A BACKWARD GLANCE AT "UTOPIA LTD", Liverpool University, 26 Feb. 1972

[Over the past couple of years a fair amount has been written about Utopia, with the productions at Imperial College and D'Oyly Carte. I have decided to print my old report of the first really successful production of Utopia I ever saw, and particularly memorable for the truly remarkable performance of Scaphio by Andrew Gow.]

It is a long time since I have seen a performance with such spirit and fire. Here was all the old Liverpudlian charm back again with all the carefree abandon, which I have not seen since the days of Alan Moss. One could not call it "traditional" but then I am no traditionalist in the narrow sense of the word; however some of the characters are so inconsistent, and the opera really so peculiar, that I wonder whether it is really possible to do it "trad". Inevitably there were some things that were overdone - for example Tarara's giant cracker at his Act 2 entry. It really was not funny, but the pulling of it to the discomfiture of Scaphio and Phantis at least gave a place for the traditional off-stage maroon which Liverpool introduce into all their shows on the last night. Some of the chorus work tended to be dull and unimaginative, and I think it was a great mistake to have the whole stage at ground level - were there no rostra available? In spite of my remarks on the various characters, there was no one who was really weak to the extent of letting the show down, and that, in such a huge cast, is no mean achievement. Not surprisingly, there were some references to the power crisis. Lines like “nobody can hold a candle to you, even if they can find one'' were great fun. I completely approve of such things on student last nights, if they are done tastefully, and are appropriate. On this occasion all of them were, this has not always been the case in the past. I also liked the interpolation "despite the lack of coal and coke, we never run a ship ashore". These are I feel, in the spirit of Gilbert, and I do not believe the old man would have disapproved. I was less happy with the envelope flung on to the stage in response to the question "A plot of superhuman subtlety, have you such a thing about you?" (Incidentally this line said in Russell Wakefield's thick lugubrious voice was irresistibly funny). The envelope, with PLOT writ large on its brow, was not funny, though Scaphio succeeded in redeeming the situation by examining the PLOT which appeared to be the script for an obscene play, and then remarking " But we can't do that, this is a family show." Musically the conductor Wally Walters [no relation] indicated that he cared about the opera, which he has not always done in the past. It was tight and well controlled, and really took wing in places; the "Knightsbridge nursemaids" and the Act 1 finale "Lets seal this mercantile pact" were quite electric. I liked all the tempi. KING PARAMOUNT (Ray de Winter) A very fine performance, which came as quite a surprise to me; although he has only played Guron (or was it Scynthius?) before, and you can't judge a chap on that! He impressed me above all with his dignity, one could believe he was a king - I just wish that he had been a little more imaginative with his hands - they tended to stay in the same place all the time. Vocally good. In future, however, he might consider letting the character develop a bit more. SCAPHIO (Andrew Gow) Whew! Yes-well! Well, of course there was no doubt that this was THE performance of the evening. In this role Andie turned in another of his whimsical, vital and irrepressible (I am tempted to say irresponsible) performances. It was a performance rich (almost too rich) in ever-changing shades of colour, (he told me himself he is never the same two nights running.) He has one of the most winning stage personalities I have encountered, brimming with mirth and as Phantis might have said, teeming with quiet fun. He has learned to use his smile to advantage by confining it to places where it is appropriate. I could see it just beginning to appear in one or two places where it shouldn't, but he kept it under control, He also managed to introduce another side to Scaphio's character - the man of authority, menacing, sinister (and all the more sinister for being small) a man with a "sneer of cold command". We were left in no doubt as to who was the dominant partner - one felt it would have boded ill for Phantis if he had tried to double-cross his pint-sized companion. There is something repulsive in the idea of a 66 year old man loving madly, and Andie brought this out, with the curled down mouth and protruding bottom lip, he succeeded in being suitably repellent. I will add the compliment of saying that until this production I was unaware just how much there was in the character of Scaphio. He was not always in character, but this was partly Gilbert's fault; that absurd dance in “Let all your doubts take wing” for example, but even if it was out of character it was excruciatingly funny. When he was "madly in love" was he authentic? Who am I to say how a 66 year old man would behave if placed in such an impossible situation as Scaphio is? No, no, I bow to the wisdom of one who has "thought it out cooly" and done the best he can with the material. One of the most successful alterations to the text was when the King was made to say “written by me at your request” and Scaphio corrects him by saying “Command” with just the right sort of unpleasant leer that gave him the air of a cross between a Chinese tong and a leader of the Gestapo. Here indeed was the power behind the throne. Vocally very good, it is a better voice than I used to think. A dynamic force to be reckoned with is our Andie.

