Toronto Operetta Theatre/Countess Maritza, composed by Imre Kalman, English book and lyrics by Nigel Douglas, directed by Guillermo Silva-Marin, conducted by Derek Bate, Jane Mallett Theatre, performances Jan. 3 and 4. Tickets here.
The operettas that debuted at Vienna’s Theater an der Wien — the apogee of operetta — were pure schmaltz and that’s why we love them.
The English version of Countess Maritza that TOT is using is by Nigel Douglas, which premiered at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in 1983, and was a great success for the New Sadler’s Wells Opera. It has become the mainstay of English performances of Countess Maritza ever since.
Happily, Douglas captured the essence of Viennese operetta by including humorous elements amid the main romance.
The basic operetta plot can be described this way: boy can’t get girl because of various complications, but love wins out in the end. In the meantime, we’ve been treated to an avalanche of tuneful melodies as we watch the twists and turns of the plot as they play out.
Imre Kalman’s Countess Maritza debuted at Theater an der Wien 100 years ago in 1924, and the music still captivates.
Kalman was Hungarian, and even though the original libretto by Julius Brammer and Alfred Grunwald was in German, Countess Maritza is filled with elements of gypsy rhythms and vibrant Magyar folk tunes that imbed Hungarian all over the operetta. Kalman never forgot his roots.
Needless to say, the operetta is set in Hungary, and in fact, the male lead, Count Tassilo, even gets to dance a czardas, but more about that latter.
The Story
Count Tassilo (Scott Rumble) has been working incognito as the manager of the estate of Countess Maritza (Holly Chaplin). Due to the lost family fortune, he’s working to earn money for a dowry for his sister Lisa (Patricia Wrigglesworth).
When the Countess returns to the estate to get rid of all the men pursuing her for her wealth, Tassilo is shocked to find his sister Lisa among her friends, but Tassilo gets Lisa to swear to keep his secret. He tells her he’s incognito because of a bet.
To finally get rid of her so-called admirers, the Countess announces she is engaged to a fictional Baron Zsupan. The name came to her after seeing a performance of Johann Strauss’ The Gypsy Baron (which premiered you know where in 1885). In that operetta, there is a comic character called Kalman Zsupan, a wealthy pig farmer. It’s the composer’s inside joke — Kalman/Kalman — get it?
To Maritza’s surprise, a real Baron Zsupan (Joshua Clemenger) shows up, having seen the engagement announced in the paper, so the Countess is forced to play along. In the meantime, the Baron slowly falls for — who else but Lisa?
Maritza, for her part, is more and more interested in her estate manager, who doesn’t seem interested in her. She and her guests catch him singing and dancing the czardas, and when she orders him to dance it again, he refuses, and she fires him.
Of course she apologizes, and the two grow closer and after several later complications, they marry as do Lisa and the Baron.
Other characters include slimy Prince Populescu (Sebastien Belcourt), a suitor to the Countess, who unveils Tassilo’s disguise, and Tassilo’s and Lisa’s ancient aunt, Princess Bozena (Meghan Symon) who comes to save the clan, having found oil on her estate. Her companion Penizek (Austin Larusson) is a speaking role, and the comic character quotes Shakespeare to describe any situation.
The Singers
In any operetta, it’s all about the singing actors. The artists have to be able to create character. TOT is known for featuring emerging talent and that was very evident in this cast.
Tenor Rumble is probably the most professionally advanced of the singers, with some pan-Canadian performances to his credit. He has a clear commanding voice that can reach the money notes with ease. But more to the point, he injects passion into both his singing and character portrayal which makes him an exciting artist to watch.
Also, Rumble performed a first-class czardas that he apparently created himself. Knee slaps, heel slaps, jumps, turns and a classy ending on one knee earned him a rousing round of applause. And remember, he also had to sing during the number. He executed a very courageous theatrical turn indeed.
Soprano Chaplin is a lyric coloratura soprano with a fulsome voice and a ringing top. It is the kind of vocal instrument that has all the potential to be exciting in the bel canto repertoire, and she has won several awards acknowledging her talent. Chaplin is the one that critics keep an eye on as she climbs the professional ladder. She also has a very pleasant manner on stage.
Tenor Clemenger had a lot of fun playing the blustering Baron Zsupan while displaying an even singing voice and excellent acting skills. Wrigglesworth was the most natural actor on stage. She also has a very pretty light soprano that will show well in Mozart and Handel.
I’ve enjoyed baritone Belcourt before. He’s a natural actor with a very attractive tone to his voice. Mezzo-soprano Symon had little to do but showed a pleasant voice in her small part, while Larusson only got to show off his big baritone sound in the finale. His speaking role was certainly infused with energy. (Symon and Larusson were cleverly hidden in the chorus before their solo parts which came at the end.)
The role of Manja, the housekeeper and gypsy fortune teller, was played by Lori Mak, who didn’t get a bio in the program. Nonetheless, she has a sweet, small voice that could go somewhere.
The Orchestra and Chorus
What I like about conductor Derek Bate is that he eeks out all the romantic schmaltz he can from the score. His ten-member ensemble moved easily from lilting songs to vibrant waltzes, to poignant laments, and oh, those trembling gypsy strings.
Bate also got a beautiful sound out of the 11-member chorus, which showed quite lovely work in the various harmonies.
The Production
Director Guillermo Silva-Marin, who also happens to be the artistic director of TOT, has been mounting these operettas for 40 years, so he’s a past master as to what is needed.
Long ago he figured out you scatter some well-appointed chairs, surrounded by attractive lamps and large basket of flowers, and voilà, you have your set. And it works.
He can also move large amounts of people around the stage with nothing looking awkward. Over the years, he’s become an accomplished director at producing naturalism in his cast. He is also general dogsbody like, in this case, lighting designer, which was quite effective, particularly in the cabaret scene.
Then there is the movement for which I await in gleeful anticipation. As a choreographer, Silva-Marin has his favourite limited repertoire which always includes a cancan, but a TOT operetta wouldn’t be the same without it.
Diction
I’ve complained about this forever.
Rumble was the best at being understood when he sang, along with Belcourt, and to some extent Clemenger, but everyone else, including the chorus was mush. They might as well have been singing in the original German. In most cases, you had to guess about what the song was about by hoping to pick up a word or two.
Lucky the music was so appealing.
Last Word
There is a very big problem with operettas, and that is, you can’t get the damn songs out of your head.
For me right now it’s “Play Gypsies, Dance Gypsies”……
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