BWW Reviews: Hallelujah. The Collegiate Chorale Brings MESSIAH (Not) to Carnegie Hall

A funny thing happened on the way to Handel's MESSIAH: That would be Monty Python's LIFE OF BRIAN, transformed from the film by Eric Idle (the jokes) and John Du Prez (the music) into NOT THE MESSIAH (HE'S A VERY NAUGHTY BOY). This comic oratorio resulted in a very jolly evening, which The Collegiate Chorale brought to Carnegie Hall, under conductor and director Ted Sperling.

While it's as messy (and funny) as you would expect from the minds of Idle and the other Python boys, it proved itself a delightful alternative to the "real" MESSIAH. It tells the story of the "boy next door" from Jesus, who is mistaken for the Messiah. The five-part oratorio encompasses a variety of musical styles, from rock and roll to John Philip Sousa (the "Liberty Bell" march that serves as the theme music from the Pythons) to a mariachi band and, of course, Handel. Du Prez did a grand job of putting it all together. I've read that the work's premiere was done without an intermission; here, it was reshaped for a more extended evening. Frankly, I thought it lost some momentum with the break, but not enough to really matter.

The cast, chorus, Orchestra of St. Luke's and members of the NY Metro Pipe Band (bagpipers all) did the Pythons proud.

The singers were culled from the Broadway and opera worlds. From theatre, Victoria Clark, as Brian's nagging mother, perhaps came off best, showing a lyric beauty even at her most comic moments, while Marc Kudisch yukked it up mightily as Brian's friend Reg, though his voice was a bit wooly. Soprano Lauren Worsham--a Tony-nominee last year for GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO MURDER and first-rate comic singer in LA PERICHOLE at City Opera--soared in her solos, even when being supremely silly. Tenor William Ferguson--memorable in multiple roles in Thomas Ades's POWDER HER FACE at City Opera--was compellingly goofy as Brian, with a sweet, well-shaped sound, no matter what the demands.

The members of the Collegiate Chorale looked like they were having fun, adding comedy to their broad repertoire, and it translated into an inspired performance. And three cheers to the bagpipers, who kept their aplomb even when Idle tried to take a peek under a kilt. Idle was the resident tumbler, in general, with jokes that kept coming fast and furiously.

###

Photo: (left to right) Eric Idle, Victoria Clark, William Ferguson, Lauren Worsham and Marc Kudisch, with the Orchestra of St. Luke's and the Collegiate Chorale, under Ted Sperling.

Photo by Erin Baiano

To post a comment, you must register and login.