The Trumpet Bray

Sunday, May 31 at 2:00 PM: PINAFORE/TRIAL Retrospective in Sudbury. The presentation of a concert performance of their annual show for NEGASS is written into the Sudbury Savoyards’ constitution, to our great good fortune. On May 31 we’ll get to listen to Sudbury’s stars, sing along with the choruses (bring your PINAFORE and TRIAL scores!) - and possibly fill in for missing soloists - so brush up your favorite roles, just in case. We’ll also get to spend time with the friendly Sudbury crowd, and to enjoy bountiful refreshments provided by a group whose unofficial motto is "The relief of world hunger begins at home." [For the uninitiated: Sudbury donates all proceeds from their shows to a fund for the relief of world hunger.]

Dorothy Presented by The Royal Victorian Opera Company at NEGASS. For an organization as focussed on a single set of operas as is the New England Gilbert and Sullivan Society the presentation of a show which is neither Gilbert nor Sullivan is an event fraught with risks of not attracting an audience. That the performance of Dorothy, an opera which is inextricably linked with G&S (the composer, Alfred Cellier, wrote two operas to Gilbert's librettos and was the music director of the D'Oyly Carte until the mid 1880s; the librettist. B.C. Stephenson, collaborated with Sullivan on The Zoo) attracted an audience of only 14 to the First Parish Church in Watertown for the NEGASS meeting on April 26 was nothing short of a disgrace on the part of its members.

~ NEXT BRAY COPY DEADLINE: August 2 ~

Next Bray Stuffing: Sunday, August 9 at 3 PM. Call Us at (617) 253-5810 during the day, at (781) 646-9115 evenings and weekends, or email mlcar@mit.edu at any time, for directions to Our arbored home. -- mlc

[ Correction: - the print version of the Bray omitted the Election Issue Bray Stuffing, which will be June 14th, following a Bray copy deadline of June 7th. -- rnf ]

Welcome, Welcome, Welcome We New Member George W. Patterson of Andover, Massachusetts. That's all We know about George at this point - We don't know how he heard about NEGASS or what he likes to do in the G&S world. Tell Us, Tell Us all about it! Hearty Greetings Offer We!

A SavoyNetting from Janice Dallas: One of my Discography correspondents alerted me to a site called The Cyber Hymnal, at

http://tch.simplenet.com/Default.htm

The site has MIDI transcriptions of over 1,000 Christian hymns and Gospel songs from many denominations, including 14 hymns by Arthur Sullivan. The Sullivan-specific page is at

http://tch.simplenet.com/bio/asulliva.htm

These MIDI transcriptions are first-rate. Each hymn is on its own page, with a picture of both the composer and author (if available). The words are on the page, and in most cases I had no difficulty singing along.

If you haven't had a religious experience yet today, give this site a try! -- Marc Shepherd

G&S FILM IN PLANNING STAGE. Janice Dallas sends Us the following gleaning from SavoyNet: I see that nobody commented upon the article about Mike Leigh's G&S pic from last week's [3/9-15, 1998] Variety newspaper. So for the record, here it is.

OCTOBER SCORES LEIGH OPERETTA (By Benedict Carver) Hollywood- October Films Int. has nabbed U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand rights to Mike Leigh's untitled film about operetta kingpins Gilbert & Sullivan, which is budgeted in the $20 million range.

… Leigh's picture, described as "neither a traditional biopic nor a musical," will be set in the late 1880s against the backdrop of the original production of Gilbert & Sullivan's Mikado.

Leigh's trademark style is to get the actors to rehearse intensively until they "become" their characters. The film, currently in pre-production, is schedule to begin shooting this summer.

Leigh regulars Jim Broadbent, Timothy Spall and Alison Steadman - who all starred in his 1991 comedy Life is Sweet - are attached along with stage actor Allan Corduner, who is currently appearing in the Broadway musical Titanic.

Simon Channing-Williams is producing via his Thin Man Films outfit. The film is being partly funded by the U.K.'s National Lottery, with an award of $3.3 million.

