1968 a season of gilbert sullivan

Gaiety Theatre Dublin D ir e c to rs : E am onn A n d re w s , L e rc a n B o u rk e , Fre d O ’ Do no va n, D e rm o d C a ffe rky.

R A TH M IN E S A N D M U S IC A L

R A TH G A R

S O C IE T Y ..........

PRESENTS

A SEASON OF GILBERT & SULLIVAN FOR

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W EEKS

C o m m e n c in g M o n d ay, 1 8 th N o v e m b e r, 1 9 6 8

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A GAIETY E V E M G FIRST AST Meet in the Gaiety. Have a drink in com fort before the show.

Bars open 7.30 p.m. Order and pay for drinks fo r the interval.

&

INTERVAL Y our drinks are ready and waiting for you at your table.

You’ re saved time and trouble.

ENCOEE Relax after the show.

Have a drink. The bars are always open for half an hour after curtain fall.

W e trust you enjoyed your G aiety evening come a g a in !

Licenced Bars on all Floors.

GAIETY THEATRE STH. KING STREET, DUBLIN 2 Resident M anager: Joe Kearns T elegram s: “Gaiety” Dublin NIGHTLY 8 p.m.

Telephone 771717 MATINEE : SATURDAY 3 p.m.

RATHMINES AND RATHGAR MUSICAL SOCIETY

Commencing Monday, 18th November, ’68 presents

THE MIKADO MONDAY 18th, THURSDAY 21st, SATURDAY (M at.) 23rd, MONDAY 25th, THURSDAY 28th, NOVEMBER.

•

I0LANTHE TUESDAY 19th, FRIDAY 22nd, TUESDAY 26th, SATURDAY (Mat. & Eve.) 30th,

NOVEMBER.

•

THE SORCERER WEDNESDAY 20th, SATURDAY (E ve.) 23rd, WEDNESDAY 27th, FRIDAY 29th, NOVEMBER. Musical D irector : TERRY O’CONNOR Settings designed and executed by ROBERT HEADE Assistant to the Producer ANNETTE HYNES ENTIRE PRODUCTION BY BERYL DIXON

Commencing Thursday, 26th Dec., 1968 SPARKLING CHRISTMAS PANTOMIME

MAUREEH POTTER In

THE ADVENTURES OF TOM THUMB w ith

STAR STUDDED CAST OF 70 PRICES MONDAY — FRIDAY DRESS CIRCLE 14/- & 1 2 / 6

PARTERRE 1 2 / 6 & 10/-

GRAND CIRCLE 7 / 6 & 5 / -

SATURDAY

& BANK HOLIDAYS

DRESS CIRCLE 1 5 /- & 1 3 / 6

PARTERRE 1 3 / 6 , H Z -

GRAND CIRCLE 9 / 6 & 7 / MATINEES 9 /- , 8/-, 6 / - & 4 / -

THE MIKADO The Mikado of Japan ...................................... BASIL HOLLAND Nanki-Pooh ................................................................. BRYAN HOEY Ko-Ko ................................................................ PATRICK HUGHES Pooh-Bah ............................................... WILLIAM BLOOD-SMYTH Plsh-Tush ................................................................ TONY SWEENY Yum-Yum ............................................................ MARY BRENNAN Pitti'Sing ............................................... CATHERINE McAULIFFE Peep-Bo ................................................................

ENA HARROLD

Katisha ........................................................... HEATHER HEWSON Go-To ............................................................ PADRAIG O’ROURKE

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Chorus : Misses B. McCormack, S. Young, D. Sheridan, B. Crawford, K. Butterworth, N. Kealy, J. English, A. Walshe, M. Neville, D. Cummins, M. Roche, M. Creed, G. Gormley.

Messrs. T. O'Dwyer, P. Walsh, N. Byrne, F. Taylor, J. Bevan, R. Evans, M.Cronin, J. O’Connell, D. Matthews, D. Kenny, N.Magee, S.Byrne, A. Crawford, N. Dungan, S. Hogan, R. Taylor.

ACT I Courtyard of Ko-Ko’s Palace in Titipu.

ACT II Ko-Ko's Garden.

