PBGS

Latest Patience Rehearsal Schedule

2012-03-12T11:12:00.002Z

We now have an updated Rehearsal Schedule which also has all the costume details that you need will for Patience. You'll find it on our Society Notices page.

As a taster, here are a few photos from our 1985 and 1991 PBGS Patience productions with some familiar faces to look out for. If anyone has any photos from our 2003 Production (even backstage) I would love to see them! Click on the images below for a better look:

1985

1991

Did you manage to spot Roy, Shirley, John E, founder June Pickard and Sue (me) with a dinner plate on my head?

The Boy Friend in Ampthill

2012-03-12T10:40:00.001Z

Jo B has sent a poster along for The Boy Friend which is being put on by the newly formed Ampthill Musical Theatre Society. From Jo:

This will be our first ever performance and it would be lovely to see as many people there as possible to encourage us onward and upward for more ventures... If you have as much fun watching as we have had rehearsing it, then you are in for a treat!!! Tickets are only £10 or £8 concessions and family tickets are £32 (2 adults and 2 concessions) but they are selling fast so get a move on if you want to come along.

The show is at Parkside Hall, Woburn Road, Ampthill 7.30pm on Saturday 14th April and Sunday 15th April 2012 and the box office number is 01525 405432.

Family Guy does G&S again

2012-03-03T17:55:00.002Z

Fans of the Family Guy cartoon will remember that the writers managed to put in a nod to Pirates last year with 'through the trees...'. Now here's a bit of silliness from The Sorcerer. found by Richard D. Enjoy!

The London Sillinannies

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Local shows: Godspell, Sorcerer and Orpheus

2012-02-15T20:02:00.001Z

There are several local shows coming up between now and April, two from our fellow G&S friends at Wolverton, and one from Hitchin Thespians that will appeal to all operetta lovers:

Wolverton G&S: Godspell

Wolverton are presenting Godspell on Tue 3rd & Wed 4th April 2012 from 7.30pm, at St George's Church, Church Street, Wolverton, Milton Keynes, MK12 5EX. Box Office 01908 262250

Wolverton G&S: The Sorcerer/Cox and Box

Wolverton are presenting a modern take on The Sorcerer & Cox and Box on 27th - 31st March 2012, from 7.30pm at the Stantonbury Campus Theatre, Milton Keynes. Box Office 01908 262250.

Full details of both productions can be found on the Wolverton G&S Society website.

Hitchin Thespians: Orpheus in the Underworld

Hitchin Thespians are presenting Offenbach's comic operetta, Orpheus in the Underworld, from 21-24 March 2012 at the Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage. This production promises a touch of Panto and a new translation of the libretto:

...a fun-packed show with a new translation by Geoffrey Dunn and (of course) Offenbach's lilting tunes - including the timeless can-can.

Full details can be found on the Hitchin Thespians Website.

PBGS Barn Dance

2012-02-01T13:36:00.000Z

Time to put all those steps you learned in Oklahoma into practise at the PBGS Barn Dance:

Saturday 14th April from 7.30pm

Pirton Village Hall, Pirton, Herts

LIVE BAND AND FOOD!

Tickets £10 (children £5)

Contact Shirley Hale 01234 381394 to book

This will be a fun event for all the family so be there or be square (very bad pun intended...).

Union Theatre all male Patience

2012-01-19T18:09:00.004Z

Following last year's success with their all-male Iolanthe, Sasha Regan and the Union Theatre, Southark are presenting an all-male Patience:

After Pirates & Iolanthe, Union stages all-male Patience

Following its Whatsonstage.com award winning production of The Pirates of Penzance and last year's Iolanthe, the Union Theatre in Southwark is staging another all-male interpretation of a Gilbert and Sullivan classic, Patience.

The new production, which opens on 17 February (previews from 15 February), will be directed by Union artistic director Sasha Regan, with choreography by Drew McOnie, musical direction by Michael England and design by Kingsley Hall....

The production runs at the Union until 10th March. More details at the What's on Stage website.

I wonder if our 'love-sick maidens' will be able to out-cry theirs when we put our production on in May ; -).

©Whatsonstage.com
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Abbots Langley's Iolanthe at Watford

2012-01-07T14:55:00.003Z

©ALGSS

Abbots Langley G&S will be presenting Iolanthe from the 23rd - 28th January at Watford Palace Theatre:

Our new production of Iolanthe sees the return of not one, but two of our previous directors, Julia Rufey (Yeomen of the Guard 2005) and Mike Monk (Iolanthe 2004 and Gondoliers 2007). Philip Joslin returns to wave the baton. A new departure for the society the various talents of the directorial team will be entirely focused to their strengths with a result that we hope will be both inovative and highly entertaining.

Tickets are available on 01923 225671 and there is a PDF of their booking form here with further details.
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PBGS Christmas Dinner at The Fox

2011-12-14T12:33:00.001Z

Last night PBGS descended on the Fox in Pirton for our annual Christmas Dinner. We all had a great time as you can see, especially with the party tooters! Top tooter prize goes to Tim with his imaginative use of two green ones to recreate Shrek. Margaret led everyone in their own version of The Twelve Days of Christmas where the Drummers Drumming got into a priority dispute with the Pipers Piping, and we also wished everyone a 'Merry Christmas' (very loudly) to herald in the Figgy Pudding.

Many thanks to Paul for organising it, and to The Fox for putting up with us and feeding us extremely well. To those PBGS'ers who couldn't make it, we missed you, wish you a very Merry Christmas and we'll see you on Tuesday 3rd for music revision with Margaret (perhaps we should include the 12 Days of Christmas ;-).

All photo © Sue Wookey

World Carols in Hitchin

2011-12-09T19:32:00.001Z

If you are looking for something to get you into the festive spirit, North Herts Guild of Singers are holding a 'World Carols' concert at St Mary's Church, Hitchin on Saturday 17th December at 7.30pm. Tickets are £10 with £8 for concessions and a bargain £3 for under 16's. Tickets are available around Hitchin, and from the Guild's Ticket Manager on 01462 433393. See here for more details.

This promises to be an interesting concert with some unfamiliar carols from around the world, along with those we know well.

