Opera lovers of Benjamin Britten’s operas, indeed all opera lovers will have a chance to see his chamber comedy Albert Herring at the Princeton Festival in mid-June. OperaMetro (OM) had the privilege of talking to Richard Gammon (RG), the director of the production. I caught him on the lovely campus of Princeton University, dashing to a rehearsal; time is of the essence!

OM: Hello Richard! Got a minute?

RG: Hello! Sure!

OM: We can walk and talk if that works.

RG: Sure. Can we press on?

OM: Ok, sure…So you’re directing Britten’s Albert Herring. It’s a rarely performed opera.

RG: Indeed, but a delightful one.

OM: I heard a radio broadcast of the opera years ago and have a recording, which is not to say that I know it well. Had you directed Albert Herring before?

Richard Gammon directs the Princton Festival’s staging of Britten’s *Albert Herring*

RG: This is my first time directing a full production of Albert Herring, although I have directed scenes from this piece in the past.

OM: Other Britten operas?

RG: It’s also the first time for me to direct a Britten opera.

OM: Outside of Britten, what are your favorite operas to direct?

RG: My favorite operas to direct are typically English language modern and contemporary pieces such as Floyd's Susannah, Laura Kaminsky's As One, and Jack Perla's An American Dream. I'm excited to be working on Philip Glass' The Fall of the House of Usher with Opera Maine later this summer and to premiere a new opera I'm collaborating on with composer Jorge Sosa and librettist Melisa Tien in early 2023.

OM: Exciting list! I’m a fan of Philip Glass and intrigued by The Fall of the House of Usher. From a director’s point of view, what aspects of Albert Herring make it a challenge?

RG: Albert Herring is so challenging but so rewarding! Most important is that each character must possess a clear and definitive backstory. Once those narratives are established the next task is to build the relationships between the characters. And there are so many characters!

OM: Ten plus the three children. And sometimes the back and forth dialog is rapid. I’m interviewing Ann Toomey, who plays Lady Billows in this production. Billows shares the domination of the first scene with Florence Pike. Pike and Billows are interesting characters…almost a team.

RG: Lady Billows and Florence Pike are a team...There is definitely a shared history between them!

OM: I get that. Billows is positively obsessed with choosing a May Queen for the annual festivities, but at each suggestion by the assembled committee, Pike reveals a good reason why each young lady in the village is not suitable for the honor.

RG: And I must ask, where is Lord Billows?

OM: Right! And then Albert Herring himself. Without a young lady as the May Queen, Superintendent Budd suggests Albert, who’s moral slate has not a scar on it. Interesting that Albert’s behavior is markedly different when he’s alone with his overbearing mother, compared to his behavior in public with Sid and Nancy, same age as he or alone or, more interesting, alone and stewed to the gills by too much drink. I’m interviewing Joshua Stewart, who plays Albert.

RG: Well, Albert is embarking on what will be the biggest adventure of his life. His journey began a while ago- but today is the day when he takes his first step.

OM: For sure. I like the way Eric Crozier and Britten pace Albert’s progress.

Richard, I know you have to run. But I always ask in my interviews: when you are not directing or rehearsing, what do you do to wind down, like, take a break, chill?

RG: Tea. I started my tea journey a few years ago and look forward to furthering my education about historically famous and historic Chinese tea. I am currently diving into the very nuanced world of Wu Yi yan cha.

OM: Thank you Richard for sharing your thoughts. Best wishes on Albert Herring!

RG: Thank you! It’s been a pleasure chatting!

Benjamin Britten’s Albert Herring is performed at the Princeton Festival on Friday, June 17 and Sunday, June 19. Tickets for all Princeton Festival performances including Seven Deadly Sins starring Storm Large and the opera double bill range from $10 - $130; ticket packages are $18 and up. Call 609-497-0020 or visit princetonsymphony.org/festival.

For the record, I’m really sorry I’m missing this one. Love Britten’s operas; excellent piece!

All the best, happy spring and summer to all. OM