The Maestro's Company
| The Maestro's Company | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Hugh Stuckey |
| Directed by | William Fitzwater |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Richard Davis |
| Cinematography | Robert McDonnell |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | SBS |
| Release | 13 January[1] – 7 April 1985[2] |
The Maestro's Company is an Australian television series that originally aired on SBS in 1985.[1] Conceived by Marcia Hatfield, it was designed to introduce children to opera.[3]
Synopsis
[edit]Two children stumble across an old theatre occupied by an opera company of puppets.
Production
[edit]The show cost $1.3 million and featured puppets created by Beverley Campbell-Jackson, each costing $10,000. It features songs sung by real opera stars such as Dame Joan Sutherland, Placido Domingo and Renata Tebaldi.[4] The song were taken from Decca recordings. The show was filmed in Balmain's Bijou Theatre.[5]
Cast
[edit]- Justine Clarke as Tina
- Adam Willits as Johnny
Reception
[edit]Bronwyn Watson of the Sydney Morning Herald gave it a positive review stating "The Maestro's Company is a good mixture — it doesn't lose the flavour of the opera nor does it overdose on singing. I think it is a successful marriage between television and opera."[4] Also in the Sydney Morning Herald Jacqueline Lee Lewes writes "As clever and refreshing the may be, Maestro's Company is definitely one for kids."[6]
Soundtrack
[edit]A double record soundtrack titled The Maestro's Company of Arias and Scenes from the operas featured in the TV series was released on Decca Jubilee.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Morris, Joan (13 January 1985), "Ethiopia pilgrimage by pop and TV stars", The Canberra Times
- ^ "Viewing highlights", The Age, 4 April 1985
- ^ Cohen, Lysbeth (10 January 1985), "Maestro makes Marcia's mark in children's film", The Australian Jewish Times
- ^ a b Watson, Bronwyn (19 November 1984), "Network 0/28 lures the kids with opera", The Sydney Morning Herald
- ^ Saw, Ron (6 November 1984), "Cutting the anaesthesia out of opera", The Bulletin
- ^ Lee Lewes, Jacqueline (13 January 1985), "Stringing along with the opera puppets. . .", The Sydney Morning Herald
- ^ Hoffmann, W.L. (11 February 1985), "As on TV", The Canberra Times