Mercer Opera presents lighthearted comedy ‘The Gondoliers’

Mercer University Opera is kicking off the year with Gilbert and Sullivan’s comedy “The Gondoliers,” opening Friday night at the school’s Neva Langley Fickling Hall.

“Like all Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, it’s set in the Victorian era. They are all comedies, and they are all class satires,” said director Martha Malone.

“The Gondoliers” tells the story of a young Spanish noblewoman who, unbeknownst to her, was married as a baby to the heir to the throne of another kingdom. When she and her parents arrive in Venice to find her husband — whose time has come to ascend the throne — he cannot be found, as he was taken in infancy by the Spanish Grand Inquisitor for safekeeping and given to a drunken gondolier to raise.

“It’s crazy and funny and full of political satire that still resonates today because human nature has not changed,” said Malone, who also serves as a professor of voice and chair of vocal studies at Mercer.

The show, which she said contains “melodies so tuneful, audience members will be whistling them as they leave the theater,” is being conducted by Richard Kowsowski, associate professor of music (voice and opera) and director of graduate studies at Mercer’s Townsend School of Music.

“Rich Kosowski is a terrific musician and teacher, and with his extensive experience on the professional opera stage, his guidance adds so much to the quality of our productions — we have a great time working together,” Malone said. “Having a live orchestra makes a big difference. We are lucky to have such a strong instrumental program.”

All but two of the performers are students at Townsend, ranging from freshmen to graduate students, and students in technical theater have designed the show’s lighting and will be running the show backstage as well.

“We try to give the students a wide variety of productions, some operas and some operettas, which include some spoken dialogue. The more versatile the students are, the better off they are to make a living in music, whether performing or teaching music, after graduation,” she said.

And those students will get experience teaching kids about opera as a special one-hour performance, suggested for kindergarten-sixth graders, is offered with each opera performance and is followed by a question-and-answer session with the performers.

Former Mercer student Patrick Hamilton designed the set, Shelley Kuhen created the costumes, and Faith Madison choreographed “The Gondoliers.”

“If you’ve never been to an opera and come to a Gilbert and Sullivan opera, it will be a fun evening, lighthearted, and you will have a great time,” Malone said. “We thought it would be good to start the year with a comedy.”

All tickets are first-come, first-served and are available at the door, paid by check or cash only.

This story was originally published January 11, 2017 at 8:09 AM with the headline "Mercer Opera presents lighthearted comedy ‘The Gondoliers’."