Interviews with our cast !
The Cast of COX & BOX and TRIAL BY JURY:
JOHN MORRISON |
Playing the role of 'The Judge' in Trial by Jury
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What attracted you to playing the role of the Judge John?
I felt like having a sing and when I saw that the Opera Company was doing Trial By Juryi thought that I would go along and try out for the jury or the counsel. Although I have played the defendant several times I am realistic enough to know that my young roles are now past. Although I did the defendant once at age 48 when the plaintiff was only 16. Talk about an Edelsten moment! Anyway having auditioned for the jury I got a email from Ralph Bott asking me if I would like to be the judge? Apparently Jon Smith liked my diction and thought I would make "a Good judge too".
You are quite a local legend John, which G & S role has been your favourite so far?
I've done them all except the Grand Duke. In particular I've enjoyed Marco in Gondoliers, Frederic in Pirates and Fitzbattleaxe in Utopia. But all the tenor roles in G&S are great.
Who do you think this Double Bill will appeal to?
I would think that traditionalists will love it. They are not done that often but the music and the wit in both them is great. If I could convince people to come and see the double bill as a first exposure to G&S, I know they would enjoy them immensely and hopefully come along to the full size ones.
Local audiences have seen you on the Rockdale stage for many years now. When did you start your singing career, and how?
I've been singing since before I could talk. I come from a musical family. Both my parents were prolific singers. I saw my Dad in Mikado in 1958, and fell in love with the genre. My first G&S role was as Yum Yum I'm the Mikado at an all boys boarding school. I was 13 and my voice had not yet broken. I performed with the school choir. After I left school I sang with UNSW choir for couple of years, and also performed with Rockdale musical society, where I met you and your Dad. I started lessons with Raymond McDonald and moved into the operatic repertoire. I mostly did concerts and Eisteddfods. In 1995 Richard Gill got me a gig with Opera Australia chorus. It was a bucket ticking time. I enjoyed the work but after 5 years I felt I had done it and was happy to retire from the professional stage.
In 2000 I started up "Opera Afloat" for Captain Cook Cruses which ran for five years and kept a large number of under-utilised opera singers occupied.
Since then I have become involved in several music therapy courses and sincerely believe that music has a marked effect on people suffering various types of dementia.I have made two CD's of Opera and Musical comedy music.
I felt like having a sing and when I saw that the Opera Company was doing Trial By Juryi thought that I would go along and try out for the jury or the counsel. Although I have played the defendant several times I am realistic enough to know that my young roles are now past. Although I did the defendant once at age 48 when the plaintiff was only 16. Talk about an Edelsten moment! Anyway having auditioned for the jury I got a email from Ralph Bott asking me if I would like to be the judge? Apparently Jon Smith liked my diction and thought I would make "a Good judge too".
You are quite a local legend John, which G & S role has been your favourite so far?
I've done them all except the Grand Duke. In particular I've enjoyed Marco in Gondoliers, Frederic in Pirates and Fitzbattleaxe in Utopia. But all the tenor roles in G&S are great.
Who do you think this Double Bill will appeal to?
I would think that traditionalists will love it. They are not done that often but the music and the wit in both them is great. If I could convince people to come and see the double bill as a first exposure to G&S, I know they would enjoy them immensely and hopefully come along to the full size ones.
Local audiences have seen you on the Rockdale stage for many years now. When did you start your singing career, and how?
I've been singing since before I could talk. I come from a musical family. Both my parents were prolific singers. I saw my Dad in Mikado in 1958, and fell in love with the genre. My first G&S role was as Yum Yum I'm the Mikado at an all boys boarding school. I was 13 and my voice had not yet broken. I performed with the school choir. After I left school I sang with UNSW choir for couple of years, and also performed with Rockdale musical society, where I met you and your Dad. I started lessons with Raymond McDonald and moved into the operatic repertoire. I mostly did concerts and Eisteddfods. In 1995 Richard Gill got me a gig with Opera Australia chorus. It was a bucket ticking time. I enjoyed the work but after 5 years I felt I had done it and was happy to retire from the professional stage.