If you want to be considered for a role, call +1 301 879 0220 and leave your name and number. Or write to P.O. Box 10391, Rockville, MD 20849-0391. Or send e-mail tolese@capaccess.org - or visit the VLOC Web Site at http://www.vw.net/users/vloc. However you apply, be prepared to give them a list of roles you've done (and with whom), let them know what roles you're hoping to perform for them, and send them a check covering the $40 registration fee. (They won't consider you without that light insult, I'm afraid!)

Sir Arthur Sullivan Society Festival in October. [Janice 'Nets another one) On 23, 24 and 25 October my society, the Sir Arthur Sullivan Society, is holding its eighth Sullivan Festival in the market town of Retford, 150 miles north of London. We have an intensive programme of performances and activities that includes the following:

• TWO fully staged performances with full orchestra of Sullivan and Hood's The Rose of Persia (1899) by Generally G and S, the group which presented The Beauty Stone to such acclaim at Buxton last year;

• A special one-man show, based on the G & S patter songs, by Richard Suart, the # 1 player of G & S patter parts in the world today;

• A costumed concert by the New Savoyards of London, a professional concert group that includes Leon Berger among its cast, to feature extended scenes from Utopia Limited as well as items from Thespis, Princess Ida and The Grand Duke;

• A brass band concert featuring contemporary and modern arrangements of (G&)S;

• A recital of Sullivan's chamber music;

• A church service featuring Sullivan's hymns and choral music;

• An auction of G & S memorabilia - books, scores, programmes, photos, records, posters etc.

The whole package, including 2 nights bed and breakfast accommodation, local transportation and meals, costs GBP 190 (small single supplement).

But who would be mad enough to come to the UK just for a weekend - even for that programme?? However.......

Two of the highlights of this year's Buxton will undoubtedly be the Carl Rosa productions of Mikado and Pirates. Rosa will be giving these two operas a week's run at the Empire Theatre, Sunderland (30 miles from where I live and only 150 miles north of Retford) during the week ending 24 October.. so you could have five days as follows:

Wednesday: Mikado
Thursday: Pirates
Friday: Sullivan Festival - New Savoyards etc.
Saturday: Festival - The Rose of Persia etc.
Sunday: Festival: Richard Suart, brass band etc.

Seat prices at Sunderland are likely to be around GBP 15 per show. London, Retford and Sunderland are linked by a good, fast rail service, and decent hotels in the Sunderland area can be found quite cheaply, so you could have five fun-packed days, including accommodation and travel in the UK, for around GBP 400. Sunderland is close to Durham, Hadrian's Wall, York and a host of other attractive places to visit during the daytimes.

If there is sufficient interest I would be quite happy to organise block bookings at the Sunderland Empire, find and book a suitable hotel, and arrange rail travel in the UK.

Anyone who has been to a Sullivan Festival (and I know several Netters have) will tell you what fun they are. Add to that two top class traditional G & S opera productions, and how could any G & S nut resist???

If you are interested, or want to know more, please get in touch! [We recommend getting in touch with Janice - see last page for contact info]

CLOSER TO HOME: G&S CONCERT SERIES IN NYC: [Yet another 'Netting by Janice Dallas!] I see in the new Concerts & Lectures brochure from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC that in honor of the 75th anniversary of the Blue Hill Troupe, the museum is having a series of three lectures and three concerts on three Saturdays next season (10/24, 12/12 & 2/27), a lecture each afternoon and a concert each evening. Jane Stedman will speak about Gilbert, Ric Wilson about Sullivan, and our own Rafe MacPhail about the partnership of G&S & D'OC.

Performing groups include the Savoy Company of Philadelphia, Village Light Opera Group[NYC], Bronx Opera, NYGASP, and Ten-Ten Players, as well as Blue Hill. For more detailed information, call the museum at 212-570-3792.

