PBGS Patience opens 2nd May!

Our Spring Show, Gilbert & Sullivan's Patience, opens on May 2nd (tickets are selling fast so don’t delay booking!). With just under two weeks to go the Show is already on sparkling form and Alison Gibbs' production promises to deliver a hilarious night out both for those familiar with the show and for those that aren’t! It is mainly traditional but with some twists and - for G&S buffs - there is a chance to finally hear the second verse of the beautiful Patience-Angela duet ‘Long years ago…’ which Gilbert cut after the first few nights. For those that would like to read a synopsis of the show before seeing it, follow this link to the Gilbert and Sullivan Archive for all that and more.

When Patience, or ‘Bunthorne’s Bride’, opened at the Opéra Comique on 23rd April 1881 Oscar Wilde himself was in the stalls to watch their send up of all things Aesthetic. The Sporting Times reported ‘There with the sacred daffodil stood the exponent of uncut hair…Ajax-like, defying the gods!’

Clara Dow, C. H. Workman and Louie Rene in a 1907 production of Patience.

Patience was a huge success with a total of nine numbers demanding an encore on the opening night. According to Era “the curtain fell amidst hearty applause, and Mr. Gilbert and Mr. Sullivan were called to the footlights and congratulated most emphatically upon their success”. It was still running when D’Oyly Carte opened his new Savoy Theatre in October 1881 and was the first production performed in the theatre:

“The Theatre will be opened under my management on Monday next, October 10th, and I have the satisfaction to be able to announce that the opening piece will be Messrs. W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan’s Patience, which, produced at the Opéra Comique on April 23rd, is still running with a success beyond and precedent.” – R.D’Oyly Carte’s opening announcement.

Patience opening the new Savoy Theatre

Between the two theatres Patience ran for a total of 578 performances. Gilbert was worried that Aestheticism was a passing phase and Patience would pass with it, but it has proved enduringly funny and always will be while there is still a self-regarding artistic establishment to puncture and fads to be followed.

Booking details for our PBGS production of Patience are here, and we are looking forward to seeing you at The Queen Mother Theatre, although we can’t promise to encore nine numbers!

References:
The First Night Gilbert and Sullivan, Reginald Allen, Chappell
Gilbert and Sullivan and their World, Lesley Bayley, Thames and Hudson

Jack the Ripper Music Scores

Our Autumn Show will be Jack the Ripper the Musical. The Society will be hiring some scores, but if you would like to have your own copy in advance of rehearsals to get acquainted with the show (and the parts!) scores and libs are available to buy from Samuel French Ltd.

They cost £17 for the score and £9.25 for the libretto.

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Barn Dance Cancelled

This coming Saturday's PBGS Barn Dance has been cancelled. Sadly there just weren't enough tickets sold for what would have been a really fun evening. If you've already paid for tickets please contact PBGS for a full refund!

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Tickets now available for PBGS 'Patience'!

 The original Duke, Colonel and Major

Patience tickets are now available from PBGS members (either by directly contacting those you know or by ringing 07946 264886) or from the Queen Mother Theatre Box Office: 01462 455166 from 12.30-1.30pm Mondays to Saturdays and 8.00-9.30pm Mondays to Thursdays. You an also buy them on-line from the Theatre. If you would like a booking form follow this link to a printable PDF: booking form.

Tickets for the show are already selling well so don't dally! Regular supporters will know that our productions are always sung to a very high standard with outstanding soloists and chorus (our Act 1 finale 'O list while we...' really raises the roof!). We are also presenting an extremely funny production which will be enjoyed by everyone. When Gilbert and Sullivan wrote Patience they were making fun of the Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s, led by Oscar Wilde. Although this is a traditional production (but with some little twists!) it is easy to see that fads, fashions, and 'going with the crowd' never changes and Gilbert pokes fun at the absurdity of it all.

Oscar Wilde really set the Aesthetic movement on fire when he 'arrived from Oxford clutching his sacred lily, enthusing about blue and white china and the paintings of the Pre-Raphaelites and describing Henry Irving's legs as "distinctly precious" ' (the Annotated Gilbert and Sullivan, Penguin, 1984). All of this will be familiar to Patience fans where Bunthorne, the 'Aesthetic Sham', pretends to be a poet because he wants to be popular and lure the ladies. He extols the fact that he is 'such a judge of blue-and-white and other kinds of pottery' and then descends to bathos by putting himself up in a raffle. His bubble of popularity bursts when another Aesthetic poet turns up who is even worse at poetry than he is.

Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde proved to be a good sport in all of this. It increased his fame and, when Patience opened in the United States, the ever resourceful D'Oyly Carte (never one to miss a trick) sent Wilde over there on a lecture tour to be 'a sandwich board for Patience'. He lectured in every city that Patience opened in wearing a suit of 'black velvet and knee breeches'. As the Annotated Gilbert and Sullivan points out, American audiences on seeing him and then Bunthorne must have wondered just exactly who was imitating who!

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Latest Patience Rehearsal Schedule

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?

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The Boy Friend in Ampthill

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.

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Family Guy does G&S again

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

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

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

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

©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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  ©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

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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 '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!