The Gilbert and Sullivan Newsletter Archive
The Trumpet Bray
NEGASS
New England Gilbert and Sullivan Society
P. O. Box 367, Arlington, MA 02174-0004
"Ye torrents roar! Ye tempests howl!"
Vol. XXI, No. 1
August, 1996
MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL ISSUE
August 25: OSLO SORCERER Annual Picnic Meeting in Rhode Island PATIENCE SingAlong
On Sunday, August 25 at 2:00 PM, NEGASSers will meet at The Wheeler School in Providence, RI, to enjoy Ocean State Light Opera's performance of SORCERER. Our new Program Chair, Peter Cameron, has reserved a row of seats for us; please call him at (508) 9750405 to reserve your place.
Then, after 5 PM, we're welcome (whether or not we've been to OSLO) to visit Mrs. Shepherd's lovely estate in Bristol, MA. This is one of NEGASS's favorite annual traditions. We'll enjoy lovely grounds overlooking an inviting ocean; the use of grills on which to cook the dinners we bring for ourselves and tables on which to set out beverages, desserts and salads to share; changing rooms and showers, and, as darkness falls, a spacious living room with grand piano, in which we'll hold a NEGASS meeting. The meeting will start with a Bab Ballad read by Carl Weggel, and continue with a singthrough of PATIENCE, starring YOU, and accompanied by Eric Schwartz.
Call Peter at (508) 9750405 to let him know your dream role in PATIENCE. We hope lots of new as well as longtime NEGASSers will join us to sing leading roles, and to swell the chorus. (See below for a list of roles and ranges.)
HOW TO GET THERE: If you need a ride, or would like to share one, call Carl Weggel or Dick Freedman (see back page for contact info.) OSLO performs at the Wheeler School Theater at the corner of Angell and Hope Streets in Providence, RI. Mike Bromberg sends us the following "Foolproof Directions", which avoid downtown Providence:
Take I95 S through Providence. Left exit 20 puts you on I195 E. About a mile later, take exit 3 (Gano St.) and turn R at the end of the ramp. In the next 3/4 mile, go through a blinker and two full lights, and turn L at the third full light onto Angell St. Go over the crest of the hill (four or five short blocks) and start looking for a parking space before the light at Hope St. The theatre is 1/2 block past Hope, on the R. (He adds: Note that Gano is also a good way to get back on I195 for the trip to the Shepherds'.)
THE NEXT LEG: HOW TO GET TO MRS. SHEPHERD'S HOME: Go East on Angell Street. Turn Right at the first stop light (Gano St.). Stay on Gano past 2 more stop lights and one blinking light to the entrance of Rt. 195 East, on your Left. Take Rt. 195 East to Rt. 136 South. Just before the Mt. Hope bridge on 136, there is a small street off to the right, Low Lane, which enables you to avoid the Mt. Hope Bridge toll booth. (If you find yourself paying a toll, you've gone too far!) Take Low Lane, not because you're cheap, but because not far down Low Lane is the first of two entrances to Monkey Wrench Lane (it's a loop), and not far down Monkey Wrench Lane is the Shepherd's home. Park on the side of the Lane.
In case you don't remember the available roles in PATIENCE, here's a memoryjogger:
Colonel Calverley (Bass Baritone with patter)
Major Murgatroyd (Baritone)
Lieut. the Duke of Dunstable (Tenor)
Officers of the Dragoon Guards
Reginald Bunthorne (Patter Baritone) A Fleshly Poet
Archibald Grosvenor (Lyric Baritone) An Idyllic Poet
The Lady Angela (mezzo)
The Lady Saphir (mezzo)
The Lady Ella (soprano)
The Lady Jane (contralto)
Rapturous Maidens
Patience (high soprano) - A Dairy Maid
ANNUAL BUSINESS/ELECTION MEETING. On Sunday, June 9, President Dick Freedman opened the NEGASS Annual Meeting at the Newton Public Library, where we celebrated NEGASS's donation of the Warren Colson Memorial Collection of Gilbert and SullivanRelated Materials to the library. There were many guests from the general public in attendance.
Hail, Poetry was sung with great gusto and some expertise, accompanied by Eric Schwartz.
Dick then introduced Chuck Berney, who had followed Warren in the line of NEGASS presidents. Chuck spoke of Warren as the founder of NEGASS, and, in the early years, as the man who was NEGASS, serving as President, Bray Editor, Photographer, Participant, and Audience [all rolled into one!].
John Howard then reminisced about his experiences as second editor of the Bray: commuting from Newton to Natick to get his material from Warren, and commuting back to deliver the finished product for mailing. [Gee We have it easy in comparison! mlc]
Ruth Colson, who was accompanied by her three children, spoke of the pleasure Warren got from G&S (sometimes chuckling noisily long into the night), and said that she hopes others will get that same pleasure from borrowing books and music from the collection.
