A Most Merry ‘Widow,’ Indeed, Staged by London City Opera

A waggish critic once described Herbert von Karajan’s Teutonic way with “The Merry Widow” as “Brahms’ Requiem performed to the tunes of Lehar.” As one watched the touring London City Opera’s distinctly British take on the “The Merry Widow” at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts Saturday night, a paraphrase of that came to mind--Gilbert and Sullivan, with tunes by Lehar.

At times, in fact, the unwary listener would hardly have guessed that this piece is right at the heart of Viennese operetta.

But the important thing was, the approach worked. The very proper, deadpan British accents in the dialogue; the crisp enunciation and underlying layer of dignity in most of the singing; the classicism and absence of cloying sentiment from Peter Oberfrank’s compact pit orchestra; and even the frantic music-hall madness in the ensembles of Acts 2 and 3 created an English never-never land that was entertaining and valid on its own terms.

This Terry John Bates-directed production blew into town near the end of a 70-city American tour that began in January. Yet the energetic cast betrayed hardly any signs of road-weariness.

Indeed, when a throat infection forced the announced Hanna out of the 8 p.m. performance, Fiona Mariah, who had sung the role earlier that afternoon, took it on in the evening as well, sporting a light, fluttering soprano well-suited for operetta.

Baritone Sam McElroy made a pleasing, resonant Count Danilo; Rebecca Bode (Valencienne) and Neil Allen (Camille) were an acceptable pair of illicit lovers; and Francois Testory a comically mincing Njegus.

This, then, was not a “Merry Widow” of glamorous voices and authentic whipped-cream atmosphere.

However, this troupe could convey the zest of the music more winningly than many major-league companies.