No more Mr Nice Guy (roles), at least until after February...
‘Traitors all! You combine against me!’
Macbeth’s sizzling Act 4 aria ricochets through the boat. Not for the first time, I wonder if a voice has the power to literally propel said boat from its moorings and along the cut … If any voice does, I wouldn’t be surprised if it belongs to my husband. There’s some serious volume there, and he’s not even in full bellow (it is, after all, just a skinny steel tube encompassing him, me and our cat, so he reins it in a bit on board).
I’m blessed with a most talented spouse. Shelden’s been singing everything from opera & music theatre to contemporary, and teaching voice, for over 20 years. Back home, he sang with Opera Queensland’s chorus for most of that time. So naturally once we got settled over in the UK he was keenly looking round for somewhere to utilise those performing chops.
Almost on arrival, he connected with Birmingham Savoyards and to our delight, snaffled a lead role in Ruddigore. (There may have been a few cheeky comments from both of us about soft lighting and makeup; Robin Oakapple is after all a ‘young’ romantic lead). The lovely folks at Savoyards made us both very welcome and before long, I also found myself helping out with some rehearsal accompaniment, which I enjoyed immensely. After several months zipping to and fro, earlier this year I watched with delight as husband owned the stage at the Old Rep, plus fours and all!
(Apologies for the terrible pics… I was sneakily snapping from the gods….)
Not long after this, he had an excursion to Wales to participate in Mid Wales Opera’s production of Dido and Aeneas. He got to lurk in the chorus for this one – mostly. When Aeneas was unwell, Shel’s tentative offer to cover the vocals offstage during final rehearsals was enthusiastically accepted. Aeneas got a rest break ahead of the performances, husband got to cram the role (and introduce his vocal skills to the production team – never waste a networking opp when you’re a performer), and everyone was pleased.
So where does Macbeth come into it (*cough* the Scottish opera, I suppose, for those concerned…)? Well, for a Verdi baritone voice type, Macbeth is one of THE roles to which one can aspire. So when we saw audition adverts for Brent Opera’s upcoming season… it was a no brainer to apply. (Besides, we got a day trip to London into the bargain). Imagine the delight when he scored the lead indeed – Mr Macbeth himself. It’s a double casting (considering the size of the sing, this lets everyone manage a bit more easily), so he has a fellow villain to work alongside, as well as another great cast and team to get to know.
Ironically, at the same time, an audition for a more local (Rugby) production of Oklahoma! had drawn our eye, so the intrepid husband auditioned for that as well, specifically for it’s nefarious baritone, Jud Fry. Lo and behold…. he was offered that one as well! Cue great excitement aboard Flow and much consulting of calendars and Google Maps to ensure that it might indeed be possible to take on both roles.
And it was, so he did, and here we are, puttering on the Grand Union Canal between Rugby and London. Even better, we’ve found a splendid location for a winter mooring just outside Milton Keynes, which is almost the perfect midpoint for the travelling, whether road or rail. So from November it will be a little easier to manage the commuting.
Cue much rehearsal, much of which is at sufficient volume to startle the local wildlife (and the domestic, for that matter, at times)… while I return to my aforementioned ponderings about vocally propelled navigation… In all seriousness, I do love to listen to him practise 🙂 and when I occasionally don’t, I have my trusty noise cancelling headphones. He’s really enjoying working with both companies and has made several more friends (accompanied by several more post-rehearsal pints, naturally).
Macbeth will be late January, at St. Andrew’s Frognal, Finchley Road, West Hampstead – see Brent Opera for deets or tickets if you are in the area.
Oklahoma! will be mid February, at Avon Valley School, Newbold Road, Rugby – see Rugby Operatic and Musical Society (ROAMS) for all the info!
Featured image by Makeen M.Alaa on Unsplash