Don Smith then gave a wellillustrated slide presentation describing the joys of collecting G&S ephemera and collectibles. The quality of Don's material makes this collector realize that, in the Big Leagues of collecting, I am still in the Little League! Don showed samples of rare early programs and scores, trade cards, post cards and pottery; and continued on to newer records, record jackets, movie posters and videos.
We were next scheduled to sing TRIAL BY JURY. First, however, Eric Schwartz treated us to a poem from Goldsmith's The Vicar of Wakefield, written more than a hundred years before TRIAL, but familiar to all schoolboys of Gilbert's time. The poem tells of a lad travelling alone through the woods who is given shelter for the night by a woodsman. The lad is discovered to be a lass, mourning for her lost love and determined to lie next to him in death. The woodsman turns out to be ... No! Can it be mere coincidence? It is none other than her longlost love Edwin! And her name? Must I tell you?
TRIAL starred Peter Cameron as the Judge, Jeffrey Weissenfreund as Edwin, Bruce Miller as the Council, Sheldon Hochman as the Usher, and Tom Webber as the Foreman of the Jury. There was a woman named Patricia Brewster or something like that [now, who could that have been...?] who hogged the limelight in a bridal veil, complete with Brides magazine and flowers (thrown to and caught by Eric's page turner!) She seemed particularly upset with Edwin, but we couldn't tell why. She did have a pretty voice, and we hope to see her again when she is feeling more agreeable. TRIAL was not a trial; it was most pleasurable.
The business meeting was blessedly brief. Patricia Brewer will continue as Veep, Peter Cameron will assume the mantle of Program Chair (Bless you, Peter!), and Sheldon Hochman will fill Peter's slot as Member at Large. Other board members could not escape their present assignments. [We hope that Peter will get lots of help from the membership in Our limited memory, nobody other than the remarkable Patricia has been able to do the job unaided!]
The meeting adjourned to Hucklebee's Restaurant, where presumably a pleasant meal was enjoyed by all, although this reviewer couldn't attend, being needed at yet another meeting elsewhere.
VERA C. MILLITUDE
Very Tentative 199798 Meeting Schedule:
Sept. (or Janus Opera (Juliet Cunningham): early Oct.!) COX & BOX Date TBA Oct: G&S & Gershwin in Newton Nov. Joint meeting with the Massachusetts Organ Society Date TBA Jan. Date & topic TBA Feb. Date TBA: LMLO PIRATES March Date & topic TBA April Royal Victorian Opera (Chuck Berney): Princess Toto (condensed) Date TBA May 18 Sudbury YEOMEN Retrospective June Election Meeting
In addition to these definite, if mostly dateless, planned events, the board is negotiating for other wonderful meetings. For instance: Ric Wilson of the Morgan Library G&S Archives is moving to Boston, and has agreed to speak at a meeting. More News As It Breaks!
~ NEXT BRAY COPY DEADLINE: August 25~
Next BrayStuffing: Because the date of the next meeting is uncertain, and September is full of Jewish holidays and other major events in Our family's life, We cannot set a date for the next stuffing. We may end up doing it Ourself, like the Little Red Hen. If you would like to be of help, please call Us at (617) 6469115 some time in early September. Thank you! mlc
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Welcome, Welcome, Welcome We new members Frank Behrens, Peter Grace, Herbert Greenblatt, Louise Lieberman, Larry Seiler, and John D. Stevenson, and Welcome to Our Hearts Again, Rhona M. Swartz. Frank is a member of NYGASS in fact, he has often contributed reviews, mainly discographies, to The Palace Peeper, and would like to do the same for Us. (Frank, please be assured that articles suited to our newsletter's length would be very welcome!) Of Peter We know only that he lives in Boston. Herbert met us at the Newton Library last month, and was induced to join our band. Louise, who lives in Newton, describes herself as an Enthusiastic Audience. Larry haven't you been a member for years?! has just ended a term as Chairman of the Sudbury Savoyards, among other G&S exploits. John, who lives in Ohio, gained his membership as a Fathers' Day present. And Rhona, from Watertown, lists herself as "Enthusiastic Audience" and "Former member years ago." We're sure her name will be familiar to other longterm NEGASSers. Hearty Greetings Offer We!
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And now, M'Luds, to the business of the day (by all means!): It's time to renew your membership!
