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“September Song”
Very effective singing
Thursday, September 14, 2006
By John Hammel

Ridge Light Opera, William Corson (director). September Song 2006: An Evening of Light Opera. Music by Rudolph Friml and Victor Herbert; Gilbert and Sullivan: Pattermania; Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II: selections from Carousel. St. Mark’s Episcopal Church Theater, Basking Ridge.

Ridge Light Opera’s “September Song 2006” production was a rambunctiously good time of festive solos, duets, trios, quartets and ensembles et al. that lifted the heart and provided aural delectation of a very high order for a small but appreciative audience. Hats (and coats too) off to director Bill Corson for his unswerving fealty to professional level performances on an “amateur” level. And let me suggest that amateur is meant as the highest possible compliment, with the word deriving it’s root from the French form of the Latin root as one who loves or is a lover of. In that meaning, an amateur may perform at the same or surpass the level of many professionals. It is in this most elevated form that I use the word, for Mr. Corson and artistic director of Ridge Light, Lauran Corson, along with their cast of many professional performers, conveyed the act and art of love, theater, and song through their highly committed performances.

It was a treat to hear some chestnuts of the American operetta stage from the pens of Rudolf Friml and Victor Herbert. Victor Herbert was born in Dublin and was educated early at the Stuttgart Conservatory. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1886 to join the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra as a cellist, an instrument on which he was a master. He was Dvorák’s teaching assistant when the great Bohemian taught in New York for two years. Herbert also conducted and during his tenure with them brought the Pittsburgh Symphony to major level status. His compositional skills embraced myriad works for orchestra and the stage and although many of his instrumental and symphonic works are world class he is remembered today chiefly for his operettas, most notably [Babes In Toyland, The Red Mill, Naughty Marietta, Mlle. Modeste,] and others. When he walked away from composing [The Firefly] in a dispute with the soprano, the job was given to the young unknown Friml.

Friml was born in Prague and toured world wide with violinist Jan Kubelik. On their second swing through the U.S., Friml remained, and it was here in this country that he wrote some of his most lasting works, such as [The Vagabond King, The Three Musketeers,] and [Rose-Marie.]

Ridge Light’s soloists and ensemble presented excerpts from Friml’s Vagabond King, with luminously lustrous singing from soprano Jamie Baer Peterson and tenor Tom Donelan. Ms. Peterson’s singing provided spin to the notes throughout her register with very good placement, line and excellent phrasing. Mr. Donelan possesses a voice of particular legato sweetness and this was displayed to good effect in his duet with Ms. Peterson in “Only A Rose.”

Selections from Friml’s [The Three Musketeers] were delightfully performed and acted by soloists and ensemble alike, from the harmonic blending of the “Entrance of the Three Musketeers” to David Cantor’s mellifluous rendition of “Ma Belle,” (the company providing able support), to the trio “He For Me,” performed by Ellie Escher, (her rapid vibrato actually didn’t detract but added to her impish girlishness) and Peter Christian and Rob Kastner.

Mike Baruffi’s ardent rendition of “Love Me” from [Mademoiselle Modiste] by Victor Herbert amply illuminated the cuteness and strength of this chestnut from the “American” operetta tradition.

There was also a selection from Herbert’s [The Red Mill,] “The Streets of New York,” semi-comically rendered with courageous aplomb by the trio of John Lamb, Randy Parker, and Murray Spiegel whose bass-baritone voices were a rather neat juxtaposition to such a lighthearted song.

“Naughty Marietta” from Herbert’s operetta of the same name was soloed by Lauran Corson and there is no faulting her experience on the stage and in this repertoire. Her voice is suited to the subtle demands of operetta and she rewarded the audience with a rendition, which if not sparkling, dazzled with evenness of line and pitch perfect high notes!

Susan Glanzberg displayed a voluminous amplitude of voice in “‘Neath The Southern Moon.” Although the voice is a powerfully sterling instrument, not just in size but also in color and evenness, it lacked the ability to provide shading and nuance to a song that was made for those expressive qualities. I reveled in the sheer sound of her voice and am eager to hear it in more substantial repertoire.

Jayne Meyers and Murray Spiegel sang the duet “By and By” with charming brightness and good acting.

Ms. Corson returned with Tom Donelan, John Lamb, Joanna Hoty Russell, and the entire company to bring down the curtain on part one of this extravaganza with an energetic plea to “Live For Today!”

The “Pattermania” segment of the show was a delicious confection of numerous patter songs, and other numbers from the infectiously witty pens of Gilbert and Sullivan.

David Simon would not be overshadowed in any other production, his wit and delivery of the patter song “A Modern Major General” being first rate. But to my mind in this company there is David Cantor and then there are the others who perform this material. After Mr. Simon bedazzled the audience with his first two verses of “A Modern Major General,” Mr. Cantor elevated the bar to an impossible height with his spectacular rendition of “My Name Is John Wellington Wells.” Mr. Cantor also served up a “you had to be there to believe it” rendition of the “Nightmare Song” from [Iolanthe.] Outstanding acting and delivery of music that is often delivered off handedly by others who are satisfied to let the frothy libretto and music of G&S work for themselves. Mr. Cantor deserves a one man G&S festival unto himself.

The remainder of the performers took turns on too-numerous-to-mention excerpts from the G&S oeuvre delivering the material with a degree of verve and excellence that put this section of the program in a league of it’s own. Mr. Corson’ direction and the ensemble’s execution were exemplary. This was razzle-dazzle stagecraft and it was brought to its penultimate conclusion with an astonishingly well-performed choral rendition of “Hail Poetry, Thou Heaven Born Maid” from [The Pirates of Penzance.] Kudos to all.

Excerpts from [Carousel] brought the evening to a completely satisfying close and Ms. Baer back to the stage as Nettie Fowler. This entire section was beautifully staged and performed by all.

There were eight songs/scenes, fully staged, that allowed the singers to act into their numbers and bring the core of this incisively dramatic musical to life. The company acted out the prologue, whose musical centerpiece is my favorite waltz of all time, the “Carousel Waltz.”

Tom Donelan portrayed Billy Bigelow and he may have betrayed his own innate talents by trying to lend too much weight to his instrument in order to capture the darker aspects of his character. It did not serve him well in his duet with Sarah Asplund, (whose singing throughout was earnest and radiant), as it did in his “big” number the “Soliloquy.” In that number he allowed his dramatic instincts to take firmer hold and work more organically allowing him to bring his chest voice satisfyingly up above the staff to deliver the penultimate declamation with its full dramatic impact: “I’ll steal it! Or die!”

Ms. Asplund sang with the perfect combination of line, light, and winsomeness in “What’s The Use of Wondering” and captured the sense of loss and fearful confusion when Billy kills himself after a foiled robbery in his misguided bid to attain money to help pay his bills and provide an easier living for his wife and unborn daughter.

Susan Facer and William Corson were suitably facile and adept in their portrayals of Carrie Pipperidge and Enoch Snow, and brought fine singing and acting talents to the fore.

Ms. Baer led the chorus in an inspiring performance of “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” a chestnut of the Rodgers and Hammerstein canon that avoided bathos and instead left one satiated in the warm glow of uplifted spirituality.

Special mention must be made of the dedicated and tireless accompanist Lois Buesser who played on a grand piano, handling this strenuous program with ease. For her stamina alone she should be applauded but she also brought an artisans skill to all of her accompaniment, providing balance and strength to all the performers on stage, underscoring their work with equal artistry.

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