Wednesday, 13 July 2016
Saturday, 7 May 2016
Under way ...
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| Would you tangle with Katisha in one of her moods? |
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| A very humane Mikado with 'perfectly correct' manners |
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| Three little girls |
Monday, 2 May 2016
Less than a week to go
Don't miss it!
Thursday, 7 April 2016
The final straight ...
The choruses are perfect. The soloists are exploring the darker corners of their arias. The duets, trios, madrigals and ensemble work are embued with lightness, wit and charm ...
Don't miss our opening night on Friday 6 May a Perranwell Village hall.
Another little list ...
The following is the result of an idle moment of sleep between choruses:
As some day it may happen that a victim must be found,
I've got a little list — I've got a little list
Of society offenders who might well be underground,
And who never would be missed — who never would be missed!
There’s the Musical Director who the choir has to fear
Except the double basses who are only here for beer.
She makes us get our breathing right, and makes us stand up straight
She says that if we don’t then she’ll inflict a cruel fate.
And then there is her side kick – who she calls ‘accompanist’
They’d neither ‘f ‘em be missed – they’d neither ‘f ‘em be missed
There’s the 'juvenile' sopranos singing on the highest Cs
They’re hoping to be kissed – I’ve got them on my list
And the altos in the second row who can be such a tease
They’re music terrorists – I’m sure they won’t be missed
While the tenors in the middle can be wayward with their notes
It’s sometimes rather difficult to sort out sheep and goats
The basses at the back just keep on growling like some bear
They say that they are keeping up but who knows what and where
And at the front, the dreaded sight: the pompous soloists.
My dear! Those soloists – they’d none of them be missed.
As some day it may happen that a victim must be found,
I've got a little list — I've got a little list
Of society offenders who might well be underground,
And who never would be missed — who never would be missed!
There’s the Musical Director who the choir has to fear
Except the double basses who are only here for beer.
She makes us get our breathing right, and makes us stand up straight
She says that if we don’t then she’ll inflict a cruel fate.
And then there is her side kick – who she calls ‘accompanist’
They’d neither ‘f ‘em be missed – they’d neither ‘f ‘em be missed
There’s the 'juvenile' sopranos singing on the highest Cs
They’re hoping to be kissed – I’ve got them on my list
And the altos in the second row who can be such a tease
They’re music terrorists – I’m sure they won’t be missed
While the tenors in the middle can be wayward with their notes
It’s sometimes rather difficult to sort out sheep and goats
The basses at the back just keep on growling like some bear
They say that they are keeping up but who knows what and where
And at the front, the dreaded sight: the pompous soloists.
My dear! Those soloists – they’d none of them be missed.
Thursday, 26 November 2015
Mikado casting
The eagerly awaited news of who will be doing the hard work this year is now out. There are two new faces whom we welcome to the front row.
Nanki Poo - Farran Roland
Pooh Bah - Alan Russell (Pooh Bar and every other major Baritone part)
Ko Ko - Hugh Slater (Sir Despard, Grand Inquisitor ...)
Pish Tush - Philip Feather (Earl of Mountararat ...)
The Mikado - Max Braga (Uncle Roderick, Private Willis ...)
Yum Yum - Sally Ann Gretton (Rose Maybud, Patience and all the leading Soprano parts)
Pitti Sing - Anna Scutt (Mad Margaret ...)
Peep Bo - June Stevenson
Katisha - Shirley Harrison
An insignificant chorus of Gentlemen of Japan and Schoolgirls will accompany this firmament of stars and provide stand-ins when required.
An insignificant chorus of Gentlemen of Japan and Schoolgirls will accompany this firmament of stars and provide stand-ins when required.
Wednesday, 18 November 2015
The Tit Replies to Mr Gilbert
On the bank of a river a gentleman sat,
Oh willow, titwillow, titwillow!
And he talked to a tit on a willow at that,
Singing 'Willow, titwillow, titwillow!'
I in fact am a swallow - the tree was an elm -
Not the uncommonest things in the realm -
But that's what you get with an ass at the helm
With his 'Willow, titwillow, titwillow!'
He claimed that I dived in the billowing wave
Singing 'Willow, titwillow, titwillow!'
With a sob and a sign to a suicide's grave
With 'Willow, titwillow, titwillow!'
From the top of the stream I was taking a fly,
And I certainly uttered a satisfied cry;
But the rest of the story is simply my eye!
It was swallow, elm, swallow, elm swallow!
PG
Oh willow, titwillow, titwillow!
And he talked to a tit on a willow at that,
Singing 'Willow, titwillow, titwillow!'
I in fact am a swallow - the tree was an elm -
Not the uncommonest things in the realm -
But that's what you get with an ass at the helm
With his 'Willow, titwillow, titwillow!'
He claimed that I dived in the billowing wave
Singing 'Willow, titwillow, titwillow!'
With a sob and a sign to a suicide's grave
With 'Willow, titwillow, titwillow!'
From the top of the stream I was taking a fly,
And I certainly uttered a satisfied cry;
But the rest of the story is simply my eye!
It was swallow, elm, swallow, elm swallow!
