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The Merry Widow Reviews"Lively new production. Charlotte Page's Valencienne had bright charm...
Ian Caddy showed himself to be a superior actor. Rebecca Caine's sassy
widow beguiled... John Owen Edwards, conducting, knows how to make this music
sparkle. A witty tennis-match ballet and Chez Maxim's show-girl heaven were
raucously applauded." "... a 1920s setting, an era cannily evoked by Peter Rice's smartly
versatile designs. The very French grisettes is the climactic soirée should send
you out on a high. The conductor John Owen Edwards draws the maximum pleasure
out of Lehár's waltzes. Best of all is the widow herself, the glamorous,
magnetic Hanna Glawari. Rebecca Caine sings the wistful Vilja with a silky
elegance... and gives us a multi-shaded heroine to cherish... It's a performance
to treasure." "...perfectly judged and beautifully sung performance from Caine and
excellent support from Charlotte Page and Nicholas Ransley... this particular
widow is a very merry affair indeed." "Bathing beauties, young blades in tennis whites, high-kicking grisettes,
tap-dancing waiters, 'Allo 'Allo accents, and Erté evening gowns collide in Tom
Hawkes's bright, breezy Art Deco production of The Merry Widow for Opera Holland
Park. As the eponymous heiress, Rebecca Caine slips effortlessly between artful
flirtation and artless candour, looking a million dollars and singing with a
sweet, delicate soprano voice. Ian Caddy's entertainingly twitchy Ambassador has more
than a touch of Leonard Rossiter, while Charlotte Page's pretty, pouty
Valencienne is delightful. With charlestons, waltzes and can-cans galore -
choreographed by Jenny Weston." "You can here be swept along by Lehar's luscious music and Tom Hawkes's
exuberant production. Under John Owen Edwards the CLS play Lehar's brilliant
score with enormous panache. Rebecca Caine's Hannah is on top form, Ian Caddy a
fine, polished Ambassador while Philip Salmon succeeds in making Danilo
irresistible." |
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