Gallantry is a half-hour one act opera composed by Douglas Moore, with libretto by Arnold Sundgaard. First performed in 1958 by the music students of New York’s Columbia University, four classical voice students from Monash performed the opera as part of a series of free lunchtime concerts that showcase the talent of the School of Music Conservatorium.
Walking into the auditorium, the audience was greeted by two performers already on stage: Luke Belle as Dr. Gregg and Stephanie Akaoui as Nurse Lola, dressed in physicians’ coats, staring down at a medical tray. Hidden underneath the sheets in the hospital bed beside them was Donald (Ben Glover), and side of stage was the Announcer (Sarah Turner). The no-fuss staging of the production gave a strong focus to the singers’ vocal abilities and goes to show that strong singers can keep an audience intrigued from bar one, without the need for the elaborate sets and costumes on which opera sometimes relies.
Classified as a ‘soap’ opera, Gallantry is almost like watching Days of Our Lives, but a little wackier, more fun and with live music. The show opens with a satirical advertisement for the soap brand ‘Lochinvar’, making this classification of soap opera even more pertinent. These occur intermittently throughout the action. The main conflict centres around Dr. Gregg, a physician who is interested in winning the affections of Nurse Lola despite the fact that their patient, Donald Hopewell, is also Lola’s fiancée. Things begin to get more and more out of hand as Dr. Gregg’s true jealousy is made apparent, but it seems that true love can still prevail.
The first Lochinvar soap aria (as I like to call it) was a hilarious aside; it was delivered quite prettily and with straight-laced seriousness by Sarah Turner. Her voice was very suited to the role, as was the case with all the other cast members. Stephanie’s lovely natural tone really shone in the beautiful aria towards the end of the piece, in which she explains that she cannot and will not be with Dr. Gregg. Ben brought out the most characterisation and seemed to have an affinity for comic roles, as well as an honest tenor voice. Luke Belle had a professional stage presence from the moment he sang his first note.
I would have liked a little more of the parody of the melodrama brought out by the ‘doomed’ couple, Dr. Gregg and Lola, especially in the duet about childhood. But considering the short rehearsal time frame in which they were working, it’s understandable that the emphasis would have been on the music. In addition, it would have been nice to hear more vocal power from Ben and Sarah at times, but the auditorium is a big space to fill with an unamplified voice, and overall, everyone did a fantastic job; this was evident particularly in the difficult four-part harmony at the end, with each part entering at different points and quite independently of each other and the piano.
This was a wonderful production, especially considering the singers involved are still learning and developing their craft. There was a strong sense of professionalism from all involved, and the show was almost note perfect. Janet Perkins, the talented pianist, kept the momentum of the piece flowing from beginning to end, while conductor, Dobbs Franks, was attentive the whole way through. Also special mention to Simon Tsang, who stepped in as conductor during rehearsals where Dobbs was unavailable.
As a Monash classical singing student myself, I think the lunchtime concerts are such an incredible opportunity for musicians to learn more about what it is to be a professional performer and what is required to maintain stamina physically and mentally through a show, as well as be given the chance to experience real nerves in front of an audience. Lunchtime concerts occur every Thursday at 1pm in the Music Auditorium and are free for everyone.
To find out more about the Monash Lunchtime Concert Series, and what is coming up in the following weeks, please visit their website: http://www.monash.edu/mapa/
