By Jeff Britton
SDUN Reporter
The love fest kicks off Sept. 24 with Lerner and Loewe’s “Gigi,” a show that has not been staged in San Diego for more than 20 years. For all intents and purposes, Lyric’s general director Leon Natker was unable to even trace it back, despite its melodic score and its bon-bon homage to the city of Paris, a place where love always seems to flourish.
“Gigi” is best known to folks of a certain age for the famous film that starred Maurice Chevalier and Leslie Caron. The stage version is a little different but maintains the same theme of love overcoming conventional mores.
“It’s a charming piece,” Natker said. “The score is marvelous and it represents Lerner and Loewe at their pinnacle since it was done at the same time they wrote ‘My Fair Lady.’ It is something that should have great appeal to our audiences.”
Part of that appeal is popular Lyric veteran J. Sherwood Montgomery in the lead role of Honore and the youthful looking Laura Bueno in the title role. He gets to sing the famous “Thank Heaven for Little Girls.”
“She still looks like a little girl with one of those gamine looks,” observed Natker of Bueno. “Rita Cartwright, a local actress who has played at Starlight and the San Diego Opera is playing Amita (Hermione Gingold in the film), while Leigh Scarritt assays the part of Aunt Alicia.”
“Gigi” had a great popularity for a while and was frequently staged but fell out of favor to more portentous musicals like “Les Miserables” and those of Stephen Sondheim. It marks Lyric Opera’s first Lerner and Loewe show ever.
Next in the four-part season is Rossini’s chestnut, “The Barber of Seville,” marking 10 years since its last Lyric Opera production. It is presented in English.
Featuring renowned Egyptian-born bass Ashram Sewailan, it goes to the top of the list of the 10 classic comic operas, according to Natker. Sewailan, who has performed in operas all over America and in Europe, sang the role of the pirate king in last season’s “Pirates of Penzance.” He will sing opposite Emily Douglas as Rosina, who was in “Daughter of the Regiment.”
Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Gondoliers” also marks its 10th anniversary at the Lyric. A conventional production, it was preceded 20 years ago by the Venice Beach “Gondoliers,” replete with skateboarders and other Southern California pop culture staples. This season the action is shifted to an indeterminate mid-century setting. Tenor Benjamin Robinson is Marco and Jordan Miller will be Giuseppe.
Natker himself stars as Tevye in the season’s final production, “Fiddler on the Roof.” After several revivals and road tours, the rights to the show finally became available again. Fran Hartshorne will play Golde and Jimmy Ferraro will be Lese Wolf.
“I did the part 13 years ago for the company, so this will be a kind of bar mitzvah for me,” Natker quipped.
All Lyric Opera San Diego performances are at Birch North Park Theatre, 2891 University Ave. For season subscriptions or single tickets for “Gigi,” call 239-8836 or go to lyricoperasandiego.org.
