EAST CALAIS – How fortuitous that two equally matched geniuses, William S. Gilbert (1836-1911) and Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900), even met and then worked together for twenty five years from 1871 to 1896 and wrote some fourteen light operettes that still continue to delight us today with their playful lyrics and engaging melodies.
The Unadilla Theatre in East Calais is currently performing “Patience”, which encored in 1881, a satire on the Aesthetic movement in England epitomized by Oscar Wilde, Algernon Swinburne, William Morris, Aubry Beardsly and others. They romanticized the Medieval period, dressed flamboyant and often had long hair, wrote poetry and encouraged the crafts, basically English Bohemians reacting to the ugliness of the Industrial Revolution and the baroque bad taste of the Victorian era.
Under Erik Kronke as stage director, and Mary Jane Austin as music director, the cast is superb with everyone having remarkably beautiful voices and impressive acting skills.
The plot follows the usual formula of thwarted love, as in most Gilbert and Sullivan productions, with many comic twists and turns.
Patience is a modest village milkmaid, and Reginald Buthorne and Archibald Gosvenor are two rivals for her affection, each a caricature of an ultra sensitive, pretentious poet. They are worshiped relentlessly by a throng of lady followers who give them no rest.
The opposites of the aesthetics are the eight members of the local Dragon Regiment in their attractive uniforms, to whom the ladies were formally engaged but now disdain.
Emily Milne is excellent as Patience, with a very pure voice having an impressive range, and with an animated presence moving around the stage while singing, as in the touching solo pieces, “I Cannot Tell What This Love May Be,” and “Love is a Plaintive Song.”
Neil Cerutti as Reginald Buthorne had a wonderfully expressive face in his humorous role, and in his songs, such as “Am I Alone and Unobserved,” his delivery is very natural and with a fine tone. Victor Caamano as Archibald Grosvenor has a warm voice with nice color, especially fine in “A Magnet Hung in a Handsome Shop,” and he portrayed his character quite convincingly.
Erik Kronke as Colonel Calverley of the Dragons has a commanding bass that is amazing, particularly in his tongue twisting patter song, “If You Want a Receipt.”
Andrew Hudson-Sabens as the Duke of Dunstable shows his talents with a mellifluous tenor voice. Niall McCallum as Major Murgatroyd joined the two above in a lively trio, “It’s Life that Medieval Art.”
Nessa Robin as Lady Jane, an older woman in unrequited love with Bunthorne, plays the part effectively with a lovely voice, as in her solo, “Sad is that Woman’s Lot” and her hilarious duet with Bunthorne, “So Go to Him.”
Featured in the Ladies Chorus are Erin McIntyre (Lady Angela), Joanne Butler (Lady Sapphire), and Emma Bruce Cerutti (Lady Ella), all of whom sing with professional capacity. Other supporting members of the chorus are Betsy Ainsworth, Barbra Barra, Beth Damon, Ellie Geier, Laura Milne and Yvette Shedrick. The additional soldiers of the men’s chorus are Nick Becker, Shaun Campbell, Mike Fry, George Hamm and Rick Rayfield. Both choruses are powerful in their intense coordination in both singing and stage movements.
Alison Cerutti was perfect as the accompanying pianist. Beth Damon has created the appropriate costumes, Lori Stratton is the production manager and does the lighting, and Niall McCallum handles the poster and program.
The players received a well deserved standing ovation at the end of the performance. Look forward to having a continuous smile on your face for over two hours during this terrific show.
Patience began on June 26 and will go on for the next two weekends, on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and on Sundays at 2 p.m.
David K. Rodgers
David K. Rodgers is a writer, mason and card carrying dilettante, who dabbles and babbles in art. He has lived in East Craftsbury for the past 40 years.