Final Patience Cast

2011-12-01T10:33:00.001Z

After Tuesday's final auditions we now have a complete cast for our Spring 2012 production of Patience:

Patience - Paula Fraser
Lady Jane - Sue Wookey
Lady Angela - Margaret Snape
Lady Saphir - Alice Bridges
Lady Ella - Eve Rapley
Bunthorne - Tim Sell
Grosvenor - Richard Fraser
Duke - Graham Gibbs
Colonel - Peter Davis
Major - Richard Dean

Congratulations to Graham and Peter and welcome to the cast!

The PBGS Christmas Meal

It won't be pizza....

This year's Christmas Meal will be on Tuesday 13th December at The Fox pub in Pirton. Don't miss a chance to round off our celebratory year with the appropriate trimmings ;-). Any member who would like to attend can download a PDF of the menu selection here. Please confirm you are coming and give your selection to Paula as soon as possible!

Photo © XMO4 PHOTOS

AGM News

2011-11-30T14:30:00.001Z

A big thanks to everyone who came to last night’s AGM, which was very well attended. All business was, amazingly, concluded by 9pm ready for our second set of Patience auditions. For those of you who missed the AGM there will be minutes available, so keep an eye on the Society noticeboard.

The AGM was a fitting end to our celebratory 40th Anniversary year, with a review of just how much we had done: Ruddigore, The G&S Sketch Show performed at Henlow, Buxton International G&S Festival and at Hitchin, and a string of concerts with acapella singing waiters, G&S at Ampthill and warbling in the open air at Letchworth Hall Hotel’s Proms in the Park. Quite an astonishing year, and one for which everyone in the Society is to be congratulated. The AGM wound up with a plethora of presents. Certificates were handed out by our Chairman to members who had been with the Society for 40, 30, 20 and 10 years, to mark and celebrate the extraordinary commitment made by many members to the Society. The fact that there was a big pile of them shows that PBGS is a ‘keeper’ for so many people who have joined over the years. Special mention should be made of our two 40 year members, Roy Bride and Clive Wheeler, who were with the Society at the very beginning in 1971, and are still valued members in 2011.

Two members were elected as Honorary Life Members: Paul Kerswill and Sue Wookey, both of whom have chalked up 30 years and over of performing, committee membership and assorted other essential tasks for PBGS, along with spreading a little mayhem along the way. Congratulations to Paul and… um… me.

Here’s to another 40 years and even more of those certificates : -).

New Life Members Sue and Paul express their astonishment...

Photos © XMO4 PHOTOS

AGM Reminder and Auditions

2011-11-25T20:22:00.001Z

Don't forget that our AGM will be this Tuesday (29th November) at 8pm, Streatley Village Hall, Streatley. This has been a wonderful year for PBGS, and a good attendance at the AGM will round it off nicely!

Auditions for the Duke of Dunstable and Colonel Calverley will be after the AGM at 9pm. If you have ambitions to be a Heavy Dragoon, now's your chance :-)
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PBGS AGM

2011-11-15T12:22:00.001Z

The PBGS AGM will be on Tuesday, 29th November 8pm at Streatley Village Hall, Streatley. To keep PBGS a dynamic Society and take us forward into our next 40 years, it's vital all members come along and have their say!

Photo © XMO4 PHOTOS

Yeomen of the Guard at Stewartby

2011-11-12T20:00:00.001Z

©Stewartby Operatic and Dramatic Society

Next week Stewartby Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society will be performing The Yeomen of the Guard at Stewartby Village Hall, with our own Alison Gibbs taking the part of Phoebe. The production forms part of Stewartby's Diamond Anniversary celebrations as they celebrate their 60th year.

The show opens on Tuesday 15th November and runs until Saturday 19th November, with tickets available for every night apart from Friday, which is now sold out. Performances start at 7.30pm.

Congratulations to Stewartby for 60 years of performing!

Patience cast

2011-11-10T09:49:00.003Z

We now have a cast for Patience, after some very funny and rapturous performances from everyone who auditioned:

Patience - Paula Fraser
Lady Angela - Margaret Snape
Lady Saphir - Alice Bridges
Lady Ella - Eve Rapley
Lady Jane - Sue Wookey
Bunthorne - Tim Sell
Grosvenor - Richard Fraser
Duke of Dunstable - uncast
Major Murgatroyd - Richard Dean
Colonel Calverley - uncast

We are looking for a Duke and a Colonel Calverley, which is a classic G&S patter part, so if you fancy yourself as a Heavy Dragoon, contact us!

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2011-11-05T10:36:00.003Z

'You hold yourself like this...'

From the first production

A reminder that our Patience Auditions are this coming Tuesday (8th Nov), 7.45pm at Streatley Village Hall. If you are a member and still toying with giving it a go (go on, be brave!) then you will find downloadable PDFs of Lib, Music and Character audition details on our Notices Page. If you don't have a lib but would still like to give it a go, then a full Patience libretto can be found at the Gilbert and Sullivan Archive.

PBGS auditions are held in the open, so any member can come and watch and cheer us on, and they always turn out to be great fun!

Ruddigore at the Barbican

2011-10-19T18:20:00.002+01:00

Opera North will be performing Ruddigore at the Barbican from the 23rd - 26th November 2011.

"A reluctant villain, a modest maiden, Gothic ghosts. Gilbert and Sullivan make merry at the expense of Victorian melodrama in one of their most inventive confections, infused here with a wonderful freshness by Opera North’s critically acclaimed adaptation."

"...this is operetta bliss. A must for all G&S fans.’ The Daily Telegraph "

You will find full booking details on the Barbican Website. And there is more information about the production on the Opera North Website.

Some reviews of the original 2010 production:
Daily Telegraph review.
The Guardian review.
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Looking forward to Patience

2011-10-09T18:24:00.001+01:00

Our display of past shows and posters

Well - we've finished off our 40th Anniversary celebrations in grand style this week! Thank you to everyone who made the Sketch Show so enjoyable, all those whose efforts got us onto the Queen Mother stage, and everyone who came to support us. It really did feel like a party with old friends returning, good food and an atmosphere of fun. I'm already looking forward to the 50th!

Enjoying our after show celebrations

We are already planning our next show, Patience, which will be at The Queen Mother Theatre in Hitchin on 2nd - 5th May 2012.

