Musical Director: Arne Kovac
Director: Chrissie Higgs
| Pluto: |
Jon Paget
|
| Jupiter: |
Neil Kirkman
|
| Eurydice: | |
| Public Opinion: |
Alexandra Denman
|
|
Orpheus: |
Tom Magnone
|
| Cupid: |
Paula Boyagis
|
| John Styx: |
Graham Billing
|
| Mercury: |
Stephen Grimshaw
|
| Mars: | Andrew Taylor |
| Diana: | Barbara Gompels |
| Venus: | Dajana Kovac |
| Juno: | Jessica Phillips |
| Minerva: | Lisa Gauntlett |
| Cybele: | Janet Roberts |
| Hebe: | Toni Johnstone |
Ask anyone to name the most famous tune from any opera and it is quite likely that the answer will be Offenbach's Infernal Gallop, better known as the Can-Can. You only have to hear it to see the swirling petticoats and feel the exhilarating atmosphere of Paris at its most daring and risque.
White Horse Opera's latest production entered this liberated world, where wine, women and song rule the day. Offenbach's greatest operetta is delightfully naughty and pokes irreverent fun at two of the cornerstones of French society, its culture and its politics.
This fun can still be enjoyed today, as we follow the escapades of the very unholy Greek gods who are determined to spice up their dreary lives. At the centre of the mayhem is the gorgeous Eurydice, whose zest for life makes her reject her boring husband Orpheus and welcome the advances of both Jupiter and Pluto.
Offenbach tells his tale with panache and wit and produces a tireless succession of ravishing and foot-tapping melodies to accompany it.
White Horse Opera's production was suitably racy and featured an array of singers who are well-known to its regular audiences. Rebecca Hiller [Eurydice] and Neil Kirkman [Jupiter] both made a strong impact in last year's Sonnambula, and Tom Magnone and Alexandra Denman make a welcome return to the company to play Orpheus and his severe guide Public Opinion. The production was conducted by our resident Musical Director Arne Kovac and directed by Chrissie Higgs, who staged the recent successful tour of The Pirates of Penzance.