‘The Mikado', first produced in March, 1885, came after a period of strain between G ilbert and Sulivan. The composer was fretful over G ilbert’s fanciful plots, and the collaboration seemed to be broken. Then G ilbert, always sensitive to what was in the air, was inspired by a Japanese exhibition at Knightsbridge and a wave of interest in Japanese art to plan T h e M ikado’. Sullivan, who had demanded a story of "human interest and probability” , was captivated at once by what seems the most G ilbertian of pieces, in w hich English char­ acter and institutions are satirised under an oriental disguise.

It was th e ir greatest success and brought them world-wide fame.

Sullivan is at his happiest in the musical ta c t and delicacy that softens down the asperities of G ilbert, removing offence from the supposed fate of Nanki-Pooh and the touch of ferocity which appears in Katisha and even in the charming toilette of Yum-Yum. Not long afterwards he produced what he considered his greatest work, ‘The G olden Legend’ , but the twentieth century has approved the forthright judgment of Dame Ethel Smyth— “ it is very fine, but to tell you the truth, Sir Arthur, I think that your masterpiece is ‘The M ikado’ .”

What’s always well received by the critics?

B exsoat^ H e d g e s

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THE SORCERER Sir Marmaduke Pointdextre

PAT RUSSELL JOHN COMYN Alexis ......................................

BRENDAN McSHANE Dr. Daly .................................

PADRAIG O’ROURKE N o tary.................................... .... CECIL BARROR John Wellington Wells ......

HEATHER HEWSON Lady Sangazure .................

LOUISE STUDLEY Aline .......................................

URSULA HOUGH Mrs. Partlet ..........................

LUCY LANE Constance .............................

MAJELLA GUILMARTIN Page ......................................

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Chorus : Misses E. Boylan, E. Staveley, D. Sheridan, A. McBrien, S. Sweeney, A. Coll, M. McCann, N. Kealy, B. Crawford, M. Cox, M. Creed, D. O’Hagan, P. Pasley, D. Benville, H. Lynch, 8. Donnelly, K. Butterworth.

Messrs. F. Taylor, P. Lawler, J. O’Brien, J. Maguire, M. Cronin, J. Sevan, T. O'Dwyer, J. O’Connell, D. Matthews, A. Crawford, N. Dungan, S. Hogan.

ACT I Exterior of Sir Marmaduke’s Elizabethan mansion.

ACT II Exterior of Sir. M armaduke’s mansion by moonlight.

‘The S orcerer’ was the second work in which G ilbert and Sullivan collaborated. It was preceded two and a half years earlier by ‘Trial By Jury’. Both were w ritten originally without any idea that they would one day be used with a musical score.

T h e S orce rer’ was first produced at the Opera Comique on 17th November, 1877, ninety-one years almost to the day of the present performance. Its six-months’ career was so successful that Sullivan was enabled to take a holiday in his beloved Paris, and G ilbert was encouraged to proceed im mediately with the writing of the story for another opera which was to be called ‘ H.M.S. Pinafore’.

There were many revivals of ‘The S orcerer’ in the next eight years, during which five more operas were written. It was still doing good business, in its present revised version, in the early months of 1885, as the partners put the finishing touches to ‘The M ikado’.

There was a special performance at the Savoy Theatre on 17th November, 1898 to celebrate the twenty-first anniversary of its original production.

The story opens with an outdoor celebration of the engage­ ment of the lovely A line to A lexis Pointdextre of the Grenadier Guards. Alexis, wanting everyone to be as happy as he is, calls in The Sorcerer— John W ellington W ells— and asks him to make up a magic potion. Aline is not sure that she approves, but goes off to find an immense teapot in which the drink w ill be brewed. The Sorcerer arrives, grim in appearance and recites his incantation. The stage darkens, there is great noise and fireworks.

The second act sees the company happily under the influence of the magic potion, but som e have been paired off with the wrong partners. The fun is fast and furious as they eventually extricate themselves.

The opera was last produced by the Society in 1942, and a previous perform ance by the D'O yly Carte Opera Company was given in Dublin in 1934.

DUBLIN GRAND OPERA SOCIETY presents

an Iniernafional Season of Opera WITH LEADING ITALIAN, RUMANIAN AND IRISH ARTISTES

DON GIOVANNI (Mozart) MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY, WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 2, 4, 6 & 11

MUSIC HATH MISCHIEF (Victory) AND

I PAGLIACCI (Leoncavallo) TUESDAY, THURSDAY, MONDAY, FRIDAY DECEMBER 3, 5, 9 & 13

IL BARBIERE Dl SIV1GLIA (Rossini) SATURDAY, TUESDAY, THURSDAY, SATURDAY DECEMBER 7, 10, 12 & 14

Booking Opens at Theatre

Wednesday, 20th Novem ber — 10 a.m. to 9 p.m .