We have details of the audition pieces for those eager to start practising their aesthetics, and you will find them as downloadable PDFs on our Notices Page.

If you enjoyed the Sketch Show and would like to join us for Patience then we would love to meet you. You can find details about where we rehearse and how to contact us here. Patience will be a lot of fun and you can be assured of a warm welcome!

Our Chairman does his own version of 'Eagle high'.

Photos © Sue Wookey

40th Anniversary Souvenir Programme

2011-09-28T15:09:00.003+01:00

As this is a special anniversary for PBGS we have a special treat - our 40th Anniversary Souvenir Programme, which will take the form of an A5 booklet packed with information and photos covering the history of the Society and its achievements since its beginning in 1971. If you are unable to come to a performance of the show at the Queen Mother Theatre next week, and would still like a copy of the anniversary programme to keep, then let us know by ringing 07946 264886. There are also details of other ways to contact us here.
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40 Years of PBGS Celebrated with Sketch Show

2011-09-21T11:20:00.001+01:00

We are fast approaching our last performances of the G&S Sketch Show for the year - on the 6th October we will be taking the show to the Queen Mother Theatre in Hitchin for a three day run. Not only will there be some fantastic G&S singing, but a light supper will be served in a cabaret setting. Tickets can be booked direct from the Theatre on 01462 455166 (lunchtimes and evenings only), or through the company on 07946 264886. You can also book online. You will find full details on our Next Show Page. This is 'Reduced Shakespeare Company' meets Gilbert and Sullivan, and is a fun, fast paced evening with plenty of humour. Our Buxton audience loved it!

The performances in Hitchin mark the last part of our 40th Anniversary Year Celebrations. The Society was founded in 1971 by Peter Jenkyns and June Pickard and has gone from strength to strength, adding non G&S shows into the Gilbert and Sullivan mix and taking in several theatre homes along the way. All amateur societies have been facing difficult times over the last few years - with financial challenges and changing audiences - and looking back over our long list of productions, we have a lot to celebrate at PBGS.

Our founder and first MD Peter Jenkyns

©Luton News

Over the years we have also seen many changes in our membership, different MDs, Producers, Chairmen and Committees. But the priority of quality musicianship and - well - fun, has never changed. There have also been members who have stayed with the Society over long periods, giving us continuity and a sense of where the Society began. As Gilbert wrote for The Yeomen of the Guard we still 'have a song to sing-o':

PBGS Yeomen of the Guard 1981

PBGS Yeomen of the Guard 1989

PBGS Yeomen of the Guard 1996

PBGS Yeomen of the Guard 2005

PBGS Yeomen of the Guard 2010

You will find our full Society history here.

- SW
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Ruddigore in Peterborough

2011-09-14T14:29:00.000+01:00

Peterborough Gilbert and Sullivan players are presenting Ruddigore this week at the Key Theatre, Peterborough, with several faces familiar to us at PBGS. From the Vivacity Website (where you can also book your tickets online!):

There are some very strange happenings in the pretty Cornish fishing village of Rederring! A bad baronet (well 2 actually) carrying out horrendous crimes every day. A mad girl crazed out of her mind by unrequited love. A corps of bridesmaids desperate to officiate at a wedding – anyone’s wedding. And up in Ruddigore Castle more ghosts than you would ever want to meet. Throw in a witches curse, a sailor from a ferry who thinks he’s in Nelson’s navy, the most frustratingly timid young lovers since Hugo Horton and Alice Springs, a manservant they’d never employ in Downton Abbey, the dastardly kidnapping of a defenceless old woman and you have it.

Peterborough G&S Players next production is sure to be a hit!

Ruddigore is on from 14th - 17th September. Theatre Map here.
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A Touch of Poetry

2011-09-13T18:04:00.000+01:00

Just a reminder that this Thursday 15th Sept at 1.15pm is the free National Portrait Gallery talk W.S.Gilbert: A Touch of Poetry:

'W.S. Gilbert, the librettist of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, was a man of contradictions, a hard-headed businessman who invented whimsical fantasy worlds. Andrew Crowther discusses the continuing appeal of his work.'

More details of the event here.

2011-09-05T18:19:00.001+01:00

Thanks to Richard D for sending this Youtube link. It appears that even Family Guy can't resist Gilbert and Sullivan! All together now....

Through the Trees

Trial by Jury and Dido and Aeneas in Bedford

2011-09-01T13:00:00.000+01:00

Richard D has been to the New Bedford Youth Opera's Dido and Aeneas and Trial by Jury:

I really recommend the double bill...

It was flawlessly presented, with a six piece string and harpsichord band. The singing was rich and sweet and the settings imaginative. Gordon played the defendant in his usual inimitable way, but then became a serious, powerful Aeneas. The sorcerer was terrifying and Belinda wept real tears during the lament.

It was superb evening.

It's not to late to catch the last performances - full details here on The Place Website.

Proms in the Park extra

2011-08-28T16:41:00.003+01:00

Click here or on the poster above for an even larger version

We now have a poster for the Proms in the Park event on 4th September. Not only will PBGS be singing a selection from our successful Sketch Show, but one of our members, soprano Laura Abella, will be presenting a solo programme as part of the Prom. Laura has a glorious voice - yet another reason to come and enjoy this event!

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PBGS at Letchworth Proms in the Park

2011-08-26T11:28:00.000+01:00

Letchworth Hall Hotel

We are performing at the Proms in the Park on 4th September 2011 at Letchworth Hall Hotel, Letchworth lane, Letchworth Garden City, Herts. SG6 3NP.

Doors open at 12pm, with performances from 1pm and PBGS scheduled to perform extracts from the G&S Sketch Show from 3.30pm onwards, just before the main act.

Tickets are £25 per person including picnic or £12.50 per child including picnic.

Performers include classical guitarist, italian vocalist, solo violinst and classical piano. This looks as though it will be a fantastic afternoon out for everyone who loves classical music, with - of course - all the added humour you'd expect from Gilbert and Sullivan thrown into the mix.

You can find more information on the venue on the Letchworth Hall Hotel Website.

