Salad Days Cast

Congratulations to everyone who auditioned last night - it was huge fun! The cast so far is as follows:

The Tramp	Aidan Dwyer
Jane	Paula Fraser
Timothy	To be confirmed
Timothy's Mother	Sue Wookey
Timothy's Father	Paul Kerswill
Aunt Prue	Sue Kennedy
Lady Raeburn	Margaret Snape
Heloise	Alison Gibbs
PC Boot	Barny Shergold
Rowena	Sue Kennedy
Troppo	Dianna Moylan
Fosdyke	Nicole Santelmann
Sir Clamsby Williams	John Epton
Inspector	Andrew Hodges
Nigel	To be confirmed
Night Club Manager	To be confirmed
Fiona	Louise Thonger
Augustine Williams	To be confirmed
Asphynxia	Alison Gibbs
Ambrose	Paul Kerswill
Electrode	Nicole Santelmann
Uncle Zed	Clive Wheeler
Dancing Bishop	Paul Kerswill

There are still some parts to be cast, so if you want to be considered for any of them please contact Paula.

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Triple Bill Review

 Rehearsing Cox & Box

Our Triple Bill presentation of Cox & Box, The Zoo and Trial by Jury was clearly enjoyed by our Regional Noda Rep, Nova Horley, who has given us a really appreciative review:

"A very interesting, lively and amusing evening’s entertainment. I have never seen The Zoo before, but thought it was very interesting and colourful, despite being rather gruesome in content!

We were treated to some excellent performances, lovely costumes and a quirky, different take on Trial by Jury. The Directors had contrived to make each Act very different, which gave us an interesting evening, with some good contrasts.

The musical configurations for each Act were good, with well-rehearsed and harmonious musical numbers – well done to the three MD’s, and I liked the comedy value of Shirley Hale for Trial by Jury!

The set for Cox & Box was good, typifying a gentleman’s lodgings – with two excellent performances from Graham Breeze as Cox and Robert Little as Box. The story, if anything was sillier than usual – Sullivan music with lib by Burnand – but it somehow seemed quite real, with nice contrasts between musical numbers, with various additional silly songs, but all given a believable air by these two gents, who had extremely good voices, created good three dimensional characters which blended well. In this Act Richard Dean played Bouncer – I liked his narrative song about the army.

This then set us up for Act 2 – The Zoo. A very good opening with lovely costumes, and some excellent principals. I particularly liked Brain Miles as Carboy, as well as singing beautifully, he gave us comedy and pathos with his ineffectual attempts to hang himself, and his relationship with Laetitia giving us a softer side to him. Paula Fraser was a winsome Laetitia – who gave us lots of expression, to match her erstwhile suitor, and sung the part well with lots of expression. There were also Thomas and Eliza, played by Graham Breeze and Jo Bigg, who performed a lovely number Ah, Maiden Fair, and I have made a note of good timing from Thomas in We Gather From What You have Said. A simple story, but well told and super costumes, lots of colour, worn well, with nice wigs where required. Tom Gammell completed the principal line-up with a contrasting performance as Laetitia’s father. This piece had brightness and vivacity from the cast and was most enjoyable to watch, despite the rather dark suicide and poisoning plot!!

This was followed by Act 3 – Trial by Jury – and a very different take on this one. The jury were all pantomime characters, as were the Counsel, the Defendant, the Plaintiff, and the Judge. It was hilarious, and so suited the music. The set was again excellent – as were the superlative set of costumes. I loved Brian Miles again, this time as the Defendant, cast as Prince Charming but with the look and ways of Gaston from Beauty and the Beast – a good characterisation, plenty of expression, and nicely sung. Jo Bigg looked super as the Judge, and again was very expressive. Loved her sparkly mauve costume, it really suited her and the part. Paula Fraser gave us a slightly off-beat Cinderella /Plaintiff, which was a nice departure from the norm, and her four attendants were nicely played by Gill Davidson, Ketina Orriss, Alice Bridges and Nicole Santelmann. Frank Banks as the Usher was the only fairly normal character!