The Board's decision four years ago to create extra categories of membership is still in effect please bear in mind that the majority of our members are still "Yeomen", but that those who wish to contribute more to NEGASS have the opportunity to do so, in the following increments:
$ 15 Yeomen (basic membership) 25 Daughters of the Plough 50 Bucks and Blades 100 Flowers of Progress
(On the other hand, if even the $15 basic membership is a problem, please talk to Membership Chair Bill Mahoney)
Part of the deal was that We would print a list of Members Extraordinary those who chose a category higher than Yeomen for the previous year. So here's the list of 199596 Extraordinary Memberships (Bow, bow, ye Lower Middle Classes):
Daughters of the Plow
John T. Bennett, Jr. Arthur & Jean Koykka Patricia Brewer Kathy Lague Peter Cameron Ernest V. Lowenstein Judith Chasin Bob Manninen R.E. Colson Wallace Mason Charles Coolong Neil McCormick Philip Drew Michael McGuire Thomas Drucker Mr. & Mrs. Erwin Miller Barry Garden Michael D. O'Connor Alexander & Helen Gerli Jim & Beth Parmentier Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Gidley Lonnie Powell Mitchell Gillett Rose Marie Short Sheldon Hochman Barry Singer Charlee Hutton Jonathan Strong Alessandra Kingsford Dr. & Mrs. Charles Wilder Richard & Joan Knox Phyllis Wilner Theodore Koban Jane Young
Bucks and Blades
Mike Bromberg Bill Kelly Dean Edmonds Jr. Miles Carey Leahey Richard Freedman Mr. & Mrs. Larry Littlefield John N. Howard J. Donald Smith Fred Hughes William J. Hoermann
Flowers of Progress
Bill, Nancy, & Carol Burdine Walt Howe/Hope Tillman Michael Halperson
(How shall I express the allabsorbing gratitude )
Membership Chair Bill Mahoney also lists a couple of Honorary Memberships (folks who'll keep getting the Bray, whether they want to or not, for the rest of their lives because of some remarkable thing they've done in the past); a fair number of Exchange Memberships (They get our newsletter, and We get theirs which We try to bring to meetings and, when there's room, quote in Brays); and a couple of Hardship Memberships (talk to Bill if you want to be a member, but just can't swing the fee, and he'll work out a deal).
Whatever category suits you please send the enclosed Renewal Form, with its attendant Questionnaire, to Membership Chair Bill Mahoney with what dispatch ye may! mlc
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Speaking of longtime NEGASSers: We are in receipt of a long letter from Dean Edmunds, musing on such questions as "How many G&S operas had their roots in Bab Ballads?" Yes, Dean PATIENCE is generally agreed to be one of them. We are under the impression, though, that Oscar Wilde was not, as you suspect, taken unfair advantage of when he was sent by D'Oyly Carte as a sort of "advance man" for the American tour of the opera We are under the impression that he knew exactly what was going on, and was not at all averse to the publicity the opera gave him, as well as the publicity he gave the opera! (Experts please correct Us if We're wrong!) Dean concludes with the observation that there isn't much G&S in Florida since John Ambler's Suncoast Savoyards went into hibernation, and a fantasy that perhaps some New England group could bring a performance down for the anhungered folks in his area... Any takers?
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Kenneth C. Taylor of LA writes: I wish to sell my personal collection of rare, 100 year old lithographic caricatures of G&S personages. Besides G&S themselves, I have caricatures of D'Oyly Carte, George Grossmith and 2 or 3 others along with some non G&S subjects, such as Verdi, Mascagni and Wagner. All prints are in firstclass condition... Reach him by phone: (310) 4420054; Fax: (310) 8266934; or write to him at 11661 San Vincente Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90049. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We are in receipt of a long press release from the Pierpont Morgan Library, long a Mecca for G&S scholars. Fredric Woodbridge Wilson, who has been curator of the G&S collection at the Morgan since the late Reginald Allen's retirement in 1980/81, is leaving the Morgan to become Curator of the Harvard Theatre Collection. This leaves the Morgan G&S Collection without a curator of its own; it will be administered by Mr. J. Rigbie Turner, the Morgan's Curator of Music Manuscripts and Books, who has been with the library for 20 years and has worked closely with Mr. Wilson. But NYC's loss is New England's gain: Ric Wilson is not only an eminent musicologist and music editor; he is also an experienced conductor and director. (He's also a fine lecturer, as those of us who caught his talk in Philadelphia can attest!)
The press release assures Us that "Mr. Wilson will continue his Gilbert and Sullivanrelated projects in progress, including the ongoing W.S. Gilbert Edition and critical editions of Sullivan's opera scores... Information... can be obtained [via the 'net] at the address WWW.ARCADIA.ORG... Mr. Wilson will continue to maintain the Internet site for the Morgan Library's G&S Collection... at WWW.NYU.EDU/PAGES/CURATOR/GS/.
