The theatre turns out to be a rather large place, probably seating around 700 people - 500 down and 200 up although the audience on this Saturday matinée was perhaps getting on for a 100, probably including a fair number of friends & family. A leaflet explained that the theatre, then called the institute, was first built in 1879, then rebuilt after a fire in 1934. It did well for maybe 25 years, with a regular summer repertory company, concerts, dances and amateur offerings in the winter. Handed over to a community trust in 2013, which is keeping the place turning over, if not full. Rather in the way, I think of the huge lido at Balham - and the hey-day of which was probably much the same as that of this theatre.
The occasion was a semi-staged performance of the Mikado from the Island Savoyards, a format which I have not seen before, but which we thought did very well - with the lead singers doing very well - if helped along a bit by a sound system. Although if one had not seen the apparatus - the head mikes, the loudspeakers at the front and the control panel at the back - I think the only give away for me would have been the volume. It was a big old theatre for an amateur voice.
All the leads were good but Andrew Wilson-Jenner deserves a special mention as the Lord High Executioner, lately of the Astwood Bank Operatic Society of Redditch. See reference 3. It also seems likely that he was once the owner of Carousel Costumes about which I read, thanks to google: '... Here is a great opportunity to lay your hands on quality costumes for upcoming performances this autumn. Due to the retirement of its owner Andrew Wilson-Jenner, Carousel Costumes is putting its 20,000 plus theatrical costumes up for auction this September. The company, which is based in Leamington Spa and was opened in 1990, has dressed thousands of actors and celebrities and has benefited from Andrew’s experience working in the Royal Opera House wardrobe departments. Included in the auction are the very boots worn by Errol Flynn in the 1938 film The Adventures of Robin Hood, plus lots of other collectable costumes'.
Further special mentions for the orchestra - presumably mainly made up of local music teachers - the wardrobe department and the ladies chorus. The vaguely Japanese costumes - complete with top hats for some of the men - did very well indeed. And moving across the Pacific, the rather Aztec - or at least ancient Mexican - looking costume for the Mikado was great. Maybe all something to do with the Carousel Costumes mentioned above. While the ladies chorus was not only splendidly dressed and made up - they also moved and sang well. All in all, much more satisfactory than the vastly more expensive modern dress version which we saw at Sadlers Wells - see reference 2 for my notice at the time.
Overall, the best Mikado we have seen yet, amateur or professional.
PS: the illustration is nothing to do with the Mikado itself, but is taken from the web site of a Bembridge voice trainer who advertised in the programme. There may,of course, be some connection. See reference 1.
Reference 1: http://www.vocal-chords.co.uk/.
Reference 2: http://psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/nanki-poo.html.
Reference 3: http://astwoodbankoperatic.co.uk/dev/wordpress/.
Reference 4: http://psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/the-mikado-visits-leatherhead.html.
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