So all in all a very enjoyable evening’s entertainment from PBGS – well dressed and well sung with some lovely harmonies and good characterisations."

Thanks Nova, and well done to everyone!

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Salad Days Auditions

We will be auditioning parts for Salad Days on Tuesday, 21st May at 7.45pm. If you are interested you can download and print full details here:

Salad Days Audition Slip PDF
Salad Days Audition Information PDF

There are lots of parts so if you've never auditioned before, be brave, come along and give it a go!

Table-top sale and crafts at Haynes

Shirley is holding a table-top sale and craft event in the Misson Hall in Haynes this Saturday, 4th May. This is a PBGS fundraiser and part of the proceeds will go towards our funds, so please support this event if you can!

The event runs from 2pm - 4pm. The Mission Hall is in Northwood End Road, just by the Longden Close turning (see google link below). I'll be there with lots photography and art cards, nature paintings and some prints!

Haynes Mission Hall

Sue W

Salad Days Rehearsals

Just to remind everybody that we start rehearsals for Salad Days on Tuesday 7th May at 7.45pm at Streatley Village Hall. If you are thinking of joining us for the first time you will find details and a map here. 

From Paula:

Durning this evening you will meet our production team, gain an overview of the show and get an introduction to the music for the show. It is the sort of show that needs principals, supporting roles, cameos and speaking parts so everyone has a chance to shine - or be in the chorus as well with lots of songs and scenes - and as much dancing as you want!

We hope to have all the audition pieces selected and available to view on this evening so you can have a lot of time to get familiar with the music and dialogue. Additional audition music rehearsals are planned to assist you all with this. Audition night is set for Tuesday 21st May.

Full details on obtaining scores and librettos are on our Notices Page.

As you can see from the post below this one, Salad Days is a very funny and lively show which I'm sure will be a lot of fun for everyone involved. See you all on the 7th!

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Our next Production: Salad Days

Our Autumn 2013 Production will be the effervescent Salad Days, by Julian Slade and Dorothy Reynolds.

Julian Slade and Dorothy Reynolds wrote Salad Days as a "summer musical for the Bristol Old Vic's resident company", taking their title from a quote from Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra: "My salad days, When I was green in judgement...". It opened in June 1954 at the Theatre Royal, Bristol, and proved so popular it moved to the Vaudeville Theatre, London, where it run for over 5 years. At the time it was the longest running musical in the history of the British Theatre. Containing all the optimism of the 50’s and some of its quirkier aspects, including the appearance of a topical flying saucer, the show bubbles with fun, song and dance and quick-fire humour.

Synopsis

Jane and Timothy are friends who meet up after graduation to plan their lives. Not sure what to do next and also not sure if they are actually in love, but hopeful that they will be, they decide to get married in secret. Jane’s parents are desperate for her to marry someone suitable and Timothy’s parents want him to ask each of his four influential uncles for a job. But Jane and Timothy decide that having solved the marriage question, Timothy should solve the job one by taking the first offer to come along. Fate can’t resist an opportunity and a passing tramp offers them £7 a week to look after his piano for a month while he has a holiday, but the piano has a secret - when it is played it gives everyone within earshot an irresistible desire to dance! They christen the piano ‘Minnie’, but the inappropriately named ‘Minister of Pleasure and Pastime’ tries to ban the disruptive music, which even has policemen and bishops dancing. When Jane and Timothy decide to hide Minnie, they discover that the piano has vanished. Rather unexpectedly, Timothy’s scientist uncle Zed turns up in a Flying Saucer and they enlist his help to try and find it.

The Tramp reappears and Jane and Timothy discover he is actually Timothy’s fifth uncle, the one the family never mentions. So Timothy has received help from an uncle after all, and not in the way his parents would have approved of! Their month of looking after the piano is up, the piano passes to another young couple, and Jane and Timothy optimistically look forward to a life of happiness together.

