Alidoro             David Firth
Clorinda            Simon Green
Don Magnifico       Tim Hardy
Dandini             Darryl Knock
Cinderella          Mary Lincoln
Prince Ramiro       Gaynor Miles
Tisbe               William Relton

Director            Tony Britten
Music director      Nicholas Bloomfield
Music Theatre London

MTL's version of Rossini's Cerentola approaches the decorous, moralizing
opera through the conventions of pantomime. Don Magnifico is an
old-fashioned east end spiv moved out to Essex, the prince is a girl
(though Dandini is still a baritone) and the sisters are chaps. While they
do the music straight, it's in the nature of the work that there's not a
lot left once you take away the singing, and this cast is in general more
can belto (in the music theatre style) than bel canto.

As always, MTL put on an entertaining show at the Drill Hall, but in
contrast to most of their productions (Onegin as Brideshead, Fledermaus
with Eisenstein headed for the Priory instead of prison) they didn't find a
big idea that makes the opera look new. The dialogue, especially the
sisters' ding-donging, was too far adrift from the musical parts, and only
fairly funny in itself.

Mary Lincoln was an appealingly waif-like Cinderella, looking and sounding
fragile, but impressively in touch with the music. Gaynor Miles, who has
quite a bit of opera on her CV, sounded excruciating in the less than idea
acoustics of the Drill Hall, all buzzy with intermittent scratches, like a
sandpaperer on a slow speed. She was also a bit sexless, which defeated the
object of the travesty. In contrast, the sisters were a fine looking pair
of girls. Simon Green as Clorinda looked gorgeous in sub-Dallas pants suits
(I thought he'd got out of shaving his legs but he had to wear tights at
the end). William Relton as Tisbe was a chunky English rose. They sang
their music, making it sound like Gilbert and Sullivan, which was close
enough. Tim Hardy was unpleasant as Don Magnifico, an unfinished sit-com
character.

Darryl Knock was comparatively understated as Dandini, though quite funny
in Mr Toad mode disguised as the prince. And David Firth was interestingly
opaque as Alidoro, a thankless role compared to the average fairy
godmother.

Still, it was good stuff for anyone who wanted something to take children
to and couldn't face the usual panto with soap stars doing amateur-night
turns. In a note in the programme, Tony Britten lamented that MTL hadn't
got an Arts Council grant to tour in the UK this year. This production
might not have justified a grant on its own, but it was pretty good value.
And MTL is well worth keeping in business.