Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2005

Wetmarsh College
C Electric, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Austin Williams
posted 27 August 2005

As the audience enters, a small chamber orchestra - an interesting mix of oboes, violins, horns and trumpets - plays the extended overture to this comic opera with music by Roland Anderson and libretto by Mark Wainwright. Unfortunately, they play with sufficient accidental discordance to have made me nervous for the 75 minutes to come.

The story, such as it is, concerns the stuffy dons of Wetmarsh College who, having need to appoint a new staff member, have received an application from a woman. The potential break with tradition splits their otherwise unified male ranks. Cue ensuing hilarity.

Well, that I'm sure was the plan but it just isn't funny enough. The writing is patchy, the acting generally weak, the singing is risible, and the storyline is confused. The score however does have a potential, but the amusing moments spring from unexpected dance routines that provide an easy laugh and a welcome relief. The love song at the end 'Love is blind' stands out as by far the best of the show.

Overall, the production misses the satirical edge of Gilbert and Sullivan. As an attempt to make fun of the manners of the established order - in this instance the gleaming spires and sherry drinking conformity of the masters - it becomes too indulgent and safe. It also undermines its pretensions to social satire by smacking of an in-joke. The porter character, for example, is a Uriah Heap grotesque - massively and tediously over 'acted' - who actually plays no function; simply flaying his arms around in a cross between the Hunchback of Notre Dame and Manuel, the Spanish waiter. I can only assume that the authors 'know someone like that'. Well no-one else does and the point of this format is to parody and expose, rather than pander.

But perhaps the biggest shame is that the woman chosen to play the female lead cannot sing. Giving her difficult arias compounds the problem. Undoubtedly cast for her sexual charms as a character that needs to convincing stir the tensions in the masters' ranks, and loins, her voice is a bit of an oversight. It is also a bit ironic to have been chosen for looks rather than ability.

The introduction of - wait for it - a suicide bomber, appears to be some inane attempt at 'relevance' and bringing the 'modern' into a Victorian operatic framework of modern manners, but the story is farcical enough. This is just another thread that goes nowhere. As it happens, the opening number: 'We are the masters of Wetmarsh College/Bastions of ancient and useless knowledge' seemed to be referencing something of the contemporary debate about education that could easily have been developed, rather than the more trivial, safer and more dated debate about sexual prejudice.

The final annoyance of many in this production is that the performers regularly glance towards the conductor during their songs, to catch the beat but by so doing, they momentarily take themselves out of character, which is unsettling for the audience.

In conclusion, this is a valiant attempt at light opera which is let down somewhat by the weakness of vocal ability, storyline, characters and plot. Can do better.