La Belle Hélène ~White Horse Opera at The Wharf Theatre

(a dress rehearsal review)

There's much to love and laugh at in White Horse Opera's production of Offenbach's opéra bouffe La Belle Hélène, first performed in Paris in 1864 and based on the story of Helen of Troy. Translated into the English by the late Graham Billing, superbly and creatively directed by Chrissie Higgs, and with Roland Melia at the musical helm; the colourful but simple set, the quirky props, the ridiculous and sumptuous costumes, the terrible poetry, the lively flute, and of course the glorious singing, were but a few of the things to delight and amuse the eye and ear.

I think that White Horse Opera do comedy brilliantly, and the enthusiasm of the company on this occasion was utterly infectious. As well as the high standard of vocals of the principal characters, particularly Barbara Gompels as the glamorous Helen and Robert Felstead as the amorous Paris, there were ample opportunities for others to shine at comedy and song, performances I thought of as being worthy of note being those of Matt Dauncey as a Northern camp and yet imposing Calchas, Jeremy Groom up front for a change as rather tuneful Agamemnon, Jon Paget as poor deceived Menelaus, and Paula Boyagis as Orestes and Jim Donovan as Achilles for the swagger.

To my layman's eye there seemed to be more opportunity for acting in this operetta than in some of the more serious White Horse Opera productions, and the cast and chorus rose to the challenge well. I thought the layout of The Wharf stage with the positioning of the musicians on the balcony and the musical director on the stage with the company worked brilliantly.

There are some real laugh out loud moments in this version of Offenbach's operetta as well as some awesome operatic skills on show, so if you get a chance tonight, Friday night, or Saturday afternoon, do pop along to The Wharf and see it for yourself. There's still a handful of tickets left (see link below) if you're quick.

Maybe you'll work out who was wearing all that underwear.

It's a mystery to me.

© Gail Foster 12th March 2025

Review by Andy Fawthrop

Went to see White Horse Opera's production of Jacques Offenbach's "La Belle Helene" last night at The Wharf Theatre. Suffice to say it was an excellent production and we had a very enjoyable evening. It's a very funny and light comic opera. The standout performances for me were Barbara Gompels as the eponymous heroine, guest singer Robert Felstead as Paris, and Matt Dauncey as a very funny Calchas. Also a splendidly droopy Achilles, played by Jim Donovan.

Even if you don't think that opera is quite your "thing", I'd encourage you to try this one. All the dialogue and the songs are in English, so it's easy to follow, even for a novice, and there are good programme notes on the plot. I'm sure you'd enjoy it.