For someone who loves musicals and musical theatre as much as I do, the opportunity to attend the sitzprobe for Opera North’s forthcoming production of Carousel was one not to be missed.
Carousel was the second stage musical written by the collaborative team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein which premiered in 1945 and tells the story of Carousel barker Billy Bigelow and his romance with millworker Julie Jordan. Their romance costs them both their jobs and in attempt to provide for Julie and their unborn child, Billy gets involved in a robbery which ends disastrously. However, Billy is given the opportunity for just one day to go back and make amends for the mistakes he made in his life.
I am familiar with the musical having seen the 1956 film version starring Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones. Like many of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, this one is filled with incredible songs, including the beautiful love song “If I Loved You”, the upbeat “June is Busting out all over” and the heart wrenching “You’ll Never Walk Alone” which will be familiar to many as the adopted anthem of a certain UK football team. This is probably the most iconic song from the musical and although it is sung at the most tragic moment in the show, it is nevertheless an uplifting and inspiring piece and is guaranteed to bring a tear to your eye.
Having arrived at Leeds Grand Theatre, the home of Opera North, my fellow bloggers and I were introduced to Julia Gregg and Hannah Stockton from the press office along with other staff members from Opera North. We were shown pictures of the stage and set design as well as the costumes some of the cast would be wearing. We also had the opportunity to meet Opera North’s chorus master Timothy Burke who explained about the rehearsal process and the sitzprobe we would be seeing that day.
Whilst the orchestra and cast had been in rehearsals for a few weeks now, sitzprobe (literally translated as seated rehearsal) refers to when the orchestra and cast come together to rehearse. The sitzprobe was to be held in the Howard Assembly Room, a large and spacious hall which had excellent acoustics and from our seats in the balcony area afforded us a great view of the orchestra, the chorus and the principle singers. Tim had explained to us that whilst opera singers usually sing without microphones, they would be singing the musical wearing hidden mics usually concealed in their hair. During rehearsals though, they were without microphones and he said this would explain why they may not sound as loud. Tim’s job is to rehearse the chorus and singers but during the sitzprobe they are conducted by the orchestra director with Tim on hand to make notes of any changes to the score or where extra rehearsing might be needed.
It was quite thrilling to be sat with my fellow bloggers and get a preview of the show we would be seeing when it opens in just under 2 weeks time. Whilst we did not see the entire rehearsal, we did get to hear the carousel waltz and the lively and catching June is Busting out all Over. The music was incredible and there were times when I could feel myself swaying along in time to the music. I think there was also more than just myself that left sitzprobe that day singing “June is Busting Out all Over”.The whole afternoon was quite insightful and I felt really privileged to have been able to attend and get a sneak peek behind the scenes. I felt that the whole experience gave me a deeper appreciation of the hard work that goes into putting on a show and will add to my enjoyment of seeing the show in its entirety.
If the taster we had of Carousel at the sitzprobe is anything to go by then the show is going to be sensational. Not only is it an incredible score but the fact that you have opera singers (and chorus) performing the numbers adds an extra special quality to the performance. The richness in their voices really compliments the lyrics and overall tone of the pieces performed and brings out the emotion in the more poignant songs.
Carousel will be at Leeds Grand Theatre from 2nd May – 19th May before moving to The Lowry at
Salford Quays 23rd-26th May and then The Barbican centre London 15th Aug – 15th Sep. It is also set for a run at Theatre du Chatelet in Paris in 2013 (which my friend Nick Garrett will be appearing in!)
For more information on Opera North’s production of Carousel and to book tickets go to http://www.operanorth.co.uk/productions/carousel
Look out for my next blog when I shall be reviewing the entire show after attending the press night on 5th May.
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