Don Smith tells Us that Ric has already promised to speak at a NEGASS meeting this winter more news as it arrives! mlc
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Reviews:
[In a separate note, the following reviewer expresses insecurity concerning his qualifications for writing a review. He states: "I have no formal training in stage direction or in G&S. I simply know what I like..." He also expresses discomfort at the fact that his review is negative, and ends by asking that his name not be attached to his opinions, if they are to be published. We reply: The Trumpet Bray is a newsletter of, by and for NEGASSers. We cannot think of more than two or three reviewers published in this newsletter over the past six or seven years who have any qualifications greater than their interest in G&S and desire to express an opinion concerning the show, book or recording in question. That opinion may be positive or negative, but, in the context of this society, it deserves to be seen. (The New York Review of Books might reject your article, but We won't!) If another NEGASSer, reading it, thinks the opinion is mistaken, he or she is requested desired urged! to reply. As far as anonymous articles: We see nothing wrong with the idea. However, We'd prefer such authors to provide their own pseudonyms, since We're much too lazy er busy to come up with new ones for each new "Anonymous"! mlc
In the last edition of the Bray it was asked what the readership felt about the "updating" of Gilbert & Sullivan productions. Shortly thereafter a review was solicited for the HarvardRadcliffe production of IDA. These two inquiries dovetail nicely into a single response. G&S that is done traditionally, even when not necessarily well done, reminds you of past performances you have liked/loved. I can't recall ever leaving a G&S performance without having an appreciation for some performer or some aspect of the performance that is, up to the time that I saw the HarvardRadcliffe IDA.
The mailing for the production warned that they were taking "liberties" with the libretto, and asked people to attend "with an open mind." I attended, sat back, and enjoyed the overture. All went downhill from there.
When the curtain rose the audience was presented with a Roaring Twenties costuming, complete with straw boaters and morning coats for the men. Immediately, my mind wandered from the stage. I spent an inordinate amount of time wondering how I might convince the Powers That Be to declare nontraditional productions of G&S felony offenses. Especially when staged in the Roaring Twenties. [Were you considering communication with the Mikado of Japan concerning appropriate punishment? mlc] There is nothing wrong with a nontraditional approach, I suppose, if a cast has extraordinary creativity and talent, such that they can overcome the handicap imposed by the staging. What you end up with is probably not G&S at all, and, if you can pull it off, it might be okay. But why bother? Do something experimental and new, instead.
Roaring Twenties Brighton, England staging is particularly offensive. You get the impression that the director had seen too many episodes of Masterpiece Theatre, or had loved the Monty Python version of MIKADO. What is left is not G&S, but rather a poor imitation of "Wooster and Jeeves", with music, and without Jeeves (and Jeeves is, after all, the best part!). Victorian England is not England in the Twenties. They simply cannot be juxtaposed. The newsletter mentioned an IDA done in Star Trek metaphor. Now, that's a show I would find interesting! The show went on (and on and on...) Act I continued. King Gama came out, remarkably reminiscent of Danny DeVito playing The Penguin in a Batman movie. He reached his zenith by presenting King Hildebrand with a pie in the face. (Really, I'm not making this stuff up!) The sons of Gama entered wearing WW I uniforms and, while I know they are supposed to be "not intelligent", these fellows went out of their way to portray sons who during their developmental years were apparently fed nothing but an endless diet of lead paint chips. They actually demonstrated their lack of intelligence by drooling incessantly all over the stage. (Man, that's acting!)
Act II cut numerous songs so that the roles of Melissa, Psyche and Blanche were never developed. Although Psyche's "A Lady Fair" number was done well ( featuring a series of drawings outlining the evolution of an ape into the actual likeness of the actor playing Prince Hilarion), the characterization of Blanche was limited to her always pulling a blackboard around. The delivery of her spoken lines was either nefarious and evil or throaty and sexy (I couldn't ever make up my mind as to which was intended). In any case, she was not the traditional G&S contralto. Numerous other numbers were either cut or turned into spoken lines. A number of the songs also seemed to have had their lines changed for reasons that were not apparent to me.
Act III presented some interesting problems arising from the use of nontraditional costuming. What does an actor do while singing "This tightfitting cuirass" when he is not wearing a cuirass? In this case he simply removes a gun belt. Very interesting.
Act III was rearranged, and the ending of the show was totally rewritten. I thought that the directors' idea of freezing the battle between the forces of Hilarion and the sons of Gama while Ida stepped into the forestage and sang "I built upon a rock" was actually a very good idea. But when the female students of Castle Adamant came charging out wearing Radcliffe ribbons and brandishing rifles that they trained upon the men, I was most perplexed. What was this supposed to be? I received the impression that someone had told the director that IDA was a misogyinistic opera and that without his ever reading (or thinking about) the libretto, this idea was embraced. Since the original ending was obviously politically incorrect, something had to be done, so, with no obvious motivation, the women charged on with rifles.
The rifle attack occurred after Ida had already decided to take off with Hilarion, while Hilarion was giving his Alan Aldaesque speech about Ida trying to mold men and their coarser clay. Then, to close the show, Hildebrand gave Gama a pie in the face, and the cast coupled off to the Dainty Triolet finale. Some couples were malefemale, some were malemale, and others were femalefemale. The malefemale couplings took place only seconds after the women had run out with their rifles and aimed them at the men they ended up dancing with.
