An Innocent Abroad
Summer Sales
Goodnight Seattle
I'm no Ham - Berger
Gilbert & Nash!
I'm no Ham - Berger!
 Leon Berger will be presenting 'A Society Clown' at The Paxton Theatre,
Wednesday 4th August at 2.30pm. Accompanied by Selwyn Tillett at the piano, Leon will stand and deliver an afternoon of
Victorian mirth performing some of the works of the original Savoy patter man and best selling author George Grossmith.
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New Twist for Summer Sales
Fans of that celebrated English tenor Nick Sales will now have to ration themselves to only three opportunities
to see their hero in action. Owing to a sprained ankle Nick will not be taking part in Sheaf's production of
The Gondoliers on the opening night of the
Festival. However, at the time of going to press he will still be playing Fitzbattleaxe in Trent Opera's Utopia Limited
on Sunday 1st August.
He will be also be plying his tenoric wares again on Tuesday 10th, this time as Fairfax
in Derby's Yeomen of the Guard. Both Trent and Derby's productions are sure to be in the frame
when the winning society is announced.
Nick was judged Best Male Voice for his portrayal
of the Defendant in the SavoyNet production of Trial by Jury in 98, this year he will try his luck
as a buck, possibly a blade, but certainly a ghost in the SavoyNet production of Ruddigore
on Thursday, the 5th.
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Innocent Merriment
To augment the Festival Website this year Jackie & I have decided to produce an occasional
edition of The Palace Peeper, attempting to bring you a flavour of the atmosphere and
friendship of the Festival. In particular we have in mind friends who were to have been
at Buxton but have had sadly to drop out - this is dedicated to them. Diana Burleigh
(DeeBee) has gleefully promised to put her antipodean journalistic expertise at our
disposal. We would also be grateful for any contribution and observations that we
could include, preferably something humorous but not lingering - please no reviews for
the Peeper, they will be posted separately.
We hope that The Palace Peeper will convey the spirit of the Festival and, fingers
crossed, trust that it 'teems with quiet fun'.
Goodnight Seattle -
Goodmorning Buxton!
This year on Wednesday 11th, 'rigged out in magnificent array', Seattle G&S Society will be delighting
us with their successful production of The Grand Duke direct from the Bagley Wright
Theatre, Seattle - a performance not to be missed.
The crew of Seattle's HMS Pinafore pose outside the Opera House in 1996
For more information read Mike Storie's
"Taking The Grand Duke back to England".
Gilbert & Nash!
Mike (Bow) Nash, producer, performer, rock musician and self-confessed KoKo hater,
has added yet another string to his talents by writing his own music to Gilbert's 1871
play 'A Sensation Novel'. Mike writes:
"The original 1871 score by
Thomas German Reed, like the score of Thespis, is (as far as we know) lost
to the world, except for one song: "Oh, Agony! And Oh, Despair! (The
Tyrannical Bridegroom)". In 1895 a chap called Joseph Williams Jr., writing
under the pen name "Florian Pascal", composed another complete score for "A
Sensation Novel". This score still exists today, but it is this score which
I and others thought was somewhat below par. We will be using the German
Reed music for "Oh, Agony!" and my own score, specially composed for this
production at the Festival, for the rest."
This will be the world premiere of the only Gilbert & Nash opera in existence - but could herald
the beginning of the Paxton Operas!
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