It’s all change for Christchurch Gilbert and Sullivan Society this autumn. The Shepshed-based group made the decision to move their annual productions to the autumn last year, and this November will see them putting on The Gondoliers, their first production since this decision. Not only have the group made the switch from spring to autumn, but they have also switched from father to daughter in the director’s chair – longstanding member Cheryl Perkins has taken over the reigns for this production.
The Gondoliers (or The King or Barataria) is Gilbert and Sullivan’s popular Italian operetta, opening inVenice, where all the ladies are waiting for the two most handsome Gondoliers (Marco and Giuseppe) to make their choice of bride. The brothers announce that they will be making their choice blindfolded and are happy when their brides are revealed as Gianetta and Tessa. The quartet’s celebrations are interrupted when it is revealed that one of the brothers is actually the King of Barataria, but as the real prince and a gondolier’s son were mixed up as infants, no-one knows which one is the true heir to the throne. Marco and Giuseppe are forced to leave their brides and sail to Barataria to take up the throne jointly. To complicate matters further, the heir to the throne of Barataria was married as an infant to the daughter of the Duke of Plaza Toro, Casilda. Casilda, who is secretly in love with her father’s attendant Luiz, must wait with everyone else concerned for the real King’s foster mother to come forward and identify the true King.
Sullivan’s beautiful score includes ‘When a merry maiden marries’,’ Take a pair of sparkling eyes’, ‘Dance a Cachucha’ and ‘With ducal pomp’.
Newcomer to the group Steve Gale and Allister Jordan are becoming the ‘bei signori’ for the show, with Caroline Robey and Nicole Jordan (playing opposite her husband for the first time!) their blushing brides.Valerie Hart and Neal Chantrill are the secret lovers Casilda and Luiz with Richard Perkins and Sue Smith the Duke and Duchess of Plaza-Toro.
Our next production is The Gondoliers which we’re performing from Tuesday November 15th to Saturday November 19th 2011 at 7.30pm at Hind Leys College, Shepshed, Leicestershire.
Tickets are £8 for Tuesday and £10 for Wednesday to Saturday. Children are £6 all nights. To order tickets please call Margaret on 01509 504376.
Christchurch G&S Society presents
An Echoing Voice
Christchurch Gilbert & Sullivan Society’s are now in the final stages of rehearsals for their next production, An Echoing Voice. This staged concert celebrates the successful, if sometimes tumultuous, writing partnership of W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, which produced a total of 13 comic operas.
The concert is narrated by Gilbert (played by Steve Shipton) as he reflects on his collaborations with Sullivan and includes songs from all of their operettas including The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, Iolanthe, HMS Pinafore and The Gondoliers. Songs include ‘When I was a lad’ (HMS Pinafore), ‘When the foeman’ (The Pirates of Penzance), ‘Peers Chorus’ (Iolanthe), ‘3 Little Maids’ (The Mikado) and ‘Dance a Cachucha’ (The Gondoliers).
The concert has proved popular with the Society itself and will feature their largest ever cast with over 40 members taking part. This has proved a challenge to the concert’s directors, Nicole Jordan and Richard Perkins, who have the task of fitting everyone on stage at once for the chorus numbers!
The group are using this concert to establish November as the new time of year for their future productions and their next full-scale production will be The Gondoliers in November 2011.
An Echoing Voice is at Hind Leys College, Shepshed from Friday 12th to Saturday 13th November at 7.30pm. Tickets are £7 (£5 children) and are available from Margaret on 01509 504376.
Well known Loughborough performer Kieran Sutcliffe has come to the rescue of Christchurch G&S Society to ensure that their next show will go on! A member of the cast for their production of Ruddigore next month had to pull out early in the New Year but Kieran has stepped into their shoes to play the part of Richard. Director, Richard Perkins said “it is always a worrying time when you need to cast a part at short notice but we were delighted when Kieran agreed to help us out. It is the first G&S show he has ever done and he is proving to be a real asset to the group and has quickly learnt the part”.
Ruddigore (also known as The Witch’s Curse) tells the tale of the Baronet of Ruddigore. Following the curse of a witch, the holder of this title has to commit a crime every day or die in inconceivable agony. Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd, the real Baronet of Ruddigore, is disguised as a young farmer Robin Oakapple in order to avoid this fate, leaving his brother Sir Despard to assume the title. Robin is in love with Rose Maybud but he is too shy to declare his affections so enlists the help of his sea faring foster brother Richard Dauntless. Richard takes a fancy to Rose himself but eventually Robin and Rose are brought together. Just as Robin is preparing to marry Rose his true identity is revealed and he is forced to take up his title as Sir Ruthven, losing his bride in the process. Sir Ruthven is left to find a way of satisfying his ancestors and the curse while continuing to live a blameless life.
Alongside Kieran will be Allister Jordan and Rachel Fitzpatrick as Robin Oakapple/Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd and Rose Maybud respectively and Peter Bateman and Marilyn Ashwell are taking on their first roles with the group as Sir Roderic and Dame Hannah. Cheryl Perkins as Mad Margaret, Dave Stapleton as Sir Despard, Len Dobson as Sir Adam, Valerie Hart as Zorah and Emma Brown as Ruth complete the cast.
Themocracy