For whatever can be said to the good about updated G&S staging, the HRG&SP PRINCESS IDA defined what it is that is bad about them. I can't recall ever having had a worse time at a G&S production. Obviously, my mind was not sufficiently "open" ("to this awful situation I shall go at once to Roderick and make him an oration...") DESPARD [The reviewer adds a p.s.: "I did not attend "hack night this was the "straight" performance." Clearly, Despard did not enjoy the performance. Would anyone else like to express a different opinion? mlc]
IOLANTHE at OSLO: We know from long experience to look forward eagerly to the Ocean State Light Opera productions that precede our picnic meeting. Although I must miss the picnic this year, I hope to find an opportunity to attend OSLO's SORCERER, and just had a very pleasant evening at their production of IOLANTHE.
It began with a practice that is not to my taste, a pantomime during the overture, but I must grant them a superbly done pantomime. Iolanthe, a straggler from a departing band of fairies, met a wanderer in the woods, the future Lord Chancellor. They fell in love, embraced, napped, and were discovered and separated by the returning fairy band. The banishment scene was shown, with Iolanthe refusing all the pleasant places of the earth and choosing the nearby stream, from which she emerged, shortly after, with a baby in a basket. In an amazingly brief twentyfour years, the grown Strephon appeared, and the overture ended.
The fairies were unlike any other fairy band I have ever seen. They wore sneakers and various forms of exercise outfits, and their "dancing" consisted of an individualized variety of workouts. When Iolanthe emerged, she was awkward, klutzy, and distinctly plain behind her thick glasses. Consistent with the team atmosphere, she was greeted with "high fives" and similar athletic team camaraderie. Iolanthe's arrival included two features that I had never seen before, but should have they worked so well: as she shed her coat of seaweed, some of the fairies reacted to its smell; and Iolanthe carried a pet frog, so affectionately that there was some concern when she admitted to a son as to whether this son was the frog.
But though Strephon (Frank Haggard) leapt about with great abandon (and with a background in classical ballet), his leaps were of the jete variety rather than the ribbit. Clearly Strephon had achieved some compensation for his lower half being mortal, for the Lord Chancellor (David Price) was much more graceful than Iolanthe.
All of the singers were superb, although a line was forgotten in two places (smoothly recovered in each case). Phyllis (Mary Beth McGrath) contributed some inarticulate muttering and wailing at places appropriate to her character. The Fairy Queen (Christine Gannon) was powerful and deep in all the right places, but somehow found, for the ending of "Oh, Foolish Fay," an octave or two that I, at least, do not expect of a contralto. A richly talented crew. DICK FREEDMAN
PIRATES at the Orpheum, Foxborough Center for the Performing Arts, June 15, 1996: Foxborough's PIRATES was a lively yet traditional production. The first act gave us rollicking pirates, a callowly youthful and credulous, vocally beautiful Frederick, and a bevy of most attractive maidens. In "How beautifully blue the sky" the women were as lovely as a forest full of sylphs, seated on the ground in a variety of chattering and listening attitudes. Ruth managed to suggest aged neardebility in the first act, and rough and readiness in her second act trousers. Though Ruth's "unattractiveness" in the first act often (frequently) makes modern women squirm, in the second act she's not a jot so.
The first act set, with its central shipwreck and beach detritus, was attractive. The second act set with its beautiful night sky and chapel ruins drew gasps from the audience. Its one oddity was the dark monoliths meant to provide hiding places for pirates and police. The chapel seemed to be set in the midst of Stonehenge.
Their doeeyed Mabel was a triumph of natural acting and gorgeous singing. As the most practical sister (she carried on all the picnic paraphernalia, and later handed out hankies in "Oh, dry the glistening tear") she tended to blend into the chorus of her sisters, and yet brought out Mabel's beauty, loyalty, and sensibleness in the face of long odds.
Major General Stanley was appropriately cast, though one wished he were a little more familiar with his lines (or, in any case, with Gilbert's). Each verse of "I am the very model" was a race to the finish with MGS leading, then the orchestra, then neck and neck finishing together. "Sighing softly to the river" featured MGS's amusing ballet dance, but this reviewer would like to have seen it sans teddy bear.
The Pirate King was suitably swaggering and a treat to watch and listen to. He was more intelligent and handsome than Pirate Kings are usually played.
The Sergeant of Police was amusing, and the chorus of police were amusing in conception, but could have been more crisp in their physical comedy.
A rousing "Go, ye heroes" had the women doing some funny cheerleading business using their hankies as pom poms (double hankies, shameless women).
The orchestra was competent and made the first act overture (dubbed by some the "over and overture") enjoyable to listen to. "Hail, Poetry" was strongly and subtly sung.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable production, visually and aurally. NICEMIS
And another view:
I attended a performance of PIRATES at the Orpheum Theatre in Foxboro during June. This production, directed by James D'Attilio and with music direction by David Larrick, was a mixed bag. While it kept the audience laughing and involved, there were many facets of the production that stopped it from being an unqualified success.