We will be performing Salad Days from  9th - 12th October at the Queen Mother Theatre in Hitchin. If you would like to take part, learn more about the production or enquire about booking please contact us.

Original artork © Sue Wookey

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A thank you to our all our audiences!

Our wicked Queen dons her crown ready to terrify the jury

PBGS would like to say a big thank you to all our audiences for coming along to our Triple Bill performances this week. From all the laughter we know that you had a really good time! We all had a hugely enjoyable week and appreciate all the support you give us. A big thank you, also, to everyone on stage and behind the scenes who made this possible. A production like this is a huge amount of work and we have some very dedicated members.

Our next production will be Salad Days - more on that coming soon - but for now we'd like to invite any of you who fancy taking part, both on stage or off, to contact us. Rehearsals start on May 7 at Streatley Village Hall. Give us a call or email us if you would like to learn more, or simply come along to our rehearsals and introduce yourself. If you are not a singer, but would like to be involved, we would love you to come along and help. We always need backstage, front-of-house, props, scenery or costume help. Not all the team treads the boards, but everyone has a really important part to play. We are a very friendly and fun society so you will receive a warm welcome.

Relaxing at last night's after-show party

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Triple Bill opens this week

Our Triple Bill opens tomorrow (hoorah!) and we are really looking forward to presenting our three one act shows to you all. There are still tickets available for every night and you will find full booking details here and at the end of this post.

Trial by Jury:

Over the last two weeks we've been telling you a little bit about our first two shows - Cox and Box and The Zoo. We can promise you a wonderful evening culminating in our third presentation – Trial by Jury. But be prepared to be surprised as you will never have seen a Trial like this one! Directed by Alison Gibbs, who produced our Noda Award Nominated Patience last year, it is full of invention and a visual feast. Angelina and Edwin have been banished from this production, to be replaced by a disappointed Cinderella and a Prince who is not so Charming. Is there a fairy-tale ending? Well... you’ll have to come along and see!

We have D’Oyly Carte to thank for the original Trial by Jury. He had Offenbach’s popular, but rather short, La Périchole playing at the Royalty Theatre, but the Box Office wasn’t doing too well. Ever astute, Carte knew he needed a curtain-raiser to fill the bill and attract audiences that expected a much longer entertainment for their money. The same day that he was mulling over the problem, Gilbert happened to walk into his office. Carte mentioned his difficulty and Gilbert told him that he had expanded one of his Bab Ballads into a full musical based on a mock trial. It was called Trial by Jury, and he hoped Carl Rosa was going to write the score.

Carte had one of those flashes of insight that make history and suggest Sullivan write it instead. The pair had written Thespis together, but Carte saw past the failure. He believed that their partnership had real promise. At Carte’s request, Gilbert took the script to Sullivan, Sullivan finished the music in a fortnight and the rest is history. It opened to unanimous praise and ran for 200 performances.

There are lots of ways to book your tickets. You can book online at the Queen Mother Theatre Website, or you can ring their Box Office on 01462 455166. The theatre box office has limited opening hours so you are encouraged to leave a message on the answerphone for them to get back to you. If you want to order directly through PBGS then please contact Ketina on 07946 264886 or email us at putteridgeburygs@gmail.com. Please also contact us directly if you'd like to make a group booking.

The original production of Trial by Jury

Source: Gilbert and Sullivan and their World by Leslie Baily 

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The Zoo

Not long now! Our Triple Bill opens in 10 days and there are still tickets available for all nights. We advise booking now for Friday 12th and Saturday13 March to avoid disappointment because these nights always prove popular!

