REVIEWS

The Irish Times  reviewers run the rule over  Youssou N'Dour, the Lambert Puppet Theatre's Aladdin, The Mikado, and Catherine Leonard (violin) and Sophia Rahman (piano) at the Hugh Lane Gallery.

Youssou N'Dour

The Redbox

Following a late change in venue, a further lengthy delay in starting because of the band's "visa problems" at Dublin Airport (which generated some controversy afterwards), and the sudden cancellation of co-headliners Rodrigo y Gabriela owing to the ensuing "time constraints", you could forgive Youssou N'Dour's audience for being ill-tempered.

Thankfully, the former UN ambassador of goodwill was well qualified to restore good feeling. With his native Senegal on world-beating form thanks to heroic efforts from such luminaries as Orchestra Baobab and Baaba Maal, N'Dour is once again one of West Africa's biggest international stars, and whatever the Irish immigration authorities might think, he is a dab hand at crossing barriers.

Without the benefit of a warm-up, Tan Bi eased N'Dour and the Super Étoile de Dakar into a joyous start, where lilting melody and N'Dour's soothing vocals built to an imploring but not overbearing conclusion. It also announced another compromise, however. Nowhere to be seen were the riti fiddle, which provides the song's hook, nor traditional instruments such as the kora, balafon or xalam.

Although synthesisers are perfectly capable of replicating the traditional sounds on which N'Dour's new album Nothing's in Vain thrives, the substitution inevitably led to pop-heavy interpretations with diminished acoustic contribution.

"He wants everyone to dance and become crazy," a front-row translator gamely relayed N'Dour's Wolof-stated intention. Coming between the chattering rhythms of Beykat, where the richly modulating tama (talking drum) took centre stage, and an upbeat Liggeey that yielded to such unexpected hip-hop catchphrases as "Youssou N'Dour in da house", there remained some tension over Mbalax fusion and Western expectations.

Encouraging audience handclaps through the beautiful Li Ma Weesu, seemed as inappropriate as tap-dancing on daisies, while his biggest hit Seven Seconds felt incongruous amid a mainly Senegalese set. But with unerring buoyancy, humour and indefatigable groove, N'Dour dispelled all traces of discomfort.

Peter Crawley

Aladdin

Lambert Puppet Theatre, Monkstown

For a change, how about a pantomime using puppets? Enter Aladdin and his mother, the widow Twanky, owner and proprietor of a Chinese laundry. The entire production, in fact, seemed mysteriously to have translocated itself from Arabia to the Far East. They retained their Arabic names, though - with the exception of Madame Twanky, of course, who was more like something straight out of Henry Street, savvy and swift. The evil magician Ebinezer gives himself out as Aladdin's uncle in order to get at the genie's lamp. Aladdin manages to keep it for himself, using it to amass riches in order to marry the beautiful princess Jasmine. When Ebinezer steals the lamp away, Aladdin manages to get it back - with a little help from his mother and some instant starch from her laundry.

Something, however, was missing from this production. To some extent, it ran on in front of its young audience like a television in the background of the sitting room as the babble grew louder throughout the performance. This was babble that should have been used to good effect - "no, he's not"; "yes, he is" ad infinitum. A few times the children were able to spot something behind a puppet's back and scream and laugh and try to alert the oblivious puppet. This didn't happen often enough, nor did the puppets make enough of an attempt to engage the audience in give-and-take. When this doesn't occur, a panto works better with live people, who can use body language and facial expression to work the audience.

The most engaging part of the performance was at the beginning, when Eugene Lambert came out with his puppet dog, Judge. Their banter was fabulous, and got even better with the inclusion of Mr Crow. If the entire production had followed that line, it would have been superb. As it was, the children enjoyed it immensely. But a pity about so much potential left fallow.

Runs until end of Jan

Christine Madden

Catherine Leonard (violin), Sophia Rahman (piano)

Hugh Lane Gallery. Dublin

Whoever gave the nickname of 'Spring' to Beethoven's Sonata No.5 captured its feeling of freshness and anticipation of enjoyment in a word, and that spirit of spring was present in every note of the performance in the Hugh Lane Gallery. Catherine Leonard (violin) and Sophia Rahman (piano) played with exquisite tact, each yielding to the other with graceful fluency so that whatever prominence might be taken by one part, it was never at the expense of the sympathetic interdependence of the two players.

Aaron Copeland's Nocturne, austere in its layout and harmonies, comes from another world, but it needs the same equality between the players. The relationship set up in the Beethoven also brought out the full value of the Copland.

Jascha Heifetz's arrangement of melodies from Porgy & Bess, not unexpectedly has a virtuoso violin part but Leonard was never tempted to make it a show-case for her talents; violin and piano were not rivals but adjuncts to each other so the result was very satisfying.

Douglas Sealy

The Mikado

Mahony Hall, The Helix

Here's a how-de-do! Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera masterpiece, in a staging very like those given by the old D'Oyly Carte company, but now performed by the recently re-constituted Carl Rosa Opera. It is given in splendid replicas of the original 1885 costumes, and uses most of the time-honoured stage business straight out of Gilbert's own production handbook.

In the Mahony Hall, the small orchestra is on-stage, behind the performers. This causes some ensemble problems, but not enough to mar the theatrically-sensitive pacing of conductor David Russell Hulme The dialogue is also slickly paced; too much so in the case of the nimble-footed Richard Suart. Acknowledged as the supreme Ko-Ko of our time, Suart has a stronger singing voice than is the norm in this central role.

But his interpretation has become self-indulgently mannered and much of his spoken delivery is gabbled. Nuala Willis's Katisha, by contrast, has perfect comic timing but is let down by an uneven vocal line that hops in and out of chest voice too often for comfort.

The other "heavies" are splendid. Anthony Raffell, an ex-D'Oyly Carte artist I once heard as Wagner's Wotan, is superb in the title role. Bruce Graham, whose singing voice is deeper than his speaking one, is a very funny Pooh-Bah, and Riccardo Simonelli's strong baritone is luxury casting as Pish-Tush.

In the soubrette role of Pitti-Sing, Maria Jones offers a rich enough contralto to make us regret that she isn't singing Katisha. The juveniles, Yum-Yum and Nanki-Poo, are gently acted and sung by Lesley-Cox and the Peter-Pan-like David Kelly. The soprano is a tad rough in her sun/moon song, but the Wexford-born tenor sings mellifluously throughout. As does the chorus, whose strong vocalism and clear diction are just two of the felicities on offer in a generally joyous evening.

The Mikado is at The Helix on Wed at 2.20 p.m. and 8 p.m. The Gondoliers runs Thurs to Sat. Booking: (01) 700 7000.

John Allen