"Excitement bubbled, naught was still
When Andie came, to work his will
Upon the Stanley's hallowed stage
An effervescence, shorn of age
And timeless, as but Life can be,
Which caused my anxious fears to flee.
For when youth's callow feet take wing,
Beholding, is a joyous thing. ''

PHANTIS (Russell Wakefield) This was a very pleasing, lugubrious performance with an engaging "dimness" of character. (The Society have nicknamed him the "Gentle Giant"). His "teems with quiet fun" was quite superb. This performance was quite an eye-opener for me, I wouldn't have thought he had it in him. He was the perfect foil for Andie, and the latter seemed to bring out the best in him. It was very interesting and an excellent idea to have the two contrasted and not played as mirror images. TARARA (Peter Kane) Pleasing, but Scaphio and Phantis were so strongly delineated in character that he seemed rather pale by comparison. The part has so much potential which wasn't really exploited. CALYNX (John Pollock) He certainly made a desperate attempt to do something with the part but it didn't really come off. There doesn't seem to be any real reason for Calynx to be goofy, and his dialogue was much too slow, his opening scene with Tarara dragged. LORD DRAMALEIGH (Leslie Royle) This was a beautifully timed and characterised performance. Only one of Leslie's experience could have given a performance like that. Always charming, always authoritative, and just that little bit-that 0.1% underplayed which is so "fraightfully" English. The supreme moment was his sotto-voce "Hear hear." CAPT. FITZBATTLEAXE (Simon Gowdy) First rate. His brusque, uncompromising manner was just right for this part; and it is good big voice when he blasts forth in uninhibited manner; perhaps a trifle unyielding and hard in the top register, but certainly not unpleasant. I should like to hear him do Alexis sometime, he would be just right for it. CORCORAN (Chris Hepher) Competent, but no more. GOLDBURY (John Barrow) He sang competently, and gave an acceptable performance, but he didn't DO much with the performance. Goldbury is a salesman and must sell himself. This Goldbury tended to take things for granted. SIR BAILEY BARRE (Stewart Hilland) Vocally weak, but he looked splendid and his antics with the triangle in the Christy minstrel song were rather good. He had a rather nice "ineffectual'' air about him. BLUSHINGTON (Trevor Marshall) I liked this performance very much. He was not in the least like a County Councillor, but he was very adept at playing on the pair of spoons in the Christy minstrel song. ZARA (Carol Harding) Ah! yes, delightful. She combined charm with austerity in a most engaging way. A very sensible girl was this, showing her true stature in the scene with her father; stern when she felt he needed reprimanding, and yet revealing at once a daughter's and a woman's heart, when he breaks down and she realises that she must comfort him. A lovely voice, she did all she had to do beautifully, but Zara really has not got all that much to do and it made one wish that the music for her deleted song had survived. SOPHY (Diane Hiscoe) I am tempted to claim that this is the best contralto voice that the Society has ever had, and I've heard them all, either on stage or on tape. She combined her beautiful singing with a regal dignity and poise which was a joy to see. All in all, most enjoyable and most original. The actual reading out of the debutante's names (by Les Royle as Ld. Dramaleigh with one of his typically unctious Les Royle smiles) was good, and names like Miss Helen Damnation, Miss Virginia Creeper, Miss Rhoda Dendron and so on, were just calculated to win the audience over (especially as the ladies all behaved appropriately to their respective names) the scene could have been very tedious otherwise. There can be no doubt, however, that the Christy minstrel song (with St.James-St.James.Hall altered to Royal Court - Royal Court Theatre) was the spot of the evening. And the six or seven encores (I lost count) with the altered words were a scream. I forget all of them, but "An Earl of Graham Greene and p'rhaps a Duke of Beverley Nicholls" and “Our encores we've remodelled on a never-ending basis" linger in the memory. MICHAEL WALTERS

It is rather invidious for a critic to include comments on his own stage work, and in eight editions of GG I have so far resisted any temptation to do so, it may be modesty, or again, it may not. However, as some of you may know, I have also been in Utopia Ltd., and so I cannot resist quoting a letter from Malcolm Ward, one of the very few of my friends who actually made the effort to come to see it. This was with Geoids in 1972, Malcolm's letter is dated 15th November.

As to your performance in particular, quite frankly I thought you were wasted. Your performance had far greater economy, and displayed more stage presence than most of the other male leads. If I had been casting, you would have been either Scaphio, Phantis or perhaps Paramount (the only reason I say "perhaps" is that I'm not sure if your stature would affect the part - perhaps the King should be a robustly-built man). Your singing was all right, although there wasn't really much opportunity in that field for Tarara, but your speaking of the lines was very good indeed. Your voice carries well (I would like to see you in a full comedy role) and you had so much more idea of delivery than the others. In particular, I liked your Utopian lapses - often these bits are recited woodenly, but your explosions sounded as though you really were letting fly in your native tongue, as though they actually meant something. My only other criticism would be that I thought there could have been more comedy in the business with the crackers. I think a faster pace in those scenes would have had the desired effect... Paramount was quite good; Scaphio and Phantis were unimpressive, they moved about too much and seemed generally a bit amateurish; the Flowers of Progress I liked very much. They were well distinguished, and made the most of "Society has quite forsaken." I particularly liked the camp Lord Dramaleigh, Mr. Goldbury & Mr. Blushington. Fitzbattleaxe was quite good, but he threw away "Oh Zara, my beloved one'' and didn't always make the most of his lines. Princess Zara was quite nice also. She looked very pretty and sang well, but seemed a bit self-conscious at times. Lady Sophy was very good; what she lacked in characteristic she made up for in charm, and it was most refreshing to see one of Gilbert's old ladies sung with such clear diction."

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