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The impact of the opening chorus set a level for the whole evening which was 'attack'.
Here was a society doing it's best to do its best and the applause which greeted
the opening of the opening chorus was well deserved. It was well sung and well drilled.
To get that level of precision could only have been achieved by hours of rehearsal.
The fan movements were splendidly executed and I felt everyone had a real purpose
for being on stage. Principals were all given opportunity to establish themselves
and initially even Ko-
A colourful entrance by the ladies with lots of mischief in evidence. It is always good to see a chorus working hard and this chorus worked. Lots of skilful direction of principals throughout and the whole performance was well paced.
The Act 1 Finale was a riot of colour and movement and was always interesting. Katisha’s entrance was certainly attention claiming; and the development of the climax was good to listen to and good to watch.
A delicate and attractive opening to Act II. Remarkable attention given to entrances and exits all had purpose and all were well choreographed.
A colourful finale to set the seal on a well presented interpretation.
There were some good voices here but not outstanding one so the musical impact comes from a well balanced chorus both male and female. The lusty singing of the finales was a joy and brought each act to a glorious climax. Some lovely delicate attention given to romantic duets. The opening sequence to the Act 1 finale had a potent feeling of expectancy leading on to both fun and drama.
Very colourful traditional costumes. Each member of the chorus was an individual. Good lengths, some vivid colours, some delicate colours and principal characters all in helpful guises. Some outfits could have done with more weight in them but the visual effect was always pleasing.
I found rather disappointing and not especially Japanese. On the plus side there were some splendid wigs and in the case of Katisha exceptional.
Began rather ordinarily when the additions of gobos would have made main acting areas more interesting but developed as the performance progressed. 'The sun whose rays' created some beautiful moments.
Lots of nice props -





An imposing figure in an impressive costume. Rather a nice old boy who had a naughty twinkle in his eye. Lovely speaking voice and a good stage presence. I do long for him to have more authority.
An energetic matter of fact interpretation. No delicate china doll here but someone who could cope with whatever comes. No mean actress so she could have avoided underplaying some of the romantic moments. Gestures in romantic moments needed more grace and style and be unhurried. A lovely powerful voice but she tended to swamp other voices in duets, trios etc.. When there was evidence of blending it was very beautiful. A nice sense of mischief.
A very earnest and serious interpretation. His 'Wandering Minstrel I' was pleasant
to listen to and had real charm. His recitatives were especially impressive. Entrances
were rather tentative when he really could have been bursting with confidence. 'Were
you not to Ko-
A vivid figure who made impact on his first entrance. Always watch able and played in the old fashioned style. Clear diction and a very funny well executed 'little list'. Good contact with the audience and his pantomime style antics were adored by children in the audience.
A really good Katisha who dragged from me both horror and pity, She looked wonderful and her melodramatic approach and her threatening menace was potent enough to dominate the whole company. Her expressions and gestures were terrifying and at times bursting evil glee. Her acting range is wide and her variety of moods made fascinating watching. A splendid performance.
Wonderful visual effect. He really did look splendid being such a commanding figure. A very little attention to initial enunciation would have made for total clarity. Vocally secure and heard to great advantage in his Act I trio. Created some good traditional comic moments which added much humour to the performance.
Good first entrance and well sung. D iction good and interpretation always interesting. He was content for this to be a support role and in this area he did some good work.

Especially mischievous. A worker, Creating lots of funny moments. Some lovely old fashioned expressions and I liked her hearty approach to the role. A pleasant gentle singing role.

It is difficult to make great impact with this role but she made a delightful contribution to the whole production. Worked hard and reacted gloriously to situations.
