Issue 2
Back Issues:

  • Issue 1

    In this issue:

  • Here I am at the risk of my life!
  • SavoyNet Dinner
  • Memorabilia Fair

    Here I am at the
    risk of my life!

    Emirate Airlines logo kept appearing on TV while the victorious Aussie world cup winning cricketers were feted around the country, which seemed a good enough reason to hop on board one of their jets to bring me across the world to Buxton. And very well they conveyed me too - Qantas will have to look to its laurels!

    The D'Oyly Carte opened in London the day before the Festival opened allowing me to take an even longer busman's holiday. Their H.M.S. Pinafore at the Royal Festival Hall was a bright little craft which had advanced the period of the opera to around the first world war. It had a full orchestra (which was a relief and began with a basso profundo note of a ship's siren leading into the orchestra. While the opera went off with a flourish and was well received by the large audience, there was a certain lack of depth of characterisation from several of the male principals.

    Upwards and on-wards! Rising early the next morning and humming "at last I go Buxtonwards" (which didn't scan but I don't sing in tune anyway so it really didn't matter) I set off beyond the known land of London's civilisation, in time to arrive for the Symposium which opened the festival. This was a chatfest to savour. Great erudition flowed and amiable men kept coming up and shaking everyone's hand and saying "welcome to Buxton, my name's Smith" obviously a local greeting ceremony.

    The town itself is compact with everything seeming to happen within meters of the Opera House, or is it just a marvellous illusion that the only things that seem to matter are G&S Festival related.

    The entire world seems to be here and everyone knows everyone else or soon will! What appeared to be family reunions were happening all over the place. Each newcomer is absorbed into the family unit on arrival.

    So the land of warm beer and bad cricket isn't so bad for an itinerant Aussie after all! Someone even produced some vegemite at breakfast!

    Sheila B Wright

    Memorabilia Fair


    "You wouldn't like to put down
    a deposit, perhaps?


    Chris Webster relaxes after two days of plying his wares at the memorabilia fair.

    As always, the abundance of G&S goodies on offer resulted in everybody exceeding their budgets. A distinguished member of the Sir Arthur Sullivan Society was seen excitedly clutching a letter written by his hero. If you were lucky and had bought books by Ian Bradley, Cynthia Morey or Terrence Rees you would have been able to get them autographed by the authors.


    Cynthia Morey - "Inclined to Dance and Sing" (and sell her autobiography)

  • SavoyNet Dinner!

    Hungry SavoyNetters assemble outside the Opera House

    What may well have been the largest gathering of SavoyNetters in one physical location happened on the evening of 30th July 1999 at the Kwei Lin Chinese Restaurant - a stone's throw from the Opera House in Buxton. Over beer and tea, chicken and cashews, beef and green peppers, spring rolls, spare ribs and crispy seaweed, 63 certified (and certifiable ?) SavoyNetters gathered for dinner and to have a high old time. We took over the entire ground floor of the restaurant, forcing them to serve their more normal customers in what Mr. Bouncer would, no doubt, call The HAttics. If not the largest gathering, it was certainly the gathering from the most distant regions, as those in attendance came from several parts of the United Kingdom, from the US and Canada, and from Australia, and perhaps elsewhere.

    After a sumptuous dinner which far exceeded the possibilities offered by a plate of macaroni and a rusk, David Duffy moderated an elimination game in which he would call on a table at random and each in turn would have to sing a song from G&S which began with the next letter of the alphabet, or be eliminated from play. As, for example, the first table needed a song beginning with "A", such as "Away, away, My heart's on Fire." The second table needed a song that began with "B",and so forth. Eliminating the letters "Q", "X", and "Z" as being somehow inappropriate for this effort (imagine "Z" being inappropriate for anything!), we made it completely through the alphabet with only one, or perhaps two eliminations, depending on whose rules you applied at any given moment.

    Following a rousing Hail Poetry, David spoke briefly, acknowledging in particular, the efforts of Ralph MacPhail as central to the current vitality of SavoyNet. Marc Shephard spoke, observing that this is a Gilbertian style of topsyturvy reunion. Most reunons are gatherings where you see old friends you have not seen in years. But SavoyNet gathers to see people we have never met, but know well and expect to see in the future. Marc also acknowledged the contribution of Bill Venman, the one who actually did what was needed to begin SavoyNetet, and of Ralph and Bridgewater College, who obtained/provided the technical resources that allowed it to survive and grow. Sam Silver rose to acknowledge the efforts of Bob and Jackie Richards, who organized the dinner, arranged for the Ruddigore t-shirts, and generally kept things moving smoothly.

    About this time, Bob Richards announced that the proprietor's daughter, Wing, would have her birthday tomorrow. This resulted in a SavoyNet round of "Happy Birthday." Someone who shall remain nameless then pointed out that another member of our party was in the same condition. I suggested that this called for singing the first number in Pirates, given the fact that he has been recently released from his indentures as SavoyNet Listmaster. This suggestion was completely drowned in an communal urge to honor him with "Eagle High," conducted by Larry Garvin. A speech was then demanded. Ralph obliged, noting his regret at not being able to be present for or participate in the SavoyNet Ruddigore. He must leave Buxton on Saturday, but will stop long enough to see the New D'Oyly Carte perform Pinafore on Sunday. He noted that Saturday is the anniversary of the Pinafore Scene Riots during the original run of the work, when minions of the backers of the Comedy Opera Company tried to capture the sets while a performance was still in progress, the night before the performance rights transfered to D'Oyly Carte's Opera Company.

    As Jackie collected the money to pay the restaurant (If she is not around look for her in Barbados), we began to leave the restaurant, some for bed and some for the Cabaret. A 'Netter's work is never done, I suppose.
    Peter Zavon

    List of Attendees:

    Adrian BridgmanAndrew Crowther
    Angie Arnell and John PennAnne Allwright
    Bob and Jackie RichardsCarole Round
    Celia PerryChris Wain
    Clive WoodsDave Kirby
    David and Celia CraigDavid and Jill Duffey
    Denise WickenDerek and Phyllis Owen
    Diana BurleighDon Smith
    Gordon PascoeIan Hollamby & Anne Perryman
    Irv HodgkinJames and Gail Lockwood
    Jeremy and Rosemary StevensonJulie Bjerregaard
    Karen Ann LoxleyKelsey Thornton
    Larry and Robin GarvinLarry, Ann and Kay Byler
    Lisa BerglundMarc Shepherd
    Mike NashMike Storie
    Paul Cohen & Bobbie HermanPeter Parker
    Peter WitheyPeter Zavon
    Ralph McPhailRichard Stockton & Sue Prior
    Samuel SilversShani D'Cruze & Jeff St Clair
    Sharon BridleStephen Hill
    Sylvia & Fleur GreinigSandra & Sarah Vamplew (and Mum)