The Gilbert and Sullivan Newsletter ArchiveGILBERTIAN GOSSIPNo 9 — March 1978 Edited by Michael Walters
THE LAST NIGHT OF THE D'OYLY CARTE SEASON, February 18th 1978. This is usually a night for meeting old friends, and on this occasion it proved to be a night for making some new ones as well. I had offered my "spare" ticket to James Skeggs, whom I had met at the New Year's Eve performance of Princess Ida, and who had been waiting for 5 years for a chance to be at a last night. He was not disappointed. Between the matinee and the evening performance I had an omelette with David Skelly, up for the day, at his first last night; and in the auditorium, to my astonishment, I bumped into one Ian Grundy, a clerk in my bank at Tring, whom I had no idea was a G & S addict. Apart from the usual G & S Society shower, there was also present Jerry March, who had failed the ballot but managed to get in on the door, to his great delight, as on a brief visit from New York this was the one & only London Last Night he would have a chance of attending; and Aidan Evans who got standing room only. It was a crazy but wonderful night, James and I were in helpless hysterics for most of it. Imperial College had timed Gondoliers very badly as their last night clashed, so none of them were able to be present for what was probably the most wonderful Last Night in living memory. The first third was Act I Pirates, with various characters in costumes from other operas, and an interpolated excerpt from The Zoo sung by Kenneth Sandford and Jane Metcalfe. The second third was Cox and Box, comparatively straight but with a delightful scene in the middle in which Sandford and John Reed, both attired as very elderly bearded Grosvenor & Bunthorne respectively, did a scene which incorporated dialogue from all the operas in which Sandford & Reed have scenes together. The third opened with the girls singing the opening chorus to Act 3 Princess Ida, in Mikado costumes on the set of Act 2 Pirates, and instead of "I built upon a Rock" we had the scene between Patience and Grosvenor, with Barbara Lilley and Kenneth Sandford taking the micky out of very bad amateur productions. There are too many details to go into, but no doubt (or hopefully) a full report will appear in The Savoyard.
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