Iamge © Letchworth Hall Hotel
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Utopia Ltd Review

2011-08-24T19:56:00.000+01:00

Rutland Barrington as King Paramount

in the original production

Interesting to see Rupert Christiansen from The Telegraph reviewing the professional production of Utopia Ltd at Buxton:

'...the first fully staged professional production of G and S' penultimate collaboration Utopia Ltd in Britain since 1975, and apparently only the third such in over a century....'

'The choruses are as good if not better than any in the canon, and other highlights include a duet of almost Verdian beauty for tenor and soprano, a show-stopping patter septet, a deliciously camp number for the stomping Life Guards, and a wittily Betjemanesque hymn to English girls of five foot ten and eleven stone two.'

Almost (but not quite) makes me want to be in it again. You can read the full review here.

- SW
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Buxton Festival Results and a lecture on Gilbert at the NPG

2011-08-21T20:15:00.002+01:00

The Festival Winners are now up on the Buxton International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival website, with South Anglia Savoy Players taking the crown this year with their production of Patience. For the full 2011 results click here.

And in other news, The National Portrait Gallery has a free lecture coming up on W.S. Gilbert:

W.S. Gilbert: A Touch of Poetry
15 September 2011, 13:15-14:00
Ondaatje Wing Theatre

W.S. Gilbert, the librettist of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, was a man of contradictions, a hard-headed businessman who invented whimsical fantasy worlds. Andrew Crowther discusses the continuing appeal of his works.

Does Jack Point really die?

2011-08-19T17:56:00.000+01:00

Grossmith as the original Jack Point

The Buxton Festival has prompted an article about The Yeomen of the Guard on the BBC News Website. It's worth reading for its interesting take on Sullivan and Jack Point, and audience reactions to the operetta's ambiguous ending:

Gilbert and Sullivan's Mystery Play
Trevor Timpson, BBC News, 16 Aug 2011

'It is 100 years since WS Gilbert died, aged 74, 10 years after Arthur Sullivan. From the 1870s to the 1890s each of their comic operas in turn had captivated a huge public across the English-speaking world.

Ever since, they have been a sure way to fill venues from opera house to tin shed. This year's Gilbert and Sullivan Festival in Buxton is the biggest ever, with some 50 productions.

But who was the driving force in the partnership? Was it Gilbert, the writer of sparkling lyrics with a sting in the tail? Or Sullivan, the master orchestrator and creator of unforgettable tunes?

Part of the answer lies in their oddest opera, the one where they went "serious" - the Yeomen of the Guard of 1888....'

Read the full article over on the BBC News Website.

©BBC News

And yet more Buxton...

2011-08-08T20:24:00.000+01:00

There is a nice little article about the joys of the Buxton Festival on the Guardian Website. My favourite quote:

"Buxton's great fun," said Bradley. "I even had an American woman come up to me and say: 'I have had more pleasure from the festival than from either of my husbands.'"

Well, we knew it was good but.....

Read the whole article on The Guardian Website.

And here yet more photos of PBGS at the Festival!

Ali, Eve and Margaret stay cool...

King Tony holds court

Before Edinburgh's 'Mikado'

Post Mikado Festival Club at the Pavilion

All photos ©Sue Wookey

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Buxton on the BBC

2011-08-04T17:15:00.000+01:00

For those of you that missed it last night, the Buxton International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival was featured on the BBC News. You can watch the video, which really captures the spirit of the Festival, here on the BBC News Website.

Photo ©Sue Wookey

We're back from Buxton!

2011-08-03T13:19:00.001+01:00

No missing us around Buxton! Alice's mum, Joan, thinks we look FAB ©Sue Wookey

Well, we did it! Most of us are back now from our Buxton adventure (although a few hardy Putt souls are still there enjoying the G&S Festival) and it’s time to enjoy the fruits of our endeavours, and share experiences and photos. If you have any anecdotes or pictures you would like to share here, send them on to me and I’ll post them for you. If you don’t it will be only my memories, and we can’t have that!

But, to start us off, I think we need to thank Paula for coming up with such a wonderful show and seeing it through to the Pavilion Arts Centre stage. The audience loved it (as we knew they would). I’ve now watched the DVD, created by All Media Works and available from Musical Collectables Ltd, (order your copies now, if you don’t have them!) and it’s the first time I’ve been able to appreciate how slick it really is, seamlessly carrying the audience through the operettas with an affectionate eye for the absurdities that make them funny. Next in the line-up of thanks is Margaret for keeping us all in line, getting the best out of us and playing her arms off, Tash for calmly making the whole thing work on an untried and untested stage (we love you, Tash!) and Mark and Calum, and all the techie helpers from the theatre for their considerable efforts with the new equipment. It was a real challenge and we are all very grateful. Special thanks go to Robin for his calm advice, guidance and support – it was lovely knowing you were out there willing us through it, Robin – to Richard for wrestling Elsie the Eagle into submission, to Sue for spending so much time making it, Paula’s mum, Ann, for making the world’s biggest wedding dress (eat your heart out, Zara) and to the Smiths for allowing us to present a madcap start to the Fringe Festival.

Finally – let’s thank ourselves because each and every person on that stage has earned it. Adapting to the backstage challenges while going on and performing to that level is a considerable achievement. Personally I think each and every member up there excelled themselves – watch the DVD and be astonished.

There will be more Buxton posts coming soon, but in the meantime here are a few more photos from me and from Teresa to enjoy:

Everyone takes the whole thing really seriously on the Pavilion Stage....

©Sue Wookey

Paula checks out the Diva Wedding Dress.

©Sue Wookey

Every bride needs a bridesmaid...

©Sue Wookey

Graham and John checking a little list.

©Sue Wookey

Elsie the Eagle rests at Thorn Hays before the performance

©Sue Wookey

Elsie gets ready to fly...

©Sue Wookey

We have lift off!

©Sue Wookey

Waiting to go on by the cool of the stage door.

©Sue Wookey

The Buxton Opera House before Edinburgh's performance of The Mikado.

These are just a few of my (and Teresa's) photos. I'm sure everybody would love to see yours if you have them. And if anyone would like to write up a short piece about their wild weekend in Buxton (maybe Deano can write a poem : -), I'm sure everyone would love that too!

- Sue W.

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Buxton International G&S Festival is here.