Sandwiched between Cox and Box and Trial by Jury we are presenting The Zoo by Sullivan and Stephenson, a farcical tale of two pairs of lovers - a nobleman who is wooing a seller of cakes and buns, and a young chemist who mistakenly believes he has accidentally poisoned his beloved. Set in London Zoo, all kind of confusion reigns until all is finally resolved and the couples live happily ever after.

The Zoo premièred in 1875 at the St James’s Theatre, just 10 weeks after Trial By Jury opened at the Royalty Theatre. At this point Sullivan’s great partnership with Gilbert was still in the future, with Sullivan composing Trial with Gilbert, The Zoo with Stephenson and two comic pieces with Burnand (including our opening piece, Cox and Box). How Sullivan came together with Stephenson (then writing under his pen-name of Bolton Rowe) is the source of a lot of speculation. But it appears likely that the libretto at the very least was being prepared by Stephenson while Sullivan was getting ready for Trial by Jury with Gilbert, and Sullivan was probably already committed to The Zoo and had started on the music.

When The Zoo opened at St James's Theatre, it shared the bill with Gilbert’s comic play, Tom Cobb. As with Cox and Box, which Gilbert reviewed, the two seemed to be always circulating within each other’s orbit waiting for destiny to finally push them permanently together.

After a short period at St James's, The Zoo transferred to the Haymarket and finished after a five week run. It had two short revivals before vanishing from sight, having never enjoyed the success of its competitor, Trial by Jury. But Gilbert was already a well known comic writer and librettist while Stephenson had all his success still before him. Luckily for us and comic opera lovers everywhere, this gem of a piece was rediscovered by Dr Terence Reece, who bought the manuscript at an auction and arranged for it to be published. Its modern premiere was given by the Fulham Light Opera in 1971 and a recording by D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in 1978 ensured that this wonderfully funny work re-entered the canon. It has remained popular ever since!

 

Paula Fraser rehearsing the part of Laetitia

For full booking details visit our Next Show Page.

Photo © Sue Wookey

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Cox and Box

Bob Little and Graham Breeze rehearsing Cox and Box

It’s not long now until our Triple Bill, which will be showing at the Queen Mother Theatre, Hitchin from 10th-13th April. We will be opening our trio with Cox and Box. Written by Sullivan and Burnand, this is a first for Putteridge Bury and tells the increasingly surprising story of two men - one who works days and one who works nights - who are unwittingly renting the same room. It has all the elements of farce and we know our audiences will enjoy every minute of it.

The idea for Cox and Box originally came from F.C. Burnand who was holding a musical supper party and thought it would be a good idea to set Maddison Morton’s farce, Box and Cox, to music. He persuaded Sullivan to write the music, the title was reversed, and it was presented at midnight to an audience of mainly actors who had arrived straight from their various theatres. George du Maurier (of later Trilby fame) played Box. The party and the presentation went so well that it was repeated at the home of artist and business man, Arthur Lewis, with Sullivan again playing the piano. After a third charity presentation Sullivan orchestrated it and on 11 May 1867 it received its first public performance at the Adelphi Theatre.

In the audience at the Adelphi was the critic of Fun magazine, who was none other than W. S. Gilbert, oblivious of what the future would hold. Sullivan, equally oblivious, saw his work with Burnand, which included The Contrabandista, as a bit of a fun detour from his serious composing career. Like Cox and Box, the two were destined to ‘collide in the same room’ and forge a connection that they could never have imagined.

You can book online for our Trio, which includes Trial By Jury and The Zoo, at the Queen Mother Theatre Website, or you can ring their Box Office on 01462 455166. If you want to order directly through PBGS then please contact Ketina on 07946 264886 or email us at putteridgeburygs@gmail.com. Please also contact us directly if you'd like to make a group booking.

Sources: Gilbert and Sullivan and their World by Leslie Baily. Wikipedia.
Photo: Sue Wookey
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Triple Bill Booking

Our Triple Bill preparations are coming on apace, as you can see from these photos of us rehearsing The Zoo! We are presenting The Zoo along with Cox and Box and a Trial By Jury with a twist, at the Queen Mother Theatre, Hitchin from 10th-13th April.
 

