■ An evocative evening of music and atmosphere unfolded as opera met the open air at Thornton Bar & Eatery on Saturday evening.

REVIEW
Opera Under the Rakau
Saturday, March 14, 2026, Thornton
Reviewer Leny Woolsey

“Music binds a community together” – a sentiment attributed to the late, great Tait Kora by MC Moira Hanna during the opening of this year’s Opera Under the Rākau at Thornton Bar & Eatery. As a musician in the original 2024 event, it was gratifying to see Gloria Taylor and team deliver an event I believe Tait would have loved: a relaxed evening with high-quality performances, good food, excellent company and “something for everyone”.

Showcasing a mix of genres and arrangements, the programme had sufficient momentum and variety for a diverse audience.

For the opera purists; plenty of classical and romantic repertoire including Mozart, Schubert, Dvorak and Beethoven, one of the highlights, the sensational aria Un Beldi Vedremo from Puccini’s Madame Butterfly to close the second act.

Soprano Alice Collins soared effortlessly through the passion of the aria, while using playful diction and delicate phrasing to share the story with the audience.

For the musical theatre enthusiasts, favourites from Lloyd-Webber and Schonberg, even the stunning Somewhere from Bernstein’s West Side Story. For baroque lovers, a double whammy of Handel in the middle section did not disappoint.

Both Emily Flynn and Chalium Poppy showed masterful delivery of Handel’s famous runs and ornamentation, using sparing vibrato and letting the music do the work.

While it sounded fabulous, we would have liked to see more of Chalium’s performances.

Likewise, the ensemble would have been more visible had the staging not been limited by having to shelter from threatening weather (thankfully it stayed dry for just long enough).

In between the extremely polished vocal performances, complementary instrumental pieces added variety and colour, particularly the opening La Paloma, which set a jolly and lilting tone for the whole evening.

Under Gloria Taylor’s diligent leadership, the musicians listened well, maintaining a strong connection to the soloists and can be congratulated for preparing and delivering an extensive and impressive marathon of live accompaniment.

As is typical in Whakatāne, the two intervals were a good chance to catch up with friends and enjoy the excellent hospitality of Brenda and the team at Thornton Bar and Eatery. We are fortunate to have this great outdoor venue, which itself supplied prizes for the raffle and best-dressed competition (hotly contested by some very snappy dressers).

The behind-the-scenes crew, including Sue Whale, Dave Stewart and the team at Arts Whakatāne, made the supporting arrangements of sound and production seem effortless, which is usually a sign of significant effort in advance.

Moira Hanna played the glamorous MC role perfectly, enthusiastically entertaining us with positive vibes and helpful background notes to the music.

Pavarotti said, Opera “expresses aspects of the human drama that cannot be expressed in any other way”. It does not have to be stiff and elaborate. At its heart, opera is about experiencing stories together.

While the concept has evolved, this event held true to the original vision of Opera Under the Rakau to bring music of all kinds to different parts of our community. It reminded me why I am so proud to live in this special place that has so much to offer.

Author

Dr Leny Woolsey trained in violin, cello, piano and voice in the UK and has played with orchestral and chamber ensembles in London and NZ. In the early 2000s Leny was a Soprano in The New London Singers based at the Royal College of Music and St Martin’s in the Fields.

She has been a musical director, vocal coach and accompanist for many years, covering classical, contemporary and musical theatre genres.

She can occasionally be spotted jamming with local music groups and will be appearing in the forthcoming Theatre Whakatāne production of Matilda.