (born 28 May 1950) is a British author, broadcaster and retired academic.
He is Emeritus Professor of Cultural and Spiritual History at the University of St Andrews, where he was Principal of St Mary's College, the Facul ...
comments, "Opera della Luna has achieved the rare feat of bringing in a new audience for G&S without alienating the old one." Typical of reactions to OdL's many appearances at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival in Buxton is this ''Manchester Evening News
The ''Manchester Evening News'' (''MEN'') is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in North West England, founded in 1868. It is published Monday–Saturday; a Sunday edition, the ''MEN on Sunday'', was launched in February 20 ...
'' review of the company's ''H.M.S. Pinafore'' in 2006:
hefestival proper opened with this inventive and entertaining production by M.E.N. Award-winning Opera della Luna. It's a cleverly pared-down version to suit the mere eight-strong company, plus ts five-person orchestra(and how haunting to hear Dear Little Buttercup as a violin solo by Rachel Davies). Jeff Clarke directs from the keyboard.... The cast is led by the irrepressible Simon Butteriss as Sir Joseph Porter. He gestures, minces and trips around to great comic effect, splendidly aided and abetted by the others... Ian Belsey makes an imposing and funny Captain.... Between them, they entertain hugely."
Reviewing the company's 2017 production of ''The Queen's Lace Handkerchief'', Richard Bratby wrote in ''The Spectator
''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...
'', "Opera della Luna understands that, and proves – not for the first time – that the rarest pleasures can come with the lightest touch."[ The same critic wrote in 2021: "Opera della Luna is a little miracle: a shoestring touring company with a near-supernatural ability to get inside the head (and heart) of 19th-century comic opera. In recent years, they’ve given the UK première of a Johann Strauss operetta, a rare modern staging of the Edwardian West End smash ''The Arcadians'', and an Offenbach double bill that was so raucously, scabrously funny that even writing about it has just made me choke on my tea."][Bratby, Richard]
"Opera della Luna is a little miracle: Curtain Raisers at Wilton’s Music Hall reviewed"
''The Spectator'', 11 September 2021
References
Other sources
*
External links
Company website
{{authority control
Musical groups established in 1994
British opera companies
Gilbert and Sullivan performing groups