2011-07-28T17:56:00.002+01:00

If you are in Buxton for the start of the Festival, look out for us out and about on Saturday and Sunday in our PBGS Sketch Show shirts!

We'll be performing at 3pm on Sunday 31st at the Pavilion Arts Centre - maybe we'll even see you there!

A Modern US President

2011-07-25T19:47:00.000+01:00

Richard D has sent this wonderful satire of a satire - 'President Obama' as the very model of a modern US President. Gilbert would have had a field day with modern politics!

You can watch the musical spoof of Obama! A Modern U.S. President here on Youtube.

Thanks Richard!

Next stop Buxton!

2011-07-17T13:19:00.001+01:00

Buxton Opera House glass © Sue Wookey

After a really successful performance of the G&S Sketch Show at Henlow Theatre last night (and a big thanks to everyone who came and supported us!) it's now full steam ahead for our Buxton Festival Fringe Performance. Judging by the enjoyment of our Henlow audience, the Buxton audiences are in for a treat.

Our performance will be at the newly refurbished Pavilion Arts Centre, and you can find more information about the venue here at Derbyshire Life. If you are in the region, please come along and join us for a feast of Gilbert and Sullivan's best, presented as a fast-paced review following all the main themes of the operettas.

Tickets are £10 and available via Buxton Opera House Booking.

Sketch Show at Henlow 16th July!

2011-07-07T09:51:00.000+01:00

The Gilbert and Sullivan

Sketch Show

16 July 2011

Henlow Theatre
Hitchin Road, Nr. RAF Henlow, Beds
SG16 6DN
Tickets £8
Box Office: 07946 264886

This is the first performance of our local run of our popular Gilbert and Sullivan Sketch Show, a fast-paced romp through the G&S Operettas written by member Paula Fraser, and a chance to catch the show before we take it to the Buxton International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival Fringe. Come along and support us as and enjoy a fun evening of G&S favourites!

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Don't forget to order your Sketch Show T

2011-07-01T12:36:00.002+01:00

If you are coming to Buxton for our Festival Fringe Gilbert and Sullivan Sketch Show performance and have asked for a T shirt, don't forget to confirm your order with Paul K by next Tuesday! Paul needs your size (they go by chest measurement) and also whether you prefer a T or a polo shirt. The polos come in larger sizes than the Ts and Paul has full details.

They are black with our 40th Anniversary logo on the front and the details of our show on the back in yellow/gold. Hopefully people will see it and just have to come : -).

Interview with WS Gilbert

2011-06-20T16:36:00.001+01:00

The Autumn 2010 edition of InTouch Magazine (the alumni magazine of Kings College London) has reprinted a fascinating interview with WS Gilbert, given ten years before he died. In it he talks about his early life, the Mikado and his first meeting with Sullivan. The magazine is available online - just open the link below and click your way to page 22 to read it!

At Home with WS Gilbert

With thanks to Richard D for sourcing this!

© In Touch/Kings College London

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Gilbert v Sullivan

2011-06-09T20:42:00.003+01:00

There is a very interesting article by Tom Ford about Gilbert and Sullivan's partnership, and Gilbert's life without Sullivan, on the Australian website LimelightMagazine.com:

'G&S: the Lennon/McCartney of the 19th century

On the centenary of WS Gilbert’s death, Tom Ford sheds light on the life without Sullivan.

They were a musical and lyric juggernaut brought to its knees by a series of artistic and personal misunderstandings. This disharmony – like John Lenon and Paul McCartney's – was left unresolved following a premature and unforeseen death. The mighty partnership between wordsmith William Schwenck Gilbert and musical prodigy Arthur Seymour Sullivan, which produced 14 comic operas between 1871 and 1896, was prickly and delicate. These two men fused their creative powers, yet remained deliberately independent from each other. “Each man brought his own star to the partnership,” noted scholar Gayden Wren. “That it lasted so long is little short of miraculous.” So what was it that sparked their eventual estrangement?....'

Read the whole article at Limelight Magazine.

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NHGS Gilbert and Sullivan concert

2011-05-29T19:59:00.000+01:00

North Herts Guild of Singers are presenting The Topsy Turvy World of Gilbert and Sullivan on Saturday 18th June 2011 at the Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage. Visit the NHGS Society Website here for more details.

'To mark the centenary of WS Gilbert’s death the North Herts Guild of Singers, with invited soloists, present a romp through the witty satire of Gilbert and the incomparable melodies of Arthur Sullivan. Gilbert poked fun at all that was self-important in Victorian England. The mighty, the rich, the lawyers, the Lords - all were cleverly mocked. Even melodrama, magic, feminism and the aesthetic movement were not spared his sharp wit. Their topsy-turvy tales have left us with a rich legacy of operettas that are still regularly performed and loved throughout the world.'

Show taster results

2011-05-23T17:19:00.002+01:00

The Show Taster results are in, after an entertaining evening sampling a variety of shows and some really fun presentations. This is a provisional list as the Autumn shows depend on the availability of performing licenses, but here is the master plan so far, based on popularity:

Spring 2012 (April) - Patience
Autumn 2012 (October) - Jack the Ripper (The Musical)
Spring 2013 (April) - The Zoo, Cox and Box, Trial by Jury
Autumn 2013 (October) - Salad Days

It looks like we have a very exciting two years ahead, both for audiences and the Society!

Here are some links with more information about the shows:

Salad Days: Guide to Musical Theatre
Patience: The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive
The Zoo: The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive
Cox and Box: The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive
Trial by Jury: The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive

The cover of the original cast recording
© Oriole Records

Show taster evening

2011-05-11T20:19:00.001+01:00

Tuesday, 17th May 2011 from 7.45pm
Streatley Village Hall.

A selection of shows will be presented with Audio, DVD clips and live performances so that members can choose the next shows for the Society in 2012 and possibly even 2013.

This will be a fun evening where you can have your say and vote for what you want to perform - from Modern Musicals, G&S, Operettas, Music Hall and more.

Free nibbles & wine

If you are a member and can't attend the evening you can still vote using the slip which can be printed from the link below. Votes need to reach Paula by 17 May.

Downloadable Voting Form PDF.

Our Next PBGS Show

2011-05-08T11:45:00.004+01:00

Congratulations to everyone for a successful production of Ruddigore, and to our audiences for supporting us and almost filling the entire Theatre. By all the laughter, I think everybody had a very good time!

