Review

'The Bear' & 'A Dinner Engagement' (Double Bill)

Opera Anywhere launched its spring season at Abingdon's Unicorn Theatre last weekend, with a double bill of one-act comic operas -- The Bear (William Walton) and A Dinner Engagement (Lennox Berkeley). Local connections abound -- both composers spent some time in Oxford, the company itself is based near Abingdon, and most of the singers are drawn from around the county. The Bear, adapted from Chekhov's play of the same name, is the battle of the sexes in miniature: daft, predictable but somehow immensely appealing. Opera Anywhere's production effectively highlights the humorous as well as the poignant, and an exceptional trio of singers ensure a first-class delivery.

Vanessa Woodward sings strongly and expressively as the young widow, Popova, and she combines feminine spirit with a touching vulnerability. David Stuart shines as the boorish Smirnov, by turns teasing and threatening as he attempts to recover an out standing debt from Popova, and Oliver Hunt makes the most of the comic possibilities of Luka. Popova's servant.

An equally fine cast has been assembled for A Dinner Engagement, probably one of the best-loved of Berkeley's vast output. Paul Thomas and Roselle Collins do a fine job as the impover ished Lord and Lady Dunmow, and Clare Stoneman provides much of the humour as their hired help. Mrs Knee bone. Sarah Haigh and Philip Fine make an appealing pair as Susan, the Dunmow's daughter, and Prince Phillip of Monteblanco, and Annabel Molynuex sings strongly as the Grand Duchess -- although she did appear, on the first night to be nervous and occasionally unsure of her words. Both pieces add up to an evening of light-hearted fun, which is well worth catching if you can.

Nicola Lisle, Oxford Times Review, 2005