John Schumacher played a suave, swashbuckling Pirate King a la Erroll Flynn. Curtis Tucker, as Frederick, belied his youthful looks with a powerful, piercing voice that unfortunately at times overwhelmed the softer, rounder tones of Ruth (Martha McMahon). Laura Henderson (Isabel) took a small part and ran with it, much to the delight of the audience.
The set design (Lisa Pegnato) and lighting (Thom Brennan), especially for the second act, were so beautiful that there were gasps from the audience and scattered applause. The costuming (Sally Anne Gatewood) was interesting and natural looking.
Karen Bell was a competent Mabel. Her interpretation of the character was obvious from her first entrance; her voice was clear and strong; her diction and phrasing excellent. But she didn't appear to be stretching herself beyond competence. She took none of the optional (but traditional) high notes; in fact, she often didn't quite hit the higher notes at all. And the traditionally inserted cadenza at the end of Poor Wandering One was small and simple. Perhaps the music director didn't work with her sufficiently to develop these touches that would have made her a truly excellent Mabel.
Major General Stanley, played by Dan Clark, was a disappointment for similar reasons. He had a pleasant singing voice and was a good actor. However, it appeared that he and the music director had radically different ideas about an appropriate speed for his "I a the very model" which was extremely disconcerting. I glimpsed several people in my vicinity bobbing their heads and tapping their feet in an unsuccessful attempt to get the two "in synch" again.
The chorus of nine seemed, in the program, to be dismally small; however, they proved to be the perfect number once on stage in both filling the stage and filling the house with sound. However, the choreography (by Dawn Tucker), although mostly appropriate and amusing, was at time so intricate that for some chorus members either it or the singing had to go, and unfortunately it was the singing that suffered. And at times their stage business inappropriately drew attention away from the actual focus of the show, being somewhat over the top and noisy.
Still an enjoyable evening, because, of course, it was PIRATES. DEBRA HANGGELI
BUXTON NEWS
Random Impressions of the THIRD INTERNATIONAL GILBERT & SULLIVAN FESTIVAL Philadelphia, 2028 July 1996 . Much to my surprise and delight, the Festival in Philadelphia proved to be as enjoyable an experience as my experiences in Buxton over the previous two years. The same and not the same. Instant camaraderie with fellow enthusiasts, long discussions "from morn to afternoon, from afternoon to night . . . " into the wee hours long after the Festival Club had closed at 2 a.m. made for a very fast week. What with daytime "Coffees and Conversations" and "Master Classes" with the former D'Oyly Carte stars (some of which I skipped since I will see them again in Buxton,) movies ("The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan" and the 1966 D'Oyly Carte "Mikado" both to be available from the Festival) and various other lectures the days were as full as were the evenings.
Since the Festival was in a big city, the pace was considerably more hectic than in Buxton. Once one got used to the concept that Philadelphia drivers tend to use pedestrians as moving targets it was easy to get around. The distance between the various venues and the hotels meant one only went somewhere deliberately rather than merely wandering backandforth as one does in Buxton. The major deficiency was the lack of a central location for information and for rendezvous, a function served by the Pavilion in Buxton which was (and presumably will be) open almost all day. The only other major complaint I heard was that the final banquet was scheduled on Sunday meaning that many people from outoftown who wanted to attend couldn't since they had to return home to begin work again on Monday.
After the evening performances the Festival Club featured cabarets presented by the amateur society which had performed, or potluck productions of operas not being otherwise staged PIRATES, UTOPIA, GRAND DUKE, and a GONDOLIERS done by The SavoyNetters (scheduled before the Hancock County GONDOLIERS was added to the program as a semilast minute substitution) music with only a touch of dialog for comprehension. The Club was very crowded and a difficult configuration and acoustics prevented the scheduled quizzes from happening. Thus there were growing pains associated with a new venue; the difficulties will no doubt be ironed out next year.
Members of NEGASS put in a small, creditable showing. Marion Leeds Carroll was spectacular (as always) as Gianetta in the Savoynet GONDOLIERS and Julia in the GRAND DUKE [blush, blush now y'all know why We print Don's reviews...]; Debra Hanggeli repeated her LastMinute Light Opera Company role as a very nice Tessa; Walt Howe did a triple of Don Alhambra, Samuel and Scaphio.[And the very fine tenor Mitch Gillett of Ann Arbor, MI, also a NEGASS member, played Marco. mlc] Peter Cameron performed in a Master Class with Geoffrey Shovelton. Colin Edwards and his wife and Sheldon and Alice Hochman were also present for much of the week and David Stieber came from Switzerland for the week. The Collecting Fraternity of David Stone, Rick Wilson (from the Morgan Library) and Ralph MacPhail were very much in evidence. Other members present included Marc Shepherd, Peter Zavon, Lee Patterson [Ernest in the DUKE] and Lisa Berglund. (I'm sure I will now get flamed for missing someone, but I haven't memorized our membership list.) .