[Janice writes: It appears England has a Rockville-style Sing-out too!] For anyone to whom London (England) is accessible, Imperial College Operatic Society are staging a non-stop sing-through/speak-through of all the operas in reverse order(ie. starting with Duke and finishing with TRIAL) on Saturday-Sunday 23-24 May 1998. The event will take place in the College Union, Prince Consort Road (near the Albert Hall) and is entirely unrehearsed. I am told that food will be on sale during the event and a bar will be open. Anyone is welcome to drop in for as little or as much of it as they like, and either listen or bring a score and sing along. Expertise is not required - it was expressly stated that for those who are there through the night, staying awake will be more important than singing the right notes. I'll be there for part of the time - but definitely not through the night!

Oh, Joy! Oh, Rapture! - A G&S concert by the Savoyard Light Opera Company at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The hour-long concert was very delightful. With witty and insightful narration by John Bennett and excellent piano accompaniment by Julie Collins, this potpourri of G&S was extremely entertaining, with charming costumery by our own Janice Dallas ("Give 3 cheers, I'll lead the way...hurrah, hurrah, hooray!!") and very witty choreography, all very well directed by Lora Chase. From a Modern Major General riding a stick horse to Three Little Maids from School, all wearing Victorian dress and trying to deter a persistent fourth little maid, who just happened to look more Japanese. All in all, an hour well spent, as evidenced by the standing ovation from the crowd inside Remis Auditorium. Impressive, since the auditorium had a full house and then some (I estimate the seating capacity to be about 500...with another dozen or so squatters on the steps!)

A reprise of this concert will be performed on Saturday, May 30 at 8 PM at the First Parish Church in Lexington.

HRG&SP Iolanthe: Harvard-Radcliffe G&S Players productions are consistently inconsistent; they do not attain the highest levels of collegiate theatrical productions. Nevertheless, they can be counted on to produce considerably more pleasure than pain. Agassiz Theatre, home to HRG&SP, has no fly space no real orchestra pit, tiny wings, but has wonderful acoustics and sight lines in its semicircular, steeply raked, intimate auditorium.

The recent (April) production of Iolanthe began inauspiciously but ultimately achieved a very rewarding coherence. The orchestra was conducted with spirit and sensitivity by David Lyczkowski.

In the opening sequence the fairies entered not tripping hither and thither but vamping shamelessly. They were costumed as hookers and I was rather taken aback. True, the Queen is later addressed as "Madam" by the Lord Chancellor, but it is a bit much to see her as a dominatrix and proprietor not of a ladies' seminary but of a brothel. (Vladimir Zelevinsky directed, Joanna Guldi designed the costumes, and Lane Shadgett was the choreographer.)

The Arcadian Landscape of Act I made good use of space, actually extending into the wings, but what was that prison (factory? brothel?) upstage? Definitely not pastoral!

Iolanthe appeared dressed rather like a river rat. When she threw off her brown shroud to reveal her fairy costume, replete with thigh length silver spangled boots, it was a definite coup.

The Peers were dressed as music hall singers, or perhaps morticians (fortunately they performed like the former). While well received by the audience, "Loudly Let The Trumpet Bray" was robbed of its grandeur by the music-hall choreography. Nevertheless, this stylization worked wonderfully in the Act I Finale.

Kaja Schuppert gave a very well-realized performance as Phyllis. Her singing was beautiful, although I wished her timbre were just a shade brighter. Her face was also beautiful; one could well understand Strephon's unwillingness to wait two years. She had wonderful expression and a comedic gift as well. Her more serious moments seemed heartfelt.

Structurally, it made sense for Gilbert to have written a scena for Strephon in Act II, to more fully realize his part. The number, (ìMy Bill Has Now Been Read.../Fold your Flapping Wingsî) was cut after the first few performances in 1882. In this production it was ineffective and produced one of the few dull moments of the show.

Otherwise the pacing was excellent, as were all the characterizations. The first portion of the Act I Finale was particularly effective, as Phyllis, Iolanthe(Heidi Brown),and Strephon (Joseph Specter) were unusually believable. While my son felt that Mikado was more suitable for children (he found all the political material incomprehensible; he wasn't referring to the sex) he did enjoy the show, as did I and, it seemed, everyone else in the audience.

