Colin Morris

  baritone






















































































































Colin Morris

Press

THE GONDOLIERS
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company

1. Grand Opera House, Belfast
"And when it comes to comic opera, you won't find much to outplay CM's Toro."
Ulster News Letter
2. King's Theatre, Aberdeen "One of the winning performances of the night came from the bizarre Plaza-Toro family ... Dad - the Duke - played by the wiry CM, was tremendous as the frantic, rubbery little social climber."
Aberdeen Press and Journal

GIANNI SCHICCHI & IL CAMPANELLO
Neath Opera/Craig-y-Nos
"CM was an excellent Schicchi, the voice carefully nursed and the characterisation of an opportunist peasant picturesquely drawn. Morris clearly knows how to command the stage by well-judged timing, and this again paid dividends in his sketch in the Donizetti of Don Annibale, the fussy old apothecary."
Opera

DIE FLEDERMAUS
Lyric Opera of Singapore
"CM's Governor Frank was hilarious. How many singing actors can act sloshed and still move in rhythm to the music?"
Business Times

HMS PINAFORE
Crystal Clear Opera
Chichester Festival Theatre
"The comic star turn is CM as Sir Joseph .. he contorts vowels and lips with equal relish."
Portsmouth News
".. the undoubted star of the evening was CM as the wonderfully foppish Sir Joseph Porter - not forgetting the KCB."
Chichester Observer

THE MERRY WIDOW
Penang Arts Council
"CM was clearly the crowd's favourite as he kept everybody in stitches with his hilarious portrayal of the over-zealous Baron Zeta."
The Star
" .. CM, who succeeded in setting a comical mood through his splendid portrayal of Baron Zeta. One could not help feeling an instant liking for the over-zealous Baron Zeta."
New Straits Times

FALSTAFF
Palace Opera at Holland Park
"Every baritone singing Verdi's Falstaff tries to appear fatter than he is in real life. With plenty of padding and a cultivated waddle, CM in Palace Opera's production for Holland Park came over as a livelier than most anti-hero. It was no bad thing. When, at the beginning of Act II, this Falstaff sniffed the possibility of sexual conquest, he took the stage with a proud-as-a-peacock glide. More than just a funny walk, it had a touch of the balletic about it - this Falstaff was a lovely mover."
Opera Now

THE MIKADO
Crystal Clear Opera
Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon
"And above all, the stars can all sing rather well ... CM's camp light-footed Ko-Ko has all the tricks of the role off pat. Morris enjoys toying a bit dangerously with his fans in the audience, in a manner whose occasional froideur evokes the late great Frankie Howerd. These roles can all be gifts."
London Evening Standard

THE BARBER OF SEVILLE
Castleward Opera
"CM, as Dr Bartolo, was absolutely side-splitting, giving us a truly individual characterisation which ended up as a cross between a rather pissed Terry Thomas and Groucho Marx. His voice maintained all this characterisation, rendering a complete performance, the like of which is rarely seen in opera."
The Singer
"The show-stealer was CM's Doctor Bartolo; a dapper figure in spats, he not only sang well, but gave us the funniest Bartolo any of us are likely to see, not just through a series of gags (though there were plenty of those), but through a well thought-out study of the character."
Opera Now

DIE FLEDERMAUS
Crystal Clear Opera/ London City Opera
1. Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford
"CM ... was diminutive perfection from his middle parting to his shiny shoes. Moustache waxed, monocle at the ready, dapper and dinky, he's the Ronnie Corbett of the Crystal Clear."
Surrey Advertiser

2. St George's Hall, Bradford "CM .. superb in every respect."
Yorkshire Post

3. Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank Centre "And CM, as the prison governor, Colonel Frank, knows how to perform operetta, or at least Gilbert and Sullivan - prancing and mincing in voice and gesture, with rouged cheeks, monocle and rakish eyebrows ... if only (his) fellow players could display the same wit and character ..."
The Times

LA BELLE HÉLÈNE
Castleward Opera
"The priest Calchas is a great chance to make fun of the clergy and CM ... in leprechaun bumfreezer, was a laugh"
The Times
"impeccable physical timing"
The Irish Times
"The part of Calchas was taken by CM, whose grasp of comedy won the audience ... everyone around me seemed to love it"
Irish News

THE MERRY WIDOW
Lyric Opera Malaysia
“Male performers throughout the ranks seemed to take their comic cue from Covent Garden veteran CM, whose Baron Zeta set the show’s comic tone”
London Financial Times


DAS RHEINGOLD
Bangkok
"Another high point had to be the performance by CM, whose Alberich possessed the poignant and pathetic vulnerability of a man who has given up love for power."
Bangkok Post
"Alberich is played by CM from the UK with fabulous energy. He occasionally lifts up onto his toes, emphasizing that he is large and in charge even though he is a dwarf. When he climbs onto a high platform with whip in hand after stealing the gold and forging the ring, one can imagine his cruelty toward the Nibelung slaves."
Thai Day/International Herald Tribune
"On stage, Alberich (English bass-baritone CM) offered the first of many surprises, arousing as much sympathy as distaste for his behaviour. At one moment priggish, at another comical and child-like, he showed us a character who was clearly out of his depth even in a world of his own making. With a light, flexible voice, small frame and nimble manner, Morris offered a fascinating variation on the usual diet of unrelieved alienation and vindictiveness. For me at least, this interpretation was a revelation, and will certainly affect the way I think about Alberich in the future."
Opera/Opera
"... and a British Alberich, the splendid CM ..."
Opera
"Only a few of Somtow's international cast stood out as conveying Wagnerian gravitas. There was enjoyment to be had in CM's mischievous Alberich ..."
Opera Now

MADAMA BUTTERFLY
Bangkok Opera
"As Sharpless, baritone CM is a wearied old man who is helpless to stop the tragedy playing out in front of his eyes …"
Bangkok Post


IL MONDO DELLA LUNA
Opera East
1. Ryan Theatre, Harrow

2. West Road Concert Hall,
Cambridge
"CM has the buffo role of Buonafede. Both vocally and histrionically he delights the audience, even its very youngest members."
www.whatsonstage.com

"CM was terrific as the cozened old duffer - reminding one of the Major General in Gilbert and Sullivan."
LocalSecrets

"The singers indulged in child-like boisterousness. CM captured Buonafede’s endearing buffoonery with intrinsic comic ability."
Opera Now


 

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