David Rodgers-Smith is a very impressive name befitting the grandeur that is Opera but as the man himself says, and I can attest to, he’s not the least bit snobby. On the contrary Mr Rodgers-Smith is a very down to earth man with eclectic musical tastes, as he told me when we chatted last week, he was the sibling that liked the piano man, Billy Joel (yes, David can play the piano too) and his brother the one who liked The Beatles particularly John Lennon.
David is also a teacher that coaches voice and is also very amiable to the prospect of teaching an out of the loop reporter some defining facts about Opera and it’s little sister Operetta. Before you stop reading because you think opera is too high brow David reminds us that ‘The Merry Widow’ is actually operetta and is fact very accommodating to those that fear opera.
Also don’t think that this little tale of a young widow who is matchmaked so she will not marry and thus take her fortune from the Duchy that is desperate to hold on to it, is at all out-dated.
As David says the story is timeless, it has all the elements of good soap opera and of real life, a misunderstanding about a fan, not the human kind but the one used to divert heat, which being lost it is unable to do…the heat is generated from the cuckolded husband with a young attractive wife and the heat and passion between one time lovers in David Rodgers Smith’s ‘Count Danilo’ and The Duchy’s attempt to match make him with The Merry Widow ‘Hannah’ so ensuring her fortune can be kept in the Duchy. And is our count Danilo ‘irresponsible and light- hearted’ as the blurb tells us? David says that this is just a veneer for a man who is hurt and broken hearted by his deep love for Hannah.
The translation of the dialogue is from the US production and updates it to modern sensibilities in making it just that little bit cheeky.
And it is an operetta loved by the older generation too. David cites a joyful experience when performing in Frankston and how many of the Mornington Peninsula retirees could be heard humming along to Lehar’s music. This is what live performance is all about making that immediate connection with the audience.
Our Count Danilo, David Rodgers-Smith is no stranger to Tassie having first visited our island in his Uni days performing in the Renaissance art inspired moniker ….Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles. To those that might be intrigued, David played Raphael, ‘the grumpy one’ but nothing could be further from the truth with David himself.
It was the completion of those Uni days that quite by serendipity led David into opera. It wasn’t his first choice of career. When David graduated with his Bachelor of Music Education it was not an economy that was welcoming to new teachers so David looked elsewhere to utilise his degree and auditioned for Opera. He now maintains a happy if not hectic balance performing in theatre and working as a vocal teacher.
The musical performance career is kind of ironic for a boy that had to be dragged in the old vernacular, kicking and screaming in protest when his brother recruited him for a male role in the school musical.
Times have certainly changed. David is an eclectic (he calls himself ‘an eclectic schizophrenic‘) musical performer, working in opera, musical theatre and in cabaret. David likes most music genres but draws the line at heavy metal.
As if performing in musicals, operas and operettas and teaching voice are not taking up all of his time David has also managed to get an album in the making.
He cites it as being a ‘red wine by the fire’ album. No opera but a mix of music including ‘You and I’ from Goodbye Mr Chips, ‘Bridge over troubled waters‘, ‘If I go away‘, a nod to his brother with John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ and a promise to his Mum with ‘Les Miserables’.
David is keen to return to Tasmania after this performance for a continuation of some sightseeing started in 1991 when he did the tourist thing. This time he plans a road trip and a ferry trip and seeing something of the East coast.
If you get the opportunity, go along and see David Rodgers-Smith, the count, the former teenage mutant ninja turtle, versatile performer, teacher and all round nice guy performing ‘The Merry Widow’ at the Theatre Royal on 3rd September 2011.
Paula Xiberras