&&&&& IOLANTHE at Harvard A last-minute juggling of schedule allowed me to attend the Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert & Sullivan Players IOLANTHE, although my view from extreme seats in the last row of the balcony was not what I might have wished. (But how wonderful to have a Saturday matinee almost sold out. The night before had been similarly full, they told me at the box office, and my only alternative was the dreaded "Hack night" closing performance.) Still, in the charming intimacy of Agassiz Theater, there are no really bad seats.

The orchestra, as usual, set to rest during the overture any fears I might have had on that score. Certain things the HRG&SP do consistently well, and the orchestral music is one of them.

The curtain opened on a fairly simple set, and from my angle I could see a fairy, motionless, her back to a far side wall. It seems, in the darkened stage, she was supposed to be hidden from the audience originally. One by one, at various points in the opening music, each fairy turned on her string of lights, becoming visible, and joined in the accumulating dance. At the time I assumed they were Christmas lights, but now, writing this, I realize they must have been navigation lights, such as worn by modern-day aircraft. As they tripped their measures, they demonstrated excellent synchronization, another of those things HRG&SP choruses always do well. (In fact, to my taste the choruses were over-choreographed, in some places fitting in a dozen-well-synchronized-motions where three or four would have sufficed. But what do I know about choreography?) Some of the fairies' movements consisted only of slight hand motions, perhaps an accommodation to the small stage or perhaps a reference to some classic ballet I could scarcely hope to have understood. There seemed an element of schizophrenia, which might well have been intentional and entirely appropriate, in that I was not certain whether the fairies intended to convey, in costume and in movement, childlike innocence or womanly allure.

The march of the peers I found disappointing, in that they came on self-parodying, in music hall fashion. To me the march is intrinsically ridiculous, done straight, and I think that humor was lost in the peers' antics.

I enjoyed a change of a single word, taking advantage of a modern connotation. After Phyllis sang, "I gave up the love of a lordly throng For the love of a simple swain," she continued with "But now that simple swine's untrue---"

A couple of years ago, if I remember correctly, several of Harvard's shows had amazingly detailed and realistic backdrops. I had to go for a close look after the show to convince myself that their Yeomen backdrop was a simple painted "flat." I suppose that set designer has graduated, but I miss those sets.

PIRATES AT MIT: The MIT G&S Players perform in a venue without a curtain, so one's impressions begin with the set. And it was a favorable beginning, for their recent PIRATES, with a clean and open rocky backdrop that gave the feeling of openness. Part of that openness came from the absence of a stage right barrier between the set and the orchestra.Despite a couple of weak (brass?) entrances, the orchestra performed to a generally high standard, providing a suitable balance for several impressive singing performances. Michael Goodwin (Frederic) was a more than adequate romantic tenor. Andrew Sweet (Major-General Stanley) was clear and very effective, and rattled off his signature song at an astonishing pace. But Andrew was noteworthy primarily for his polished Broadway-worthy footwork and for the fact that he had pitched in where needed by taking on, superbly and with short notice, the added role of Stage Director. Chris Montgomery (the Pirate King) was popular with the audience, but more for his charismatic acting than for his voice. Randi Kestin (Ruth) was a little surprising in singing an effective enough contralto while looking nothing like the classic Wagnerian battle-axe. But the class of the show, vocally, was Mavie Marcos (Mabel), with an accurate, clear, and soaring coloratura voice.Costumes and lighting were simple but effective. Choreography, as is common for this group, was scarcely present. But the choruses were charming, presenting a variety of individual characterizations. Costumes were attractive. Staging, pacing, etc., all combined to make a very creditable performance.

Patience IN NEW CANAAN. My husband and I took the long trip from Boston, Massachusetts down to New Canaan, Connecticut to see Rica Mendes-Barry, our SavoyNet friend, doing her "daphneforic bounds" in the Troupers Light Opera Company's version of Patience at their new venue, The New Canaan High School's auditorium. Here's my non-expert critic's review.