But we are not resting on our laurels - we will soon be starting rehearsals for our next production - The Gilbert and Sullivan Sketch Show. Written by member, Paula Fraser, this show is a fast-paced and irreverent romp through the main themes of all the Gilbert and Sullivan Operettas. We will be performing the Sketch Show at Henlow Theatre on the 16th July 2011, at the Buxton International G&S Festival Fringe on the 31st July 2011, and presenting it as our Autumn Show as we return to the Queen Mother Theatre with it from the 6th - 8th October 2011.

We hope to see you all there for more G&S mayhem!

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PBGS Ruddigore showing this week

2011-05-03T14:10:00.000+01:00

PBGS's production of Ruddigore opens at the Queen Mother Theatre, Hitchin, tomorrow night and audiences will be treated to an evening of high melodrama, comedy and fantastic singing. But ‘be warned in time’ (to quote Dame Hannah) that Thursday tickets are nearly sold out so if you want to come on that night, book now!

Come along this week and find out if pretty Rose Maybud will choose to marry ‘Dick’ the Sailor, who thinks she’s a ‘tight little craft’, or Sir Despard Murgatroyd, the current Bad Baronet of Ruddigore, or will she pick shy and retiring Robin Oakapple who harbours a dark and dreadful secret?

Ruddigore

4th - 7th May

The Queen Mother Theatre

Walsworth Road

Hitchin SG4 9SP

Theatre Box Office: 01462 455166 between 12.30 and 1.30pm Mondays to Saturdays and 8pm to 9.30pm Mondays to Thursdays

Or from the Society: 07946 264886

Tickets £12, *Concessions Wed and Thur £10

*concessions: senior citizens, children, ES40JPs, students

Ruddigore: a matter of life and death and bad taste

2011-04-26T15:55:00.000+01:00

Roderick's entrance through the trap door

After Ruddigore's mixed First Night reviews, Gilbert made several changes to his production. While the original title, Ruddygore, created a furore amongst those who thought that it unsuitable for the ears of Ladies, there was another aspect of the first night which raised accusations of bad taste. A anonymous letter, signed 'A Savoyard' was sent to the editor of the St James Gazette complaining that "The love-scene between Hannah and the ghost of a man who has been ten years dead produced an uncomfortable impression.... it is a grisly idea; it is not funny; and it is in doubtful taste...". Ah, the sensibilities of the Victorians. Imagine if he'd seen The Rocky Horror Show.

The comment, along with accusations that Act 2 lacked pace, resulted in several changes - Sir Roderick no longer returned at the end by popping up through a trap door and surrounded by red flames, removing that demonic air which made his entrance to startling. The ghostly ancestors didn't return at all, but reappeared as the gentry of the first act (begging the question, what on earth were they doing there?) and a substantial amount of Hannah and Roderick's dialogue was cut altogether, losing, alas, Hannah's wonderfully tasteless line "But I should be the wife of a dead husband, Roddy!" It was generally agreed that the swifter conclusion picked up the pace of Act 2. But I would have loved to have see the original 'grisly' version.

- SW
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Know your Ruddigore dance moves?

2011-04-23T11:26:00.000+01:00

Ruddigore contains a LOT of dancing and Paula has choreographed some wonderful moves for us. Do you know your 'meeting and greeting' from your 'ins and outs'? Are you creating arches when everyone else is going in circles? Help is at hand. Check out the Notices Page for downloadable PDFs of the moves and never bump into anybody again. On the first night of Ruddigore at the Savoy, the end of the Act 1 Finale was so well received that it was actually encored, so I assume they had to perform their dance twice!

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PBGS Ruddigore, 4-7th May 2011

2011-04-11T20:00:00.001+01:00

An original Savoy Theatre publicity card

We are now in the last stages of putting our production of Ruddigore together and things are really starting to shape up. This is going to be a very funny production with an excellent cast, and a chorus excelling themselves at mastering the choreography of the long dances which Sullivan wrote into the score. Margaret is Mad, Despard is Bad and our Chairman will be getting Very Dangerous to Know if we don't start selling more tickets. This is going to be a terrific evening of comic melodrama (Gilbert gives us carte blanche for some serious over-acting!) and some of Sullivan's best music, so start filling out those booking forms. Tickets are available through members - who can obtain them during rehearsals from Ketina - or they can be booked direct from:

The Queen Mother Theatre

Walsworth Road

Hitchin SG4 9SP

Theatre Box Office: 01462 455166 between 12.30 and 1.30pm Mondays to Saturdays and 8pm to 9.30pm Mondays to Thursdays

Or from the Society: 07946 264886

Tickets £12, *Concessions Wed and Thur £10

*concessions: senior citizens, children, ES40JPs, students

The Queen Mother Theatre Website

BOOKING FORM downloadable PDF File

POSTER downloadable PDF File

Review: Iolanthe at Wilton's Music Hall

2011-04-11T19:43:00.000+01:00

Sasha Regan's all-male Iolanthe is now running at Wilton's Music Hall and has gained a good review from Michael Coveney of The Independant:

'...director Sasha Regan and her boys are doing something just as gloriously fresh and inventive as Matthew Bourne did with Swan Lake, or Richard Jones with Annie Get Your Gun at the Young Vic.

And it's not necessarily radical, in a "conceptual" or vindictive manner. Above all, it's not camp or knowing. Sentiment is pure and humour affectionate, which takes some doing with the slightly arch nature of the story, in which a stage full of fairies and peers squabble over the Victorian romance between a chap, Strephon, who is only a fairy "down to the waist" and a shepherdess who is a ward of Chancery. An all-male chorus of fairies are genuinely charming and funny in their improvised costumes of corsets, vests, cami-knickers and wings of bunting and silk strips.'

Iolanthe runs until the 7 May and you will find more about it here.

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Aesthetic Movement Exhibition at the V&A

2011-04-04T20:47:00.000+01:00

Patience.... what's that all about? Well, if you have always been wondering, wonder no more because the V&A has a wonderful new exhibition The Cult of Beauty: Beautiful Dreamers running from now until the 17th of July.

