Toronto Operetta Theatre’s last show of the season is Johan Strauss II’s A Night in Venice with the libretto lightly updated by Guillermo Silva-Marin; who also directs.  It opened on Friday evening at the Jane Mallett Theatre.  Loyal fans will not be disappointed.  It’s a typical frothy, colourful TOT offering with chamber ensemble and singing that ranges from very decent to really rather good.

A Night in Venice is pretty silly even by operetta standards.  Strauss seems to have been trying to pack in as many operatic clichés and comic opera references as possible.  There’s a lascivious duke, a scheming barber, a young girl betrothed to her guardian (but in love with the duke), a pert lower class woman etc, etc.  Also, it’s set in Venice during Carnevale so infinite opportunity for disguise, cross dressing and mistaken identity.  All of which happen before the inevitable happy ending.

 The cast is headed up by Ryan Downey as Caramello, the barber, and Andrea Nuñez as his fish selling sweetie Annina.  Both are really good singers.  Downey is more than just a guy with high notes he has that elusive tenor “ping” while Nuñez can throw in some very decent coloratura when needed.  Both are great movers and they work well together.

The (eventual) lovers are the Duke, sung by tenor Jeremy Scinocca, and Nina (the shortest of the ubiquitous ingenue -inas) sung by Anna O’Drowsky.  Scinocca makes a pretty effective romantic lead and O’Drowsky is properly charming.  So tick that operetta box.  There’s also the pasta cook Pappacoda, played by Marcus Tranquili, who is tricked into entering the Queen of Carnevale competition and looks most fetching in a floofy skirt and ridiculous heels.  And there are plenty of TOT regulars like Sean Curran and Maddy Cooper doing TOT regular things perfectly competently.

Kate Carver conducts with a ten piece ensemble in the pit which provides plenty of colour and more than enough volume for the Jane Mallett Theatre.  So very preferable to just piano!

So, it’s what we’ve come to expect from TOT; well executed operetta; light, fluffly and undemandingly enjoyable.  What’s not to like?  There are two more shows at 3pm Saturday and Sunday.

Photo credit: Gary Beechey (BDS Studios)