• THE RADIO/TELEFIS EIREANN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (by kind permission of the R adio/Telefis Eireann Authority)

IOLANTHE T he Lord Chancellor .................................... ALFRED BRANAGAN Earl of M ountararat .................................... PADRAIG O ’ROURKE Earl Tolloller ................................................................. JOSEPH LANE Private Willis .......................................... W ILLIAM BLOOD-SMYTH Strephon ......................................................................

FRED GRAHAM

Queen of the Fairies ................................. PATRICIA M cCONNELL lolanthe ........................................................................... ANN HODGINS C elia ............................................................ BARBARA M cCORMACK Leila

...................................................................

Fleta ......................................................

DYM PNA C U M M IN S

CATHHERINE M cAULIFFE

Phyllis ............................................................................... OLIVE JONES C hancellor’s Attendant .......................................... NIALL DUNGAN

Ladies and G entlem en of the C h o ru s :

Misses E. Harrold, E. Boylan, E. Staveley, S. Sweeney, A. McBrien, D. O'Callaghan, J. English, R. Finan, A. Waishe, M. Neville, C. Geary, E. Doyle.

Messrs. J. Maguire, J. O’Brien, P. Campbell, P. Lawlor, J. Dillon, N. Magee, M. O’Sullivan, P. Walsh, F. McKevitt, D. Matthews, J. Bevan, N. McCarthy, N. McGuinness, M. O ’Reilly, M. Cronin, N. Dungan.

ACT I

An Arcadian Landscape.

ACT II The Palace Yard at Westminster.

A rthur Sullivan, having spent a lazy three months h o lid a y ing in Egypt returned to London to celebrate his fortieth birthday in May 1882. Shortly after this, the death of his mother plunged him into the depths of depression, from which he sought solace in excessive hard work. He was soon in the throes of w riting the score fo r a new opera— ‘lolanthe’.

The first production was again a November one— this tim e November 25th, 1882. it was the first of the G ilbert and Sullivan operas to be staged in the Savoy Theatre. With it the partners scored another enormous success, which meant even more to Sullivan financially, because just before leaving home for the theatre that night, he had heard o f th e bank­ ruptcy of the stockbrokers with whom all his securities were deposited, and the consequent loss of the whole o f his life 's savings.

The love story of the Arcadian shepherd for the pretty shepherdess held its place in the affections of the London audiences for w ell over a year, and s o m e months after the opening night, Sullivan was knighted.

At a dinner party the follow ing year, again a birthday celebration, what may well have been the first ever relay from a theatre was made, when he arranged that the com pany’s perform ance be transm itted from the stage to his flat for the entertainm ent of his guests. This was done by an electro­ phone w hich Sullivan had specially installed.

G ilbert, who is said to have hated waste, took the plot of ‘ io lan the’ from a ‘Babs B a lla d ’. His gibes at peers and M.P.s throughout the opera were soon the ta lk of every club, and both lords and com moners had to pretend they were enjoying the jo ke as much as anyone.

Thom as Dunhill in his ‘S ulliva n’s Comic O peras’ praises the Peers’ Chorus in A ct 1 as a “ truly m agnificent piece of consciously aristocratic m usic” and says of the little w ood­ wind figure in the quiet opening of the overture that "even before w e know its later ap plicatio n it seems to breathe the name Iolanthe” .

For Rathmines & Rathgar Musical Society Stage Director Seamus O’Neill ( Ann King Assistant Stage Directors Patricia Carroll Chorus Master Hon. Secretary Hon. Treasurer

Bill Dungan Clem P. Ryan Thomas Murtagh

Jelly by ALFRED BIRD & CO. Food by KELVINATOR LTD. Costumes designed by VIOLET CUMMINS and Executed by Gings Theatrical Stores, 3 Dame Street, Dublin.

Miss Studley’s costum es and six ladies' costum es in “ The Sorcerer” by STUDIO ROYAL. Miss Jones’ ha ir by PETER MARK.

For Gaiety Theatre Stage D irector

Jimmy Potter

Stage Manager

: Paddy Jones

Chief E lectrician

Sean Burke

Thwoites for the tongiest most spofkling drinks.

ENJOY THE SHOW !

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