Word: orpheus
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Male Lead: Frederick Brozer, as Figaro in Rossini's "Barber of Seville" (Harvard Opera Guild); Ronald Gerbrands, as Basilio in "Barber of Seville"; Harold Scott, as Jupiter in Offenbach's "Orpheus in Hades" (Lowell...
...appears to be doing its part in the current religious revival at Harvard by undertaking a program aimed at the restoration of paganism. After staging an Americanized version of the Trojan War last year, the Society has now turned to Jacques Offenbach's irreverent 19th century reworking of the Orpheus myth. While the moral effect of such an undertaking might be questionable, its entertainment value in the current installment is fairly high. Orpheus in Hades is very nearly an excellent show...
...ever so much more frothy than its contemporary Anglo-Saxon counterpart, with little of the latter's pointed if slightly aging satire. It consists for the most part of many very agreeable musical pieces linked together by a singularly loose thread of plot. This plot centers less on Orpheus, represented as a violinist with a vast distaste for Eurydice, than on Jupiter's attempts to get her away from the tender mercies of her kidnaper, Pluto, so that he may have her for his own tender mercies. Jupiter's efforts are complicated by a revolution on the part...
Despite a voice of limited range, the outstanding member of the supporting casts is Lee Jeffries, who slinks about the stage in a tight gold dress as a wonderfully seductive Venus. In the role of Orpheus, Harvey White demonstrates the triple talents of violinist (good enough for light opera), singer (the same) and actor (a little too strained for comedy). Anne Wallace, as Diana, has a strong voice but it is difficult to understand her. And James Greene, who plays Styx, demonstrates a somewhat limited acting ability but nevertheless distinguished himself through his pleasant voice...
...Orpheus Ascending