The Independant has an interesting article about the Aesthetic Movement and the Exhibition on their website here.

'....as captivating as this cult of personality proved to be, their peacock feathers and long-haired loftiness also left them open to ridicule, together with stories of decadence and complicated amours. As the years went by, they were attacked for being a narcissistic, pavonine and self-regarding group that was prone to excessive foppery.

Satirical ribaldry against them emerged in the form of cartoons in Punch and in Gilbert and Sullivan's opera Patience. Calloway says this cloud of disparaging humour did "slightly puncture the grandeur of the movement". A young Oscar Wilde, still a student at Oxford at the time, came on board the movement to counteract the negative publicity after being asked by the theatre impresario, D'Oyly Carte, who was promoting Gilbert and Sullivan's opera, to undertake a series of lectures in America so the nation would understand the opera's many contemptuous references to the movement. Wilde spent a year lecturing, giving 300 talks and travelling a thousand miles to spread the word. His efforts paid off: aestheticism became well understood in America.'

You will find full details about this fascinating exhibition on the V&A Website.

The Cult of Beauty: the Aesthetic Movement 1860-1900, V&A, London SW7 (020 7942 2000) 2 April to 17 July.
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Showing this Week: Pirates and Annie

2011-03-28T16:34:00.000+01:00

Wolverton G&S's producton of The Pirates of Penzance, 29th March - 2nd April 2011. From Jo Bigg:

'...this is BROADWAY Pirates and is hilarious. I've seen every scene a thousand times during rehearsals and still laugh out loud every time!!'

And Pirton Players production of Annie, which will run from the 30th March - 2nd April.

Good luck to everyone involved, especially the PBGSers!

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Rudigore: a rose by any other name

2011-03-24T19:23:00.002Z

When Ruddigore opened at the Savoy on January 23th, 1887, it wasn’t in fact ‘Ruddigore’ at all, but ‘Ruddygore’ – the preferred title carefully chosen by both Gilbert and Sullivan together. G&S had a superstition about their operetta titles and never fixed them until just before the opening. Gilbert said in the Pall Mall Budget on January 27th ‘It is not easy to get a good title; I dare say I had half a dozen for this, printing them in block letters to see the effect on the eye. We finally fixed on ‘Ruddygore’.

But – it proved to be the most enormous blunder, creating outrage amongst the Savoy audience and critics alike. While Gilbert simply meant ruddy gore, as in red blood, ‘ruddy’ caused huge offence, being a word that would ‘scarcely sound pretty on ladies lips’ (the Graphic). When Gilbert was leaving his club he bumped into a man who asked ‘How is Bloodygore going?’ ‘It isn’t Bloodygore, it’s Ruddygore,’ replied Gilbert. ‘Oh, it’s the same thing’ said the man. ‘Is it?’ replied Gilbert, never at a loss for a pithy reply, ‘Then I suppose you’ll take it that if I say “I admire your ruddy countenance,” I mean “I like your bloody cheek!” The title ‘Ruddygore’ with its offensive ‘Y’ struggled on for 9 days until Gilbert finally conceded defeat and changed it to the now more familiar ‘Ruddigore’. Perhaps there should be a campaign to bring back the old ruddy title!

- SW

References

The First Night Gilbert and Sullivan Centennial Edition, Chappell, 1958
Gilbert and Sullivan and their World by Leslie Bailey, Thames and Hudson 1973
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Iolanthe with a difference and Blue Plaque for D'Oyly Carte

2011-03-17T10:51:00.000Z

Wilton's Theatre

From a press release, with thanks to Deborah and Richard Dean:

All-Male Iolanthe To Open At Wilton’s Music Hall For A Limited Season

Opening 1 April to 7 May 2011:

Sasha Regan’s critically acclaimed all-male IOLANTHE will open at Wilton’s Music Hall on Friday 1 April, following previews from 30 March, for a limited season, ending 7 May. Originally staged at the Union Theatre towards the end of last year, this is the second Union Theatre production to transfer to Wilton’s, following the success of Pirates of Penzance last year, which won the Best Off-West End Production in the Whatsonstage Awards 2010.

Sasha Regan’s production, with design by Stewart Charlesworth, has been set in a public boys’ school. Choreography is by Mark Smith, director and choreographer of new dance company, Deaf Men Dancing, with musical supervision by Michael England and musical direction by Chris Mundy.

The amazing Wilton's Theatre (above) looks worth a visit just for itself!

Performances Tuesday-Saturday 7.30pm, Saturday & Sunday 2.30pm
Tickets £23 (£15 previews; £18 concessions; £60 family ticket)
Place Wilton’s Music Hall, Graces Alley, off Ensign Street, London E1 8JB
Box Office 020 7702 2789

Full details on the West End Theatre Website and Wilton's Theatre.

And here is a review of Sasha Regan's 2010 award-winning Pirates of Penzance.

D'Oyly Carte awarded a Blue Plaque

Also with thanks to Richard Dean:

In case you missed December's news, D'Oyly Carte was finally awarded a Blue Plaque on 14th December. It was unveiled by director Mike Leigh at his home on Dartmouth Road, Kentish Town, where he lived from 1860-1870:

Dr Susan Skedd, English Heritage's Blue Plaques Historian said: "Carte was unrivalled in his day as a theatrical manager and will be the first opera impresario to be honoured with a blue plaque."

Sounds long overdue!

Full details on The Telegraph Website.

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Ruddigore: Spectres all appalling

2011-03-12T16:01:00.005Z

The ghost scene from the original production

Our next PBGS Show is Ruddigore, and the biggest challenge for any amateur or professional production is how to pull off the scene where the spectres of all the cursed Murgatroyds step out of their picture frames. So how did it all go in Gilbert's original production? Not as well as you might expect, at least on the troubled first night where the scene got mixed reviews. The reviewer at The Times didn't enjoy it at all, saying:

The ghost scene of the second act, representing the descent of the Murgatroyd ancestry from their picture frames, of which preliminary notices and hints of the initiated had let one to expect much, was a very tame affair. In the first instance, the stage management was not here equal to Savoy level. A set of very ugly daubs... pulled up as you might a patent iron shutter to reveal a figure in the recess behind, can scarcely be called a good example of modern stage contrivance, especially when, on Saturday night, one of these blinds or shutters comes down at an odd moment, while another refuses to move in time...

