Grange Park Opera reliably produces incredible productions, well executed by stellar performers and inventive production teams. Sadly, its 2024 Daughter of the Regiment falls short of this bar.
Wasfi Kani has, as ever, assembled an excellent cast of singers, and director / designer John Doyle has put together an attractive production, clad with all manner of show-stopping costumes by Gabrielle Dalton. The colour scheme is red, white and blue emphasised by Tim Mitchell’s colour block lighting, and we are assuredly in France.
Sadly, the efforts of the performers are undermined by Claire Levacher’s distractingly busy and ineffectual conducting. She manages to sap the energy from Donizetti’s normally fizzing score with her tempi choices, and repeatedly allows inconsequential live performance synchronisation issues to escalate into pages long, glaringly obvious mistakes. Lavacher’s propensity to drag makes the singers' job exceedingly difficult, none more obviously than in Tonio’s famous "Ah mes Amis" with the 9 top Cs.
Luckily, Nico Darmanin (Tonio) and Julia Sitkovetsy (Marie) are both in fine voice. Sitkovetsy’s higher register sparkles flawlessly, and she has a lithe, charming voice, perfect for this demanding role. Darmanin, the Maltese tenor, is ardent and endearing as her desperate fiancé, needing to convince first a whole regiment of men standing in as her father and then a snobbish countess who has swept her away. He leaps about the stage injecting energy into the scene, passionate and playful in equal measure. Alongside the ringing high notes and caution-to-the-wind courage, Darmanin proves he can be touchingly sincere as he pleads for Marie’s hand in “Pour me rapprocher de Marie".
Donizetti’s 1840 score is bright, tuneful and funny. Marie is an orphan, brought up by Sergeant Sulpice and his 21st regiment of soldiers. Marie is in love with a Tyrolean, who manages to thaw the frosty reception of her stand-in fathers by enlisting in their regiment. Unfortunately, Marie’s haughty aunt, the Marquise of Berkenfield, arrives and whisks her away for a more proper upbringing and arranged marriage. All is not lost when Tonio and the whole regiment come to rescue her, love triumphs and family secrets are revealed.
Doyle’s direction is playful, hamming up stereotypes alongside plenty of silly choreography. This lacks some precision in the execution, feeling like a few more dance calls could have helped, but it is fun and farcical.
The “Rataplan” army singing is delivered with gusto by the chorus and well balanced with the soloists' vocal fireworks. From the bare wooden barracks, we move to an opulent, deep purple set for the Marquise’s mansion. Here, Marie’s music lesson is hilariously delivered by Sitkovetsy, wonderfully out of tune and petulant, accompanied by her hapless aunt. The Duchess of Crackenthorp (Harriet Thorpe) is exceedingly naughty, dressed to distraction in a black, sparkling number.
Grange Park’s choice to perform Donizetti’s opera comique in English makes the dialogue flow more easily; there are no subtitles to distract and the text delivery is exceedingly clear throughout.
The ingredients are there for a fantastic show, but sadly tonight, the production didn’t rise to its full potential.