Just two months after their uproarious HMS Pinafore at the Oxford Playhouse, the Bicester-based Opera della Luna is back in Oxford for a week-long residency at the Old Fire Station with A Little Christmas Night Music. This diverse selection of songs - from Sondheim, Bernstein and Rogers and Hammerstein to Puccini, Donizetti, Bizet and Lehar - is presented in the slick cabaret style at which this company is so adept.
Soprano Lorina Gore (pictured) is a wonderful discovery, and she sparkles as brightly as her jewelled necklace in everything she does, bringing the stage alive with her radiance. Monica Brett-Crowther replaced regular mezzo Louise Crane at very short notice, and proves a worthy substitute; Tom Raskin contributes a rich and versatile tenor sound, particularly lovely in Una Furtiva Lagrima from Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore; and Matthew Craig demonstrates the art of musical theatre in numbers from Les Miserables and Carousel. Artistic director Jeff Clarke provides the piano accompaniment and witty linking narrative.
I must admit I was expecting a stronger Christmas flavour - as the title of the concert seems to suggest - but the festive treats, when they come, are worth waiting for. The first half ends with a trio of songs entitled Three Silent Nights, of which the final one - Kantor's Night of Silence - features a beautifully sung Silent Night. The finale features another trio of seasonal delights, the highlight of which is the hilarious The Twelve Days After Christmas, which I promise will leave you still chuckling as you wend your way home.
d=3,3,1This is the perfect opportunity to hear some highly accomplished professional singers in a wonderfully intimate setting, and definitely should not be missed.
A Little Christmas Night Music continues tonight and tomorrow night at the Old Fire Station, Oxford. Tickets, price £15, are available from the Live Nation box office on 01865 297170. Monica Brett-Crowther will be replaced tomorrow night by Siobhain Gibson.
Opera della Luna returns to the Old Fire Station next April for a new two-man show, Nightmare Songs, which is based around the Gilbert and Sullivan 'patter song' repertoire, and stars Jeff Clarke and leading patter man Simon Butteriss. For more information, visit www.operadellaluna.org
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