Observations on the performances:
Stars of the former D'Oyly Carte Company: RUDDIGORE and SORCERER. [Last year] I was less than enthusiastic about [their] performance of SORCERER. This year it was so much better that I thought it was a different production. It wasn't. After making several indiscreet inquiries and thinking about both the SORCERER and the D'Oyly Carte RUDDIGORE , I have come to the following conclusion.... Last year they.... performed as the D'Oyly Carte AllStars; this year they became the characters, which, as David Turner, the Festival Adjudicator, is fond of pointing out... is critical to creating the proper 'willing suspension of disbelief' which is so essential for making G&S believable. I suspect that for some of them this may well have been their last time and they really let go. Another possible contributing factor may have been the presence in RUDDIGORE of two people who are very active on stage professionally: Gillian Knight as Dame Hannah, who, like fine wine, gets better and better with age, and Simon Butteriss as Robin, who is a versatile and spectacular performer.
There were several very 'nontraditional' interpretations in RUDDIGORE, but they worked: imagine Mad Margaret as an alcoholic baglady; imagine Robin turning into Dracula; imagine RUDDIGORE with an overlay of "Rocky Horror Picture Show" and you might get a little idea of what we saw. And for those of you who only saw the first of the two Philadelphia performances, too bad. While the first one was a bit ragged (and the nontraditional "I once was a very abandoned person") did not help) the second performance was crisp and tight and the restoration of a moreorless traditional "abandoned person" injected the right amount of normalcy after the frenetic first part of the act.
South Anglia's YEOMEN and Hancock County's GONDOLIERS were the cream of the crop [of competition entries]. They were imaginatively directed while still being traditional, lively and a great deal of fun. For only the second time in three years, David Turner came onto the stage after the YEOMEN and applauded (which he said was unprofessional but he did it anyway; the other time was after last year's Lamplighters' IDA.) Both ought to place in the final rankings, and if there are two other productions in Buxton which come anywhere close to these, it will have been a spectacular Festival. J. DONALD SMITH
Don sent many more reviews, but We find Ourself with such a full Bray that We must let much of this wait 'til another issue. We are strongly tempted to print his comments on Oberlin/Gayden Wren's THE THREE PRINCESSES, the show that finally lured Us down to Philly but We've put in enough negative comments for one Bray. Enough to say: It was a disappointment.
We do want to note that Dede Johnson of Hancock County G&S was nominated for the prize of Best Producer for her job with their GONDOLIERS.
And someone else was this Janice Dallas' contribution? forwarded this message from the 'net:
Ian Smith's other major announcement [after the prize nominations] was the impending formation of a new professional opera company, to be called The Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company, which will present the G&S operas in the traditional style.
Ian said that Donald Adams's recent passing was a stern reminder that we are running out of time to transfer expertise in the authentic G&S idiom from the old generation of stars to a new generation. The new opera company will be cast primarily with young singers but will be entirely professional. The former D'Oyly Carte stars will actively participate in training and molding this new company.
Some of the former D'Oyly Carte stars may perform in the new company also, but this will not be automatic. One of the week's most remarkable lessons was that the D'Oyly Carte name, in and of itself, no longer sells a show: the week's three D'Oyly Carte performances were no better attended than the amateur ones. It was not explicitly stated, but it was nonetheless clear, that a few of the D'Oyly Cartians belong in the teaching studio at this point, not on stage.
Ian believes the company can work up to a fortyeight week touring schedule, though this obviously will not be achieved until after a few years (if ever). He did not say, but was clearly implying, that this company is intended to be what the New D'Oyly Carte should have been, but isn't.
See the Calendar for next year's Festival's dates & places, which have already been announced! mlc]
Dick Freedman gleaned this from the 'Net for our enjoyment & delectation:
Remember a few weeks [months but let that pass] ago we were discussing the pronunciation of the name of Cyril's Hostess of the Pigeon? I've just come across, in a piece by a turnofthecentury NorthEast Scottish poetess called Mary Symon, the lines For in far awa' B.C. I misdoot if Lalage "Dulce loquens" aye wad be...
So LalaGEE it is! DERRICK McCLURE
And Randi Kestin lets Us know: The Summer Savoyards of Binghamton, New York performed IDA in early July, and a member posted the following query to the 'net: "One of the technical directors thought that there was a chemical that could be painted onto metal swords which would spark as the swords were struck together. He asked if I could check the "Net" to see if anyone was familiar with what chemical it was and where it could be purchased." The show's over but for future reference: does anyone know to what he was referring?