PG
Tuesday, 6 October 2015
Thursday, 24 September 2015
Leaving Rederring for Japan ...
So Ruddigore is over. We have replaced the (grumpy) ghosts in their picture frames; the bridesmaids have gone off with a smile on their faces in search of other potential 'victims'; Richard is once more on the high seas and the Murgatroyds are sleeping peacefully in their vaults. 'Mad Margaret' is looking after her National School in Basingstoke, no doubt dreading the imminent arrival of Ofsted.
Our thoughts now turn to the mysterious and curious legislative systems of Japan which puts execution at the heart of the government's drive to improve the morals of the nation: to the considerable benefit of snicker-snee manufacturers. Such anti-austerity policies must be applauded.
But what is this I hear? No one can find a Nanki-Poo? We are missing a leading tenor? Oh horrors!
Oh what will become of Yum Yum (Yum, Yum)?
On this subject please don't be quite dumb (dumb, dumb)
There must be so many
Who'll sing for a penny
They must be good fish in the sea
But what is this I hear? No one can find a Nanki-Poo? We are missing a leading tenor? Oh horrors!
Oh what will become of Yum Yum (Yum, Yum)?
On this subject please don't be quite dumb (dumb, dumb)
There must be so many
Who'll sing for a penny
They must be good fish in the sea
Thursday, 25 June 2015
The Producer replies
The Producer replies: Dear confused second
ghost (and villagers, bridesmaids, ancestors), I can only answer one of your paradoxes -
how come Ruthven and Richard are foster brothers?
I fear I and my script re-writes may be the cause of this confusion. In the original script, Ruthven has been 'dead and buried' for 20 years, not 10. I changed it to line up with Roderic dying and Despard inheriting 10 years ago. In a deleted song, Ruthven says he is 35. So when he was 15, he must have run away from Ruddigore castle to Rederring village and claimed to be a orphan, whereupon he was fostered by Richard's family. Despard is younger than Ruthven; we don't know how much, but I think of him as 3-5 years younger. So the last time he saw his brother, he may only have been 10 or 12.
Maybe this answers the 'Why don't they recognise each other?' question. [Clear as mud. I am still trying to count my fingers and toes here. Six eights are forty eight, take away eleven. If it's more ... 2nd Ghost]
And I bet, having lost Ruthven, the picture gallery kept a tight hold of poor 10 year old Despard so that he could inherit - since they all got sick of crime, they could be sure Roderic would do the same, and they need an heir or they'll be left as paintings with no one to torture! But I hadn't thought about Despard inheriting again if he manages to persuade Ruthven to abdicate - yep, stupid.
PS. Everyone thinks Rose is not very bright, but she is bright enough to get herself the richest husband she can, considering that when her (presumably adopted) Aunt Hannah dies, she'll be back at the workhouse she was found at if she doesn't marry. I see parallels with Pride and Prejudice's Mrs Bennett trying to marry off her 5 daughters!
The MD replies: Anything to get you grumbling, blockheads, sluggards, dullards, dreamers, shirkers, shufflers, crawlers, creepers, snifflers, snufflers, wailers, weepers, earthworms, maggots, tadpoles, weevils ... back row malingerers to wake up and keep time ... why, you almost managed it last night.
And another question to ponder: Did Richard Dauntless's ship actually let the 'Frenchie' off scot-free or did they simply miss?
I fear I and my script re-writes may be the cause of this confusion. In the original script, Ruthven has been 'dead and buried' for 20 years, not 10. I changed it to line up with Roderic dying and Despard inheriting 10 years ago. In a deleted song, Ruthven says he is 35. So when he was 15, he must have run away from Ruddigore castle to Rederring village and claimed to be a orphan, whereupon he was fostered by Richard's family. Despard is younger than Ruthven; we don't know how much, but I think of him as 3-5 years younger. So the last time he saw his brother, he may only have been 10 or 12.
Maybe this answers the 'Why don't they recognise each other?' question. [Clear as mud. I am still trying to count my fingers and toes here. Six eights are forty eight, take away eleven. If it's more ... 2nd Ghost]
And I bet, having lost Ruthven, the picture gallery kept a tight hold of poor 10 year old Despard so that he could inherit - since they all got sick of crime, they could be sure Roderic would do the same, and they need an heir or they'll be left as paintings with no one to torture! But I hadn't thought about Despard inheriting again if he manages to persuade Ruthven to abdicate - yep, stupid.
PS. Everyone thinks Rose is not very bright, but she is bright enough to get herself the richest husband she can, considering that when her (presumably adopted) Aunt Hannah dies, she'll be back at the workhouse she was found at if she doesn't marry. I see parallels with Pride and Prejudice's Mrs Bennett trying to marry off her 5 daughters!
The MD replies: Anything to get you grumbling, blockheads, sluggards, dullards, dreamers, shirkers, shufflers, crawlers, creepers, snifflers, snufflers, wailers, weepers, earthworms, maggots, tadpoles, weevils ... back row malingerers to wake up and keep time ... why, you almost managed it last night.
And another question to ponder: Did Richard Dauntless's ship actually let the 'Frenchie' off scot-free or did they simply miss?
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