The audience at opening night was a bit scant, possibly due to heavy rains and gale force winds that plagued us all weekend. It also tended toward the gray-haired G&S enthusiast who knows all the words. Perhaps that is why Troupers did so much "up-dating" of the lyrics. The choreography was interesting and the orchestra, with the exception of a wavery cornet, was very good. Stage direction suffered from set pieces that weren't pre-spiked to be always in the same place. One dragoon was knocked down (offstage, thank goodness) by banging into a piece of set that hadn't been THERE in previous rehearsals. There was also the problem bit of business during which someone's chest was hit by another person. Since the Leads' microphones were positioned there, the audience heard the offended mike.

As with almost all opening nights, various people flubbed various lines. The more serious problem was in the cast's adjustment to being in this wide stage area for the first time and encountering the "echo" type of effect, where those on one side of the stage hear the other side in a delayed mode, leading to timing problems. This happened three or four times. At one time, we had three different timings where there should only have been one. Having the orchestra positioned in a gazebo at their backs didn't help. Although the TV monitors facing them, showing the conductor, should have helped, I guess the cast needed more time to get used to following the conductor and ignoring what they were hearing. I've worked in auditoriums like this, and it can really throw you off!

In general, the costumes worked well, but showed that they were rentals, not custom made by the varying lengths of hemlines and problems of fit. Dragoon helmets were falling down or sliding off, etc. The Poets were well fitted, but poor Patience, played as a waitress, was in the dowdiest peasant blouse and skirt. It was a relief when she changed into a very becoming white Grecian gown at the time she became "aestheticised". I kept wanting to find something to cover up Angela's legs, which were overly distracting in a slightly below-the-knee toga, with high side slit. No one else had a skirt THAT short. I liked the idea of long togas covered with Japanese Kimonos, mixed in with other, more medieval gowns. The maidens were attractively dressed with interesting coiffures, some more Grecian that others. These were not all young maidens, but included some that might have been considered "old maids". Well, who's to say whom Bunthorne might be attracted to?

We had some very good singers here, most of whom transcended their microphones, so we seemed to hear them from where they were singing. Occasionally, the situation would arise where a lead was to the right of you, and their voice was to the left of you. This is very weird and quite distracting. Patience, played by Suzannah Carrington, has the most lovely soprano voice. Her sound just floats beautifully out of her. She deserves the best costumier she can get. I thoroughly enjoyed the antics of Lady Jane, played by Valeri Whitmer. She was a riot, and the best thing about the show! This was a much older than usual, bespectacled, gray-haired lady, with incredible energy. She even took the conductor's baton away at the opening of the second Act and showed her how it should be done! However, I would urge the Director to reconsider the bit where Jane is a whirling dervish with large cymbals in her hands, while the other maidens do various dances around the area of "whirl". Someone's face or head could easily be damaged by those cymbals! I know of one instance already, where Rica got hit in the head during rehearsal! In a change from the usual, Patience's solo "Love is a Plaintive Song", sung at first alone, soon attracted the moping Dragoons with whom she interacted. At various times they'd wandered onto the stage, in places where they're not required. Maybe the director wanted to give them something to do? It sort of worked, but really wasn't necessary. The Lead Dragoons were all very good vocally, and extremely funny in their trio. The two poets were matching body types, both on the lean and long side, and well matched vocally as well.

Act I was set in an aesthetic coffee house, backed by floating windows that marked the boundary between the gazeboed orchestra and the cast area. It was different from the more opaque sets I'm used to, but necessary for the orchestra's sound to come through. For the Second Act, the windows, and coffee house props disappeared, and a fountain appeared stage right, to set a more out-of-doors feeling.

The lighting was on the warm side, with a general feeling of too much amber, backed by magenta. Unfortunately, this tends to de-emphasize the maidens with red hair, of which there were quite a few, and gave the blondes purple hair every time they backed up. I prefer not to notice the lighting in a G&S show, but lately many Lighting Designers seem to be on the Rock-show style "Mood-lighting" bandwagon. I prefer the old-style unobtrusive, but bright, way of lighting a show.

All in all, I enjoyed the show, but think I'll avoid opening night next time. I hope that, by the next show, the group will know better how to deal with their new performing space.

