Newcomers to Thames Ditton and Weston Green are amazed to discover the
"Theatre in Thames Ditton" at the Vera Fletcher Hall in Embercourt Road, where the old Victorian Village Hall built in 1887 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee has been restored into an intimate 126 seater theatre/concert hall/pocket opera house.Not many small theatres, let alone village halls, have been able to attract stars such as Petula Clark - who opened the Hall-, Dorothy Tutin, Denis Quilley, Janet Suzman, John Julius
Norwich, Susannah York and the Royal Shakespeare Company with their
"Shakespeare Revue". The Hall has notably introduced many to opera, on a
small scale but of high quality at affordable prices and, above all, accessible.
To celebrate Mozart's 250th anniversary London Opera Players bring their new production of "Don Giovanni" on Saturday 8th April. Mozart expertly blends comedy, tragedy and some of the most magnificent music ever composed. The Don commits murder, attempts multiple seductions and is finally condemned to Hell. A maze of secondary plotlines adds romance and humour, while Mozart's music soars throughout. This performance promises to be fresh, witty and moving, with singers from the English National Opera and other major opera houses. London Opera Players, one of the country's oldest opera touring companies, pioneered the concept of small scale opera, sung in English, fully staged and costumed. Past patrons include Benjamin Britten, Sir Geraint Evans and Sir Isaiah Berlin and many of the country's best known singers from Glyndebourne and the E.N.O. have gained vital performing experience with the company. All those who enjoyed their previous visits to the Hall including "Italian Girl in Algiers", "Tosca" and "Marriage of Figaro" will know what a treat is in store from some of our brightest young opera talent. London Opera Players have specialised in reinterpreting classic operas in an intimate small-scale format so leave your opera glasses at home!
Another treat for opera lovers is on Sunday 21st May when international opera star Donald Maxwell and soprano Rebecca Rudge return to the Hall for an Opera Supper sponsored by Procter and Gamble in aid of the Born Too Soon Premature Baby Unit at Kingston Hospital. They bring a production of Georg Telemann's sparkling 18th century opera "Pimpinone" - a naïve, rich elderly bachelor is seduced into marriage by a beautiful, charming and calculating young girl. Sung in English, this is full of lively and charming music and shows that nothing has changed in 200 years - the girl gets her man and his money and ultimately makes him do all the housework….Donald Maxwell has sung major roles including Falstaff at the Royal Opera House, Welsh National Opera and La Scala. He will need no introduction to those of you who have enjoyed his performances at Coverwood and at the Hall last year. "Pimpinone" comes to the Hall prior to the Buxton Festival.
Fans of Tanya Ursova's piano concerts will be delighted to see that she is returning to the Hall with the award winning Vilensky String Quartet on Friday 24th March. This gifted young Ukrainian pianist has won prizes at international competitions in Paris, Kiev, Athens and Italy. She was the soloist in the centenary performance of Prokofiev's Second Piano Concerto under maestro Vladimir Verbitsky at Goldsmiths' College, London. She will be joined by international prize-winning musicians Antonia Beattie (violin), Sarah Coleman (violin), Anna Smith (viola) and Anna Davies (cello) for a varied piano and string quintet concert including piano quintets by Schumann and Kapustin as well as works by Mendelssohn and Wolf. (NB Children under 16 come free).
Molesey Musical Theatre presents "Fiddler on the Roof" from Wednesday 17th to Saturday 20th May. Set in Russia before the Revolution, the tale of Tevye finding husbands for his three daughters was a smash success on the West End stage and is full of wonderful songs such as "If I Were a Rich Man", "Sunrise, Sunset" and "Matchmaker, Matchmaker". For details of prices, times and bookings the Vera Fletcher Hall website is coming soon....