In a refreshing alternative to the traditional festive pantomime, the Guildford Operatic Company (GOC) staged a powerful production of Vincenzo Bellini's masterpiece, Norma, in late December. The performance took place within the resonant acoustics of St Nicolas's Church in Guildford, providing an atmospheric setting for this intense operatic drama.
A Deceptively Demanding Masterpiece
While Bellini's score can initially appear undemanding, this impression quickly dissolves. The opera unfolds a gripping narrative of secret love, betrayal, and public shame set against the backdrop of Celtic resistance to Roman occupation. The famous aria 'Casta Diva' offers moments of serene beauty, floating gently above the emotional turmoil. However, Bellini's genius lies in weaving this turmoil into a musical fabric of striking calm, demanding that performers convey intense emotion through restraint rather than force.
The GOC's production met this challenge head-on. Callie Gaston, in the titular role of Norma, delivered a performance of compelling strength. Her soprano voice effortlessly embraced the full emotional and technical range required, particularly as the score darkened and the narrative's calm facade hardened into something more urgent and threatening.
Strong Principals and Chorus Underpin Drama
The emotional core of the opera rests on its complex relationships. Matt Connolly portrayed Pollione, the Roman proconsul, not as a romantic hero but as a figure of emotional opportunism who forsakes Norma for Adalgisa, a young Druid priestess. Isolde Roxby brought depth to Adalgisa, a character through whom Bellini explores innocence and conscience in a world of power and betrayal. Their scenes together convincingly shaped the emotional unraveling at the story's heart.
The GOC chorus provided competent and crucial underpinning, reminding the audience that beneath the surface calm lay a potent mix of anger, judgement, and the threat of violence. Jon Openshaw brought rugged authority to the role of Oroveso, the Druid leader. Stage director Stephen Oliver crafted effective movement within the church's spatial constraints, though a curious directorial choice saw Pollione dressed in a Napoleonic-era uniform, a historical juxtaposition that puzzled amidst the ancient Druidic setting.
The evening was ultimately shaped by musical intelligence and an unmistakable power to enchant, driven by Lewis Gaston's finely judged musical direction and an orchestra intuitively aligned with both principals and chorus. For local music lovers, it was an event not to be missed. The company's next venture will be Giuseppe Verdi's King for a Day in May.
Local Theatres Celebrate a Successful Panto Season
Meanwhile, theatres across Surrey are reflecting on a successful 2025 pantomime season. In Aldershot, the Prince's Hall Theatre reported strong attendance figures once again, with their production of Jack and the Beanstalk reaching an audience of 20,000. Guildford's Yvonne Arnaud Theatre proudly announced it offered 121 productions on its main stage and 55 in its Studio, a significant achievement given major refurbishment works throughout much of the year.
Further congratulations are due to the Guildford Shakespeare Company (GSC), for whom 2025 has been a landmark year. The company celebrated its first transfer to an Off-Broadway theatre in New York, where its production of Pride and Prejudice was voted the third most popular by local audiences. Furthermore, their joint summer presentation of A Comedy of Errors and A Company of Rascals was listed by The Stage newspaper among the top 50 shows of the past year.
The accolades continue: the GSC's outreach programme is nominated for several awards from the Music and Drama Education Awards Association. This includes its innovative knife-crime awareness programme, which uses excerpts from Romeo and Juliet. The results will be announced at a ceremony in London's Connaught Rooms in February.
