News-Advocate-Logos--April 15, 1970

Savoyards Stage Gondoliers In Impressive Show of Talent

The Boston University Savoyards presented their final production of the year over the past two weekends. The Gondoliers or The King of Barataria played to enthusiastic audiences in the B.U. concert hall at SFAA. The play revolved around two brother gondoliers, their brides, and a possible second wife for one of them. While the play has a typically confusing Gilbert and Sullivan storyline, everything turns out correct in the end. The vibrant orchestra, under the tight control of George R. Fulginiti, opened the operetta with a sharp, sensual appeal. Although the orchestra was exciting and lended itself to accompaniment with foot-tapping, it sometimes was so loud as to drown out the words from the stage. The powerful group of voices in the chorus of gondoliers and contadine made its merry way on stage to jolt the senses. In the wake of chorus spectacle, the set drew attention to itself. It was simple, basically just a balcony, a multi-level stage (big steps), and a backdrop of what Venice Bay might look like. But it suited the lightness of the play. Chalk up another gold star for the production. The direction and choreography of Constance V. Miller proved straight--not at all gimicky. Yet the play didn't suffer; it moved along, never missing a beat. The lead players were in character, making the audience laugh through the entire night. Jeffrey Weisenfreund played a henpecked Duke of Plaza-Toro. He was great. The Duke muddled along, taking orders from two fine actresses, Linda L. Houpt as his daughter Casilda, and Jean Spaulding Loftus as his wife. His manner, in speech and actions, was hilarious. The only character booed was the Grand Inquisitor of Spain. Anthony Mowbray played this G.I. superbly as a rather stiff person who looked down the end of his unusual nose to question others. Two more characters who obviously enjoyed themselves were the brothers gondoliere, Marco (Lee E. Wolloff) and Giuseppe (Paul David Seltzer). Certainly, there are better voices but they were by no means liabilities to the production. And their young ladies, Tessa (Constance V. Miller) and Gianetta (Juliet Cunningham) were marvelous. The entire troupe was clothed in cute, colorful costumes, designed by Pam Grodzicki. The Savoyards will return next year with another bundle of Gilbert and Sullivan. If these future productions are as good as The Gondoliers, the whole B.U. community should go indulge in some excellent theatre.

--D.G.

Boston University Currents--April 15,1970

Savoyards Score Hit InThe Gondoliers by Louise Rawl

Light-hearted music in the SFAA Concert Hall last week transported us directly to the romantic happiness of old Venetia. During the Savoyards' superb production of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Gondoliers we could forget that Venice today is sinking and rotting away. In the clean and shining faces of the players, we could see a bright purity that is all too frequently lacking in the present time. The characters and the settings are, by now, familiar. Yet they can be staged with freshness, as they were in this presentation. They offer us a lost king, supposedly a gondolier--or rather, one of two gondoliers; a Spanish beauty who is betrothed to the lost prince but in love with someone else (or is she?); the Grand Inquisitor, who knows how to locate the prince. But in the meantime the two gondoliers are set to rule. Question: can a kingdom survive under the gondoliers' policy of republican equality? From the contented and dumb-as-cows smiles on the faces of Giuseppe and Marco, the gondolier-kings, this seems doubtful. Paul Seltzer and Lee Wolloff, the Savoyards who play Giuseppe and Marco respectively, convince us early and easily that they're having great fun on the stage. Linda Houpt is excellent as the proper daughter of a Spanish grandee. Saturday night's audience delighted also in the performances of Jeffrey Weisenfreund as the Duke of Plaza-Toro, Inc., and Jean Loftus as his Duchess. Their portrayals were, to all appearances, flawless. Anthony Mowbray was outstanding in his underplayed role of the Grand Inquisitor. Perhaps the weakest performance was given by Alan Abrams as Luiz, the duke's assistant. But what is weakness, compared to a sweet smile and an obviously warm heart? Tessa, Giuseppe's generously proportioned wife played by Constance Miller (also the director and choreographer) captivated the audience in her every appearance. Each chorus scene was, in brief, marvelous. And a double bravo must go to George R. Fulginiti, conductor and musical director, for giving us such a welcome boost in our ceaseless pursuit of beauty and truth.

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