OTC's tour of Janacek's Katya Kabanova opened at Gorey's Theatre Hall on Saturday. Without denigrating the tremendous contribution of Dearbhla Collins, who plays the composer's own reduction with an incisiveness which stresses the emotional tensions of the drama, one really does miss Janacek's unique instrumental colours. This lack of orchestral underpinning is especially noticeable in the climactic confession scene. Happily, the piano score retains much of the underlying pulse which represents the ever present Volga.
Given the scaled down nature of the project, the weighting of the voices is just right. As the merchant Dikoy, Deryck Hamon's clear diction and vibrant bass baritone are impressive and Kathleen Tynan and Declan Kelly offer vocal mellifluence as Varvara and Kudryash, although she is dramatically more believable than her bland lover. James Drummond Nelson is entirely convincing as the wimpish husband Tichon and the third tenor, Ian Paton, is in ringing voice as Boris and blends thrillingly with Regina Hanley's Katya.
After some initial gustiness and a troublesome edginess in mid range, Ms Hanley rapidly improved. Although many of her words are obscure, she has captured the character wholly and brings out fully all the pathos and repressed exuberance that go to make up this complex role. Her pre suicide monologue is harrowing in its believability. Only Frances McCafferty's Kabanicha disappoints her booming mezzo lacks the focus necessary to bring out this terrible woman's matriarchal hubris.
Francis Conway's unit set of sloping steps enables James Conway to provide interesting groupings, even if the geography is vague. Interplay between characters is well directed, but Katya's confession should surely be made at her husband's feet, not from a squatting position some distance away.
Katya Kabanova is at The Watergate in Kilkenny tomorrow, at Longford's Back Stage Theatre on Thursday and at Ballinasloe's Town Hall on Saturday. Next week the production is at the Samuel Beckett Theatre in Trinity College, Dublin, for four nights before moving on to Tuam, Inis Oirr, Limerick, Skibbereen and Tralee.