This year’s offering from the Artists’ Studio of the Canadian Children’s Opera Company was Judith Weir’s The Black Spider.  One doesn’t get many opportunities to see a Weir opera, let alone one composed for young performers, so this was very welcome.  That it’s a very funny mash up of several gothic/horror tropes is a definite bonus.  Throw in a lively production with whole hearted and skilful performances and it makes for a great show.

Somewhere in 15th century Poland evil Count Heinrich (Joel Glickman Rosen) demands that the villagers drag one hundred live beech trees to the top of the mountain his castle stands on.  The Green Man (Meredith Carson) promises the villagers that he will accomplish this for the low, low price of one of the village maidens marrying him and going to live in the forest.  Christina (Monday Earle) promises to do so, figuring that she’ll find a way out of it so she can marry her fiancé Carl (Lila Javanrouh-Givi).  Her wedding with Carl is interrupted by a black spider emerging from her hand and causing mayhem including eating Count Heinrich’s brain.  A travelling Transylvanian, possibly vampire, folk singer (Maddie Crummie) traps the spider in her guitar and it gets sealed up in the tomb of the recently deceased King Casimir.

And so to the 20th century where rather supercilious archaeologists are excavating the tomb.  Naturally, they die in large numbers in horrible ways.  One doesn’t desecrate tombs containing supernatural arachnids!

t’s directed (Chelsea Woolley) at a crisp pace enhanced by a set where the main elements can be swiftly wheeled on and off as required.  The music is very singable and quite dramatic and there’s plenty more than the keyboard (Stéphane Mayer) and percussion (Teri Dunn) that we can see.  Not sure how this was done; pre-recorded elements or synthesiser I guess.  In any event Claire Elise-Harris was doing something out of sight of the audience!  It’s less abrasively modern than most Weir scores and it gives the singers plenty to do without placing unreasonable demands on young voices.

All the performances were good and there were some of real distinction.  Monday Earle showed a very promising and flexible voice and some real acting chops.  Meredith Carson doesn’t have as much to do vocally but she has terrific stage presence and moves wonderfully.  Joel Glickman Rosen’s Count Heinrich was weirdly reminiscent of Damien Atkins as Prince John in this year’s panto at CanStage (and that’s high praise!). Maddie Crummey was hilarious with repeated folk song extracts that sounded like Tom Lehrer had tried to write an IrishXTransylvanian folk number.  There was lots more to like in a very large cast who all handled their solos well and contributed to the many well co-ordinated ensemble numbers, as welkl as totally getting into the (rather ridiculous) spirit of the piece.

It was great fun and the venue; the Randolph Theatre, is both new to me and rather splendid.  This show was every bit as good as last year’s Dido and Aeneas and makes a strong case for the two year old Artists’ Studio programme.

Production photos will be added if and when.