La Perichole was one of Offenbach’s most famous  “operetta bouffes” of the late 1860’s and this production under the steady hand of director Pam Tucker indicates that it has stood the test of time. It has undergone several adaptations but still has  plenty of  sexual intrigue to delight the modern audience.

Too complex to detail herein, the plot concerns two street performers in Lima, Peru, La Perichole (Victoria Coxhill)  and Piquillo (Anthony Zatorski)  during the celebration of the birthday of the Viceroy . The intrigue rapidly accelerates as we see the lecherous Viceroy pulling rank to  capture the beautiful Perichole for himself.

The scenic design by Normajean Ohlsson was minimalist but effectively used the stage to allow for the many crowd scenes.

The eight- piece band under the direction of conductor Michelle Hassold  worked well  for this performance though occasionally too loud at the bottom end.

From the  colourful opening scene with  the entire ensemble to the final happy curtain, Cyndy Trezise’s costumes were a feature .They were  luminous, colourful and  redolent of the period. 

 Pam and  Heather Hutton’s choreography though a little repetitive occasionally was performed sweetly and stylishly by, Ellen Fogarty and Gemma Fakes.

The performance of the night goes unerringly to Victoria Coxhill as La Perichole. She was a standout  with her wonderful, powerful soprano voice blending  with her experience as an actor.

As the boytfriend Anthony Zatorski  gave a spirited, lively performance but sometimes struggled with the music.

The chorus worked well as an ensemble, and this production was  a creidit to the experience of director Tucker and  her hard working energetic cast.

 

Anthony Zatorski as Piquillo