Arms and the Cow

USER (31Mar06): This has the be the worst operetta doing the rounds at the moment, if not of all time. Sitting in row M of the stalls at the Alhambra, Bradford, the orchestra swamped the vocal parts which were barely understandable. The set design and costume should get some mention as being the only notable exception to what was otherwise an appalling production of an equally appalling opera. The opening makes little sense the whole plot is fractured and pointless the characters are bland, tedious and calling them one dimensional is really praising them too much. Anyone who survives through the interval and goes back for more of this guff should either be given a medal or free psychiatric counselling. I am a great fan of Opera North but if this had been my introduction to the company I wouldn't have been coming back to see them again. Apart from the set design the only reason to see this is to look at how an opera should not be choreographed, written and performed. The lyrics have to be the worst ever devised and elevates the singing frog to an art form. In fairness to the performers they were probably stifled by everything else, Jeffery Lawton and Donald Maxwell make the best of what was a, truely gut wrenchingly, bad deal.