Shades of the wonderful Pod scene in This is Spinal Tap, but without the tight trousers. The reviewer of the Daily News was blown away by the wonderful Ghost music - unlike the Times, who, lacking the benefit of a crystal ball, pompously thought that the seriousness of the music was evidently 'too much for the composer'. The Daily News also loved Sullivan's ingenious solution to the problem of the darkened stage and auditorium:

The stage is darkened, and Sir Arthur Sullivan conducts with a baton tipped with a tiny incandescent lamp. The expedient is new to London, and it was, we believe, first used after the recent manoeuvres of the German army, when a military band of 1,200 performers serenaded the Kaiser in the dark. The whole of the music of the picture scene is far removed above the ordinary level of comic opera, and is among the best things of this sort that Sir Arthur Sullivan has ever written.

Rutland Barrington, who played Sir Despard, called it 'a very stormy first night,' and the show suffered from being in the shadow of Gilbert and Sullivan's last operetta, the hugely successful Mikado, but Ruddigore managed to run for 288 performances, leading Sullivan to quip to Barrington 'I could do with a few more such failures'. The Ghost Scene is now one of Gilbert and Sullivan's most famous and best loved scenes, forever cocking a snook at the Times reviewer's crusty opinion that it was 'pitched in the wrong key'.

- SW

Live Music Bill

2011-03-09T12:13:00.001Z

Something of importance to everyone who supports Live Music. From The Stage:

Grade uses first speech in House of Lords to support Live Music Bill
Matthew Hemley, 4 March, The Stage

'New Conservative peer and former ITV chairman Michael Grade has used his maiden speech in the House of Lords to back Tim Clement-Jones’ Live Music Bill, claiming the 2003 Licensing Act which it seeks to amend is a “bad law” that denies up and coming music talent the chance to develop their skills.....'

Joan Bakewell also spoke in favour of the Bill:

“Anything that can move the enjoyment of music to a live event with a space between the music and the audience seems to me valuable.”

Read the full article at The Stage here.

No never....

2011-03-04T19:53:00.001Z

As Jonathan Miller's Black and White Mikado is enjoying an anniversary revival at the ENO, here is a link to an interesting article that - although it came out in The Telegraph last August - is still well worth the read. Miller, despite his huge success with his production, had desribed G&S as "the most boringly self-satisfied form of English drivel", prompting a strong defence from Rupert Christiansen in his article 'Never (no never) mock the genius of Gilbert & Sullivan':

'G&S isn't a deadweight of smugness – a totemic survival of the myth of Victorian respectability – but a living tradition that remains at the heart and root of just about every musical now playing in the West End or on Broadway. It is built on Gilbert's genius for light rhymed verse and Sullivan's genius for melody, which combine in a fusion of text and music that has rarely been equalled, let alone surpassed.'

And so say all of us! Read his full article online at The Telegraph.
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A Slave of Duty?

2011-02-26T12:28:00.000Z

Richard Dean has written a wonderful poem that sums up why all of us doggedly turn up at Streatley week after week, clutching our scores and librettos:

A Slave of Duty?

Why do we spend all these days in a hall
For month upon month acting scenes to a wall
Learning each move, each word and each air
When we could be outside, on the Downs without care

Why do we think that the drama and speeches
That hark back a century ever could reach us
Or that sparkling melodies, clever and gay
Could even compete with the beat of today

Why do we believe that satire and parody
Cuttingly chosen to light social malady
Taking the rise out of pirate and peer
Could resonate now in a chord we can hear

Could it be faith that keeps us all true
Giving a well loved tradition its due
Could it be stardom that glints in our eye
And this just a way to reach up for the sky

Could it be habit, a hobby of old
Or a way for the shy to step up and be bold
A unfilled ambition, a tick on a list
Each opera so special it’s not to be missed

But I take the plunge for the joy of the new
For the strength of the team and thrill of a cue
To learn and to laugh, to fear and to strive
And to sing every note just to feel more alive

- Richard Dean

Happily coupled are we....

2011-02-23T18:39:00.001Z

Congratulations to Teresa and Jon, our first Putteridge Bury wedding couple, who married on Saturday at St John Fisher, Redbourn. We wish you both many happy, music filled years together.

Oh, happy the lily

When kissed by the bee;

And, sipping tranquilly,

Quite happy is he;

And happy the filly

That neighs in her pride;

But happier than any,

A pound to a penny,

A lover is, when he

Embraces his bride!

- Ruddigore Act1 Finale

Buxton here we come!

2011-02-16T17:48:00.003Z

Putteridge Bury is returning to Buxton! We will be taking our G&S Sketch Show to this year's Buxton International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival as part of the 2011 Festival Fringe. This will be our third performance at the Festival having already performed The Gondoliers (2000) and Princess Ida (2004) in competition at the Opera House. What better way to celebrate the Societies 40th Anniversary.

Written by member Paula Fraser, the show is a fast-paced and irreverent romp through the main themes of all the Gilbert and Sullivan Operettas. With plenty to do for everyone, it really showcases the many talents of the Society, not the least some very nifty sheet work from the Men's Chorus in The Ghost's High Noon.

The performance will be at 3pm on Sunday 31st July 2011 at The Pavilion Arts Centre Buxton. You will find details about the newly refurbished Pavilion Arts Centre here.

The wonders of Buxton and all things G&S is summed up by Rupert Christiansen of The Telegraph, who gets to the heart of why the Festival, and Gilbert and Sullivan in particular, is all such fun:

'It’s all completely bonkers, organised without significant public funding or media interest, and a marvellous tribute to the unquenchable resilience of this uniquely British phenomenon and the opportunity it offers for everyone to dress up, act the fool and sing their hearts out.'

And we can't wait to do just that!

Welcome to PBGS

2010-11-25T20:13:00.004Z

Welcome to the PBGS blog page. A place for information about our Society and our shows, news, snippets, random G&S related ramblings and maybe the odd glimpse into the photographic archives. How about this for starters?

A blast from the past from Putteridge Bury G&S Society's 1981 production of The Yeomen of the Guard at the Library Theatre, Luton. There are at least three familiar faces here - if you can spot them!