All's well that ends well - March 16, 2005

The BOV Opera Festival has been salvaged at the eleventh hour as the Manoel Theatre secured the participation of two seasoned performers for today's opera Roméo et Juliette, after the main roles pulled out due to a severe bout of flu.

Dutch tenor Harrie van der Plas and Romanian soprano Leontina Vaduva arrived yesterday evening to slip into the vacated roles of tenor Joseph Calleja and his Romanian wife Tatiana Lisnic.

Both Mr van der Plas and Ms Vaduva, who immersed themselves in rehearsals the minute they arrived, are considered among the elite in the world of opera.

Ms Vaduva is considered to be one of the world's top sopranos who has graced the boards of all the major theatres throughout the world.

Singing the role of Romeo, Mr van der Plas has also built a strong personal following with patrons throughout the operatic camp.

Theatre management committee chairman Wilfred Kenely said the theatre had been very lucky to find two performers of such high calibre at the last minute, for today and Friday's performances.

"We needed some luck after all the doom and gloom that set on the festival. It's a very sad turn of events that Joseph and his wife had to pull out at the last minute but we look forward to having them back here to perform again in the future," he said.

Mr Kenely said the committee had had two options: either total cancellation or finding an alternative. "Cancelling was the easiest option but we decided to try our luck and with a few good contacts we finally succeeded in saving the day," he said.

Asked whether the performance would suffer due to the fact that the new Romeo and Juliet barely had time to rehearse, Mr Kenely pointed out that the two were very well versed in the opera Roméo et Juliette and were extremely professional.

"The fact that Roméo et Juliette is now a concert version with no costumes or stage performances makes it a whole lot easier for them to fit in. I am sure nobody will be disappointed and we are looking forward to two full houses," he said.

Where there any cancellations?

Mr Kenely said the majority of opera lovers had remained loyal but there was a segment of Mr Calleja's followers who had dropped out and the management had respected their decision.

There was now a strong expectancy that this production, which has had more than its fair share of ups and downs, will prove to be a milestone in the chequered career of the national theatre.