CALENDAR
The MIT Gilbert and Sullivan Players will hold auditions for PINAFORE on Thursday Sept. 5 and Friday Sept. 6 from 710 PM in room 491 in the MIT Student Center. Call 2530190 or email savoyardsrequest@mit.edu for more info.
People who've enjoyed recent MITG&SP performances might want to catch the MIT Musical Theatre Guild's production of Sweeney Todd, which features a recent Dr. Daly as The Barber, Lady Sangazure as The Baker, and J.W. Wells as the Fake Italian. Performances are 8/2325, 2931 and 9/57. Call 2536294 or send email to mtgtickets@mit.edu for more info.
All that's left of OSLO (Ocean State Light Opera)'s busy summer is SORCERER at the Wheeler School, August 22, 23, 24, 29, 30, 31 at 8 p.m. and August 24, 25 (NEGASS meeting date!), 31, Sept. 1 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 or $12. Call 4013316060 for more information.
The North Shore Light Opera Co. plans MIKADO on August 811 and 1518 (Sundays are matinees) at the Firehouse Center in Newburyport. The stage director is Selena Sky April; music director is Dirk Hillyer. Call NSLOC president Melody Scheiner at (617) 5244386 for more info.
Mes Amis Productions, a new group operating at the newly renovated Regent Theater in Arlington, plans PIRATES for August 911 and 1618, with direction by Lora Chase. Call 6420401 or 6437525 for more info.
Visitors to Illinois may wish to catch the Light Opera Works production of RUDDIGORE, 8/1725. Call (708) 8696300 for tix & info.
SUNY at Purchase plans IOLANTHE on 9/1920, with direction by Ted Pappas, accompanied by the Westchester Philharmonic conducted by Paul Lustig Dunkel. For more info, write to The Performing Arts Center, MPO Box 150, Purchase, NY 10577, or call 9142516222, or fax 9142516171.
The Savoyard Light Opera Co. plans RUDDIGORE on November 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, & 10. Call (508) 371SLOC (7562) for more info.
Valley Light Opera of Amherst's MIKADO will run 11/13, 8 & 9. For more info, call (413) 5488119 or (413) 6658668.
Moreover: VLO plans The Foundling, or, A Basket of Ham, the excellent G&S parody with lyrics and music by, respectively, Mary Finn and Bob Weingart, as their spring 1997 show. This will be only the second production of this fine work, which had its premier under the authors' direction a couple of years ago at MITG&SP. Matt Kimmel will direct the VLO production. More news as it breaks!
The Sudbury Savoyards, following their successful summer production of Charley's Aunt (yes, We know it isn't!) are gearing up for their winter show: YEOMEN, with stage and music direction by Bruce Miller, with assistance from Marion Leeds Carroll and Eric Schwartz, and produced by John Covert. More news as it breaks!
Bill Kelly tells Us that The Connecticut Gilbert & Sullivan Society plans PATIENCE in October. More news as it breaks!
Jim Farron, Lord High Everything of The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive, announces A Full Gilbert and Sullivan Opera on the World Wide Web.
The show is PIRATES. The music, which is in MIDI files, can be found via: http://diamond.idbsu.edu/GaS/pirates/html/pirates_home.html
Jim concludes: Visit the Gilbert and Sullivan Archive at: http://diamond.idbsu.edu/GaS/GaS.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Don Smith informs Us that the dates for the 1997 International G&S Festival as well as for a First International Festival of Musical Theatre have been announced:
4th International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival: June 14 22, Berkeley, CA (Zellerbach Theater) July 19 27, Philadelphia (specific theater TBA.) August 2 17, 1997, Buxton, England
1st International Festival of Musical Theatre, Buxton 24th August 2nd Sept 1997
THE NEW ENGLAND GILBERT AND SULLIVAN SOCIETY PO Box 367, Arlington, MA 021740004
President RICHARD FREEDMAN (617) 6309525 email: rnf@ctcne.com (NOTE NEW ADDRESS!) Vice President PATRICIA BREWER: (617) 3233480 Secretary CAROL MAHONEY: (617) 6481720 Treasurer CARL WEGGEL: (508) 4740396 Program Chair: PETER CAMERON: (508) 9750405
Members at Large:
JANICE DALLAS: (617) 2757412; email: JaniceDals@aol.com SHELDON HOCHMAN: (508) 8427617 J. DONALD SMITH: (508) 8235110; email: DSMITH@UMASSD.EDU Membership Officer BILL MAHONEY: (617) 6481720 Newsletter Editor MARION LEEDS CARROLL: (617) 6469115; email: mlcar@ibm.net
NEGASS membership dues are $15 and up. Please send membership inquiries to Bill Mahoney at NEGASS, PO. Box 367, Arlington, MA 021740004
The NEGASS Web Page is located at: http://www.negass.org
Page created 28 Nov 1996