Ohio Light Opera @ Freedlander Theatre 8/6 One hundred twenty-five years ago, when this operetta was composed by Johann Strauss, Jr., such marshmallow plots were more common, and, with more royal personages still in existence, possibly more appreciated. Press material from Ohio Light Opera states this opera “was more popular during the 1880s than Die Fledermaus. It was fun, certainly, but I think I’d take Fledermaus, given my druthers.

This was a handsome production, to be sure, having three beautifully distinct sets (designed by Kirk Domer) with gorgeous costumes from Daniel Jones and evocative lighting by Shannon Schweitzer.

Julie Wright excelled as both director and the Queen of the title, imbuing the role with saucy dignity while trying to claim the affections of her young husband in the person of Gary Moss. They were especially well-matched vocally, as were the secondary couple, Cervantes (Jack Beetle) and Donna Irene as sung by Robin DeLeon. By the end of Act III, both couples are happily together, but it’s been a struggle for them to get to that point.

The Queen’s handkerchief, inscribed to Cervantes, is misplaced and used against her by the nasty prime minister Villalobos of Brian Tanner, who wants to usurp the throne for himself. Did I mention this is set in Portugal in 1570? Maybe such frivolity really happened then, who knows? At any rate, the music is perfectly fine, if not Strauss’ best, and well done by the large cast and the orchestra conducted by Jason Altieri. Choreographer Carol Hageman had her troops prancing around in nimble fashion, especially Grant Knox as the lovable nit-wit Don Sancho. When not dancing, he had been busily worshipping from afar (for 18 years!) the Marquise de Villareal, endearingly brought to life by Claire Maloney

It’s good to know the Queen had a secret weapon—seems she’s a marvelous cook, as we learn from the King’s wistful “I dreamed the night away with truffle glaze” his paean to oyster pâté with truffle glaze. Really. It proves to be the solution in the third act, when in disguise, the Queen serves up a plate of her specialty, allowing him to see through her false identity.

In between, there are light-hearted moments, such as “Great Professors, Learned Doctors” in which Cervantes is tried for treason. Unfortunately, not all the words were always distinguishable in the ensembles, however, the soloists were not afflicted by this problem.

OLO artistic director Steven Daigle is to be commended for his determination to produce this work which had not been produced in the US for more than 100 years!

Ohio Light Opera’s 2006 season continues through August 12. For more information or to order tickets for these or other productions, call (330) 263-2345 or visit the web-site at: http://www.OhioLightOpera.org.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz artswriterATadelphia.net (:divend:)