 Brian Miles as Carboy in The Zoo

 

 Paula Fraser as Laetitia and Brian Miles as Carboy in The Zoo

 Jo Biggs as Eliza

There are lots of ways to book your tickets. You can book online at the Queen Mother Theatre Website, or you can ring their Box Office on 01462 455166. The theatre box office has limited opening hours so you are encouraged to leave a message on the answerphone for them to get back to you. You can also download and print our Booking Form here, and send it to the theatre with a cheque. Full details are on the booking form. If you want to order directly through PBGS then please contact Ketina on 07946 264886 or email us at putteridgeburygs@gmail.com. Please also contact us directly if you'd like to make a group booking.

We suggest booking early as some nights sell out faster than others!

 

 

Jo Biggs with Producer Richard Fraser

All photos © Sue Wookey

'Come and Sing The Mikado' in Harringay

Music on the Ladder are putting on a Come and Sing "The Mikado" event on Saturday, 8 June at St. Paul's Church, Harringay, N4:

The idea is that everyone rocks up at 1 pm to rehearse and then at 7 pm we unleash our endeavours on the public in a concert performance. We would like to invite members of PBGS to come along - if anyone is interested, they should send an e-mail to musicontheladder@gmail.com, letting us know their voice part. It's £10 for singers and £5 for audience, with proceeds going to church funds. There are refreshments available throughout the day, and the primary objective is for everyone to have a laugh.

In addition to needing a fantastic come and sing chorus, we'll also need principals - to this end, we're auditioning for the principal roles on Saturday, 23 March. Again, anyone interested should e-mail musicontheladder@gmail.com, letting us know which part they'd like to sing for and we'll get back to them with more details and specific times.

You can find out more about Music on the Ladder on their facebook page at www.facebook.com/musicontheladder 
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Yeomen at Wolverton

Wolverton G&S Society are presenting The Yeomen of the Guard, 19th to 23rd March 2013, at the Stantonbury Campus theatre, Stantonbury, Milton Keynes.

Several familiar faces from PBGS will be taking part in the production, one of Gilbert and Sullivan's most dramatic and popular works.

Box Office 01908 26225. More details about the show and how to book at the Wolverton Website.

Triple Bill Booking

Booking for our Triple Bill of Trial By Jury, Cox and Box and The Zoo has now opened at the Queen Mother Theatre in Hitchin. Our shows are very popular, so we recommend booking early to make sure that you get the nights you want!

You can also obtain tickets from PBGS on 07946 264886 or by emailing putteridgeburygs@gmail.com.

Booking forms will soon be available from PBGS and are available for download in PDF format here:

Booking Form Front
Booking Form Reverse

The Triple Bill includes a new take on that old favourite, Trial by Jury. If you think you've seen it all before, wait until you see our new production where Cinderella will be suing Prince Charming for Breach of Promise of Marriage. With The Fairy Godmother as Cinderella's Counsel, and the Wicked Queen judging, will they all live happily every after?

Cox and Box is a gem of comic interplay and timing. Two men, one working days and one working nights, unwittingly rent one room from their crafty landlord, Bouncer. On one fateful day they meet face to face and all kinds of surprises ensue.

The Zoo is a Sullivan musical delight. Set in London Zoo, two sets of lovers play out their tangled stories in the unlikely company of a full chorus, the bears, the baboons, the 'strong racoon'  and the 'gentle armadillo'.

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Noda East Award Nomination

Our wonderfully funny Spring 2012 Production of Patience is one of three musicals nominated for a NODA Eastern Region Award! The winner will be announced on 7 April at a Gala Luncheon at the Burgess Hall, St. Ives, Cambs.

