The Sault Opera Legacy

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1986

Sault Opera opened the year with an abbreviated version of Mozart's opera "The Marriage of Figaro" in mid-February starring: Sharon Ann Miller (hired on loan from the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble) as Susanna, John King as Figaro, Marla Pritchard as Marcellina, Claudette Corriveau as Cherubino, Larry Whalen as Count Almaviva, Wilf Beauchamp as Bartolo, Sister Barbara Ianni as the Countess, Randy Smith as Basilio, Keith Waldie as Antonio, Bob MacDonald (from Thunder Bay) as Don Curzio, Jacqueline Dowhaniuk as Barbarina, and an 8-member choral ensemble. Bruce Bedell acted as the narrator to help fill in gaps in the story line in this abbreviated version. The opera was produced by Herbert Johnson and directed and designed by Arno Ambel, with the assistance of Sister Barbara Ianni in staging and design.

"The Marriage of Figaro" company: (L to R) Larry Whalen - Count Almaviva, Sister Barbara Ianni - Countess Almaviva, Randy Smith (back row in black) - Basilio, Keith Waldie (back row with red hat) - Antonio, Sharon Ann Miller - Susanna, John King - Figaro

This abbreviated opera received good reviews, especially for the performances of John King and Sharon Ann Miller, opera buffs offered their most sincere praise for this presentation. As evidenced by past opera productions, attendance was not very high and the show closed with a deficit of over $2500. On the other hand, the prestige of Sault Opera as a producer of opera had been re-affirmed again with this production.

The Three Little Maids in "The Mikado" (L to R): Jackie Dowhaniuk as Peep-Bo, Lisa Dunn as Yum-Yum, and Jill McPhee as Pitti-Sing

In May, Sault Opera closed its 1985/86 season with Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Mikado", directed by Wilf Beauchamp, choreographed and co-directed by Brenda Gravelle, music directed by Arno Ambel, and starring a "bomb-proof" cast (in the words of the Sault Star reviewer Dave Robertson) consisting of: Lyndon Slewidge as the Mikado, Brian Gow (hired from Toronto) as Nanki-Poo, John King as Ko-Ko, Jo Ramakers as Pooh-Bah, Terry McPhee as Pish-Tush, Lisa Dunn as Yum-Yum, Jill McPhee as Pitti-Sing, Jacqueline Dowhaniuk as Peep-Bo, and Sonya Ostrowski-Masoti as Katisha. In addition to the strong leads, one of the best choruses the Sault Opera ever assembled supported this cast, making it truly "bomb-proof".

Again, this well-paced show received an excellent review and was enthusiastically received by the audience although, again, the box office returns could have been better as the show closed with a small deficit of just over $700.

During the spring and summer, Sault Opera received a grant from the Federal Government under the "SEED" Summer Employment program for students. The company hired three students for 12 weeks to put the wardrobe department back in order by cleaning, mending, re-arranging, and cataloging the costume stock that was left in a state of disrepair; re-organizing the files; and preparing material for the 1986/87 season's subscription campaign. As a result of the re-cataloging of the wardrobe stock, the company carried out a successful costume rental business to individuals at Halloween time, which netted over $1000 to the company.

Rehearsal at the Trocadero Ballroom in "Showboat" (L to R) Jake the Pianist (Richard Sloan), Jim the Manager (Rick Houle), and Magnolia (Luise Morano)

For its fall production of Kern and Hammerstein's "Showboat", Theatre Ontario allotted a grant of $2300 to Sault Opera to hire professional director Stephen Coopman from Toronto to direct the show, which was presented on two weekends in mid-October. Featured in the cast were many well-known Sault Opera favourites including: Luise Morano as Magnolia, Larry Whalen reprising his role as Gaylord Ravenol (originally in the 1977 production), Maria Burgess as Julie, Jill McPhee as Ellie, Lyndon Slewidge as Joe, and many others along with a large number of secondary leads and chorus, augmented by the Kiana Dancers choreographed by Kim Greco.

The show was well-received by the audience with standing ovations on four nights but the direction was criticized by the Sault Star reviewer Robin Waples, although she applauded the performances of the major leads. "Showboat" was also a financial success with two sold-out houses and a net surplus exceeding $2000.

With the production of an opera, an operetta, and a Broadway musical, Sault Opera held high its reputation of its stage presentations and attracted more out-of-town viewers than ever before (six busloads of groups organized for "Showboat", for example).

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