In 2000 I started up "Opera Afloat" for Captain Cook Cruses which ran for five years and kept a large number of under-utilised opera singers occupied.
Since then I have become involved in several music therapy courses and sincerely believe that music has a marked effect on people suffering various types of dementia.I have made two CD's of Opera and Musical comedy music.
RORY STRUTHERS |
Playing the role of 'Mr Cox' in COX & BOX |
What are you enjoying about playing this role in C & B - any similarities to yourself?
It’s so much fun developing the character, bringing my own little quirks and traits into the role and working with the demands of the show. Mr Cox covers (pretty much) the full spectrum of emotions within an hour, and portraying that to an audience, in song and in dialogue, is a real treat. Working with a great director who really understands singers is an added bonus, and all of the jokes and plot twists are just as brilliant each time, even though I know how the story ends. As for similarities, the term ‘typecasting’ might come up amongst my family and friends. Let’s just say that I was probably Mr Cox in a previous life!
Have you done many other comic operas? If so what?
I’m new to comic opera, so this will be my first experience of a farce… on stage, at least. I’ve got a few similar productions coming up – Gianni Schicchi and The Marriage of Figaro both promising to be wild and ridiculous – and I’m sure I can take a leaf from the mad hatter into my next chapter.
When did you start singing and why?
I used to sing in school choirs until I was about twelve, but took a long hiatus before I finally got back into it last year. Since then, I’ve sung mostly choral pieces, delving into the opera world more recently. I started singing opera out of interest and curiosity, and I didn’t realise how much was involved until I got more serious about it. There are so many things to learn from music, and it is cathartic to be a performer, both for the joy you are capable of bringing other people, but also for the achievement of creating such great work. Music (and culture in general) gives us the opportunity to get lost in another world, forget our troubles and just enjoy the moment. And we need more of that.
It’s so much fun developing the character, bringing my own little quirks and traits into the role and working with the demands of the show. Mr Cox covers (pretty much) the full spectrum of emotions within an hour, and portraying that to an audience, in song and in dialogue, is a real treat. Working with a great director who really understands singers is an added bonus, and all of the jokes and plot twists are just as brilliant each time, even though I know how the story ends. As for similarities, the term ‘typecasting’ might come up amongst my family and friends. Let’s just say that I was probably Mr Cox in a previous life!
Have you done many other comic operas? If so what?
I’m new to comic opera, so this will be my first experience of a farce… on stage, at least. I’ve got a few similar productions coming up – Gianni Schicchi and The Marriage of Figaro both promising to be wild and ridiculous – and I’m sure I can take a leaf from the mad hatter into my next chapter.
When did you start singing and why?
I used to sing in school choirs until I was about twelve, but took a long hiatus before I finally got back into it last year. Since then, I’ve sung mostly choral pieces, delving into the opera world more recently. I started singing opera out of interest and curiosity, and I didn’t realise how much was involved until I got more serious about it. There are so many things to learn from music, and it is cathartic to be a performer, both for the joy you are capable of bringing other people, but also for the achievement of creating such great work. Music (and culture in general) gives us the opportunity to get lost in another world, forget our troubles and just enjoy the moment. And we need more of that.
SAMANTA LESTAVEL |
Playing the role of: 'Angelina' in TRIAL BY JURY |
This is your first G & S, what do you think?
"Having the opportunity to do Trial by Jury as my first Gilbert and Sullivan production is a real thrill for me. Amid all the hilarity, it really is such a crafty work. I am very much enjoying where our director has taken it - there's fun and sass in quantity, all paired with an fundamentally cynical undertone about the nature of marriage under the law".
Can you tell us a bit about your character ?
"The most fun thing about this production, I think, has been really creating my character Angelina, and forming her relationships with the other characters on stage. She is a very crafty for her time, and while she uses her, let's say, "womanly charms" to great effect, she is far from one dimensional. In fact, it soon becomes apparent that her and the Council (her sister, in this production), have in fact more brains than the rest of the courtroom put together!"
What has been the most enjoyable part of being in this production?
”Working with the Rockdale Opera crew and our wonderful cast has been a joy. I could not have hoped for a more supportive and jovial group with which to bring this work to life.