Congratulations to our Producer, Alison Gibbs and our MD Margaret Johnson for getting the best out of us and giving us a fantastic show, and to everyone on stage and off who put everything into the production. The show was hugely enjoyed by our enthusiastic audiences and it's wonderful to see all our efforts recognised.

Keep your fingers crossed, everyone!

All photos © XMO4 PHOTOS
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Fully updated cast for our Triple Bill

We now have a complete and slightly revised cast for our April Triple Bill of Trial by Jury, Cox & Box and The Zoo:

COX & BOX

Bouncer - Richard Dean
Cox - Graham Breeze
Box - Bob Little

THE ZOO

Carboy -  Brian Miles
Thomas Brown - Graham Breeze
Eliza -  Jo Bigg
Laetitia -  Paula Fraser
Grinder - Tom Gammell

TRIAL BY JURY

Judge - Jo Bigg
Counsel - Sue Wookey
Defendant - Brian Miles
Plaintiff - Paula Fraser
Usher -  Frank Banks
Foreman - Peter Johnson
Bridesmaids - Ketina Orriss, Nicole Santlemann, Gill Davidson, Alice Bridges
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Patience at Abbots Langley

Abbots Langley G&S are presenting Patience at the Watford Palace Theatre, from 22-26 January.

'Set in 1940s rural England, this intricate tale of unrequited love fits perfectly within the realm of rustic Land Girls and eccentric Home Guardsmen. Gilbert’s cleverly crafted comedy, combined with some of Sullivan's finest music, speaks for itself in a fresh, appealing and highly entertaining production of an infrequently performed piece.'

Tickets are available from the Box Office: 01923 225671. More details about the show at the Abbots Langley Website.
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Raving at The Raven

'Tis the Season to be Jolly - and we did it in style last night at The Raven in Hexton at the PBGS Christmas Dinner. We even managed a few 'fa la la's' when Shirley led us in some community singing - I will never be able to sing the Twelve Days of Christmas again without thinking of Kangaroos. Yup - you had to be there....

Many thanks to Paula for arranging our annual bash, and to Ketina for suggesting the venue. We filled an entire area, well away from everyone else, where we could be as mad as we liked. Which was just about perfect.

Shirley leads us Down Under

A very Merry Christmas and a

 Happy New Year to all our friends and supporters. We look forward to seeing you all at the Queen Mother Theatre in 2013!

All photos © Sue Wookey

AGM and Show Choosing Night

The PBGS AGM is on Tuesday 27th November. We are looking for nominations for Treasurer so if you would like to nominate someone for this post or for the general committee, or stand yourself, please contact our secretary, Paula Fraser, before the AGM.

If you have any other business for the AGM, please contact our Chairman (Richard Fraser) or Paula so that it can be added now to the agenda.

Full details are on the Contact Us page.

After the AGM, members will have the chance to choose shows for 2014 and 2015. Full details can be found on our Notices Page. Please come and enjoy the presentations and cast your vote!

And finally, it's not too late to join us for our Christmas Meal on Tuesday 18th December at the Raven in Hexton. We always have a huge amount of fun, so don't miss out - contact Paula now to secure your place.

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Triple Bill Cast

We have a complete cast for our April Triple Bill of Trial by Jury, Cox & Box and The Zoo:

COX & BOX

Bouncer - Richard Dean
Cox - Graham Breeze
Box - Bob Little

THE ZOO

Carboy -  Brian Miles
Thomas Brown - Graham Breeze
Eliza -  Jo Bigg
Laetitia -  Paula Fraser
Grinder - Tom Gammell

TRIAL BY JURY

Judge - Jo Bigg
Counsel - Sue Wookey
Defendant - Brian Miles
Plaintiff - Paula Fraser
Usher -  Frank Banks
Foreman - Peter Johnson
Bridesmaids - Ketina Orriss, Nicole Santlemann, Gill Davidson, Alice Bridges

Congratulations to everyone who was successful after some terrific auditions with the usual high standard!