The musical workings of that famous duo, Gilbert & Sullivan, will be coming to Spaulding Auditorium tonight and tomorrow night in a festive production of "The Gondoliers".
The two-act operetta is being performed by the Dartmouth Glee Club under the direction of Louis Burkot and promises to provide a few hours of melodic fun.
The operetta (not a musical) is set in eighteenth century Venice where a flock of admiring women, the contadine, pine after two handsome and sterling Gondoliers, Marco and Giuseppi Palmieri. The two brothers arbitrarily pick two brides and plan to live happily ever after.
Enter the Duke and Duchess of Plazatoro and their daughter Casilda. As luck would have it, through a complicated series of events in the backstory, Casilda is already married to one of the Gondolier brothers. Of course this is a problem for the Palmieries as well as Casilda who already has her heart set on her father's attendant, Luiz. Like any stage comedy more problems and complications arise, all in the name of love.
Louis Burkot, who has worked with the College Glee Club for 17 years, explained that he chose the musical to fit with tradition. For the past five years, the Glee Club has put on a Gilbert and Sullivan production every other year. This particular show was inspired by the players.
"The cast of this show was right," Burkot explained. He cited that the chemistry of the group was so perfect for the production that he put aside a different show that he had wanted to do this year. The temptation to put on "The Gondoliers" was too tempting, especially since "the leads look like brothers."
Indeed they do. Played with charisma by Marc Bruni '99 (Giuseppi) and Nick Vogt '00 (Marco), the two characters are likably high on themselves as the toast of the Venice Piazetta.
Vogt is especially good in his role because of his strong singing voice. Jason Fleming '98 is also a nice addition to the cast. In the role of Luiz, he displays keen comic timing and brings a certain warmth to his character.
Considering that the troupe has only been rehearsing for four weeks, the production is relatively smooth and shows plenty of spirit. That of course was one of Burkot's goals. When asked what he, as both musical and stage director, wanted to bring to the show, he replied, "An incredible sense of vitality." Burkot wanted to highlight "the spontaneity and the dramatic conflict" of the operetta as well.
Burkot is not a stranger to theatrical productions. Aside from his lengthy run with the Glee Club, he also is active with the Opera North, an opera company that serves Vermont and New Hampshire. Burkot calls his position there a "major gig." In November 1996, "Opera News" gave the company a glowing review of "Tosca," saying in particular that "Louis Burkot led the orchestra with such flair and authority that the theater scarcely could contain the sound."
The cast as a whole seems to be enjoying itself up on the stage. Fleming had nothing but high praise for the show and the director.
"Lewis is great," he said, also mentioning that the production has become much larger than he thought it ever would have.
Sean Padgett '00, a member of the Gondolier chorus, seemed beside himself when he talked of the operetta. "It's great. It's the first real show I've done since I was twelve and I love it."
Aside from the performances, several other aspects of the production are noteworthy. The costumes are also extremely eye catching. Wearing mid-eighteenth century Venetian garb, the cast proves to be a colorful group. Whites, reds, greens and oranges fill the stage in front of a rich, blue-dominated backdrop.
The fashion styles are a bit different from modern 1990s apparel: one cast member was at a loss of words to describe how he felt in the striped tights and knickerbockers. However, the costumes work well in the context of the operetta.
The orchestra is also very good at providing the musical backbone of the operetta. It is comprised of professional musicians in the community as well as Dartmouth students. Burkot claimed that he was very selective in choosing the orchestra which, he said, is "very qualified."
But the real strength in the show is, not surprisingly, the singing. The talented cast works well together, singing difficult numbers with clarity and harmony. They function well as an ensemble and make "The Gondoliers" a delightful excursion.