A reprise of the Savoyard Light Opera Company’s recent concert, Oh, Joy! Oh, Rapture! - A G&S concert by the Savoyard Light Opera Company, will be performed on Saturday, May 30 at 8 PM at the First Parish Church in Lexington. SLOC plans Gondoliers for some time in November 1998. Call 978-371-SLOC or visit their Internet location at www.tiac.net/users/sloc for more info.

Boston Academy of Music will hold open auditions for its 1998-99 season on Saturday, June 13 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM at St. John’s Church, 27 Devens St., Charlestown. Send resume and photo to Carole Charnow, Executive Director, Boston Academy of Music, 523 Medford St., Charlestown 02129. For appointments call Janet at (167) 242-0055.

BAM will perform Pinafore at 3 PM and 8 PM on November 27-29 at the Emerson Majestic Theatre. (Other repertoire for the season includes MIKADO, plus works by Puccini and John Gay.) Tickets are $18, $33, and $47.50. For more info, phone: 617-824-8000; e-mail: majestic@emerson.edu; WWW: http://www.emerson.edu/majestic.

If you find yourself in Illinois between May 30-June 7, visit Light Opera Works’ production of YEOMEN - call (847) 869-6300 for tix & info.

NYG&SS will hold its next meeting on Saturday, June 20 at CAMI Hall, 165 W. 57th St., NYC. Doors open at 7:30; the meeting starts at 8, and the Inner Brotherhood go out for coffee afterwards.

Valley Light Opera of Amherst, MA is planning Patience for November, 1998. Check their web page for current info:

MITG&SP is holding Director/Producer interviews for their fall show, MIKADO, from May 13 - July 1. Contact them via e-mail atsavoyards-request@mit.edu, call (617) 253-0190, or visit http://www.mit.edu/activities/gsp/home.html. Their spring '99 show will be YEOMEN. More news as it breaks!

HRG&S plans Gondoliers (directed by Frank Habit '92-'93 and Logan McCarty '96) in December: 12/3,4,5,11,12 at 8 PM, 12/5,6,12 at 2 PM. For more info, contact moore@fas.harvard.edu, or phone 617- 496-4747 - or visit their Web page: http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~hrgsp/

The Jewish Theatre of New England, 333 Nahanton Street, Newton Center MA 02159 is aiming for a Nov. 1998 production of Yiddish PIRATES. For further information contact producing director David Mladinov at (617)558-6480 or Fax (617) 527-3104.

HUNTINGTON plans MIKADO for next spring or early summer - President Dick promises to get audition info (for small roles only - leads will come from NYC) in time for publication.

The Valley Light Opera plans to present a double bill of TRIAL and The Foundling (libretto by Mary Finn, music by Bob Weingart) in the fall of the year 2000. We’re looking forward to it - it’ll be the first time this very deserving little Finn/Weingart opus will be staged since its debut several years ago.

THE NEW ENGLAND GILBERT AND SULLIVAN SOCIETY PO Box 367, Arlington, MA 02174-0004 Send electronic contributions to our new e-mail address: negass@iname.com President RICHARD FREEDMAN: (617) 630-9525; e-mail: rnf@null.net Vice-President PATRICIA BREWER: (617) 323-3480 Secretary: CAROL MAHONEY: (781) 648-1720; MAHONEY.CAROL@EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV Treasurer CARL WEGGEL: (978) 474-0396; Carl_Weggel@juno.com Program ChairsMARK WOODRUFF and STEVE LEVINE: (617) 983-1635; mark_woodruff@htrans.com Members at Large: JANICE DALLAS: (781) 275-7412; JaniceDals@Juno.com SHELDON HOCHMAN: (508) 842-7617 GAMAREX@aol.com J. DONALD SMITH: (508) 823-5110; dsmith@umassd.edu Membership Officer: BILL MAHONEY: (781) 648-1720 Newsletter Editor: MARION LEEDS CARROLL (781) 646-9115; mlcar@mit.edu - and: http://web.mit.edu/mlcar/Public/www/mlcarroll.html Correspondent at Large: STEPHEN MALIONEK: (978)546-6519; malionek@cove.com NEGASS membership dues are $15 and up. Please send membership inquiries to Bill Mahoney C/O the above address. The NEGASS Web Page is located at http://www.negass.org

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