The Gondoliers
or The King Of Barataria
Louise Gold
starred as The Duchess Of Plaza Toro, at The Chichester Festival Theatre,
Between 1 May and 23 August 2003 (previews from 26 April)
For this
year’s season, The Chichester Festival Theatre has extensively altered it’s main
house’s stage, building a pool of water underneath. So that, as Jeremy Kingston
put it:
“When the
visiting Duke and Duchess of Plaza-Toro (Martin Marquez and Louise Gold) are
bemused by what they take to be an unusually wet season, the stage will truly
be wetter than ever before.” Jeremy Kingston, THE TIMES, 19 April 2003
However, the Duchess herself, seems to be rather more interested in trying to recapture the fun daring and exciting nature of the show, as she says
“I am sure
there have been some fantastic amateur dramatic production of Gilbert &
Sullivan, but when it is not done well, it can seem very boring, just droning
on. But when it is done well, you can appreciate the brilliant complexity of
the lyrics, how gorgeous the music is and how witty it is.” Louise Gold
to Phil Hewitt, THE CHICHESTER OBSERVER, Thursday 24 April 2003, p43
Cast
The Duke Of Plaza Toro, a Grandee of
The Duchess of Plaza Toro - Louise Gold
Casilda, their daughter - Alicia Davies
Luiz, their attendent - Steven Fawell
Don Alhambra
Inez, a nurse - Nicola Sloane
Gianetta - Fiona Dunn
Tessa - Liza Pulman
Contadine
Fiametta - Julie Barnes
Giulia - Sasha Oakley
Luisa - Nicola Sloane
Rafaella - Natasha Bain
Antonella - Katherine O’Shea
Gianna - Jo Nesbitt
Marco Palmieri - Joe Shovelton
Giuseppe Palieri - Jamie Parker
Venetian Gondoliers
Antonio - Steve Elias
Francesco - Trevor Conner
Giorgio - Adam Tedder
Annibale - Christian Patterson
Paolo - Benedict Quirke
Siliviano - Kieran Hill
Fausto - Neil McDermott
Understudies
(include):
The Grand Inquisitor - Kieran Hill
Production Team
Book and Lyrics by - W S Gilbert
Music by - Arthur Sullivan
Additional Material - Alistair Beaton
Original Production - 7 December 1889, The Savoy Theatre,
Director - Martin Duncan
Designer - Ashley Martin-Davies
Season Installation Designer - Alison Chitty
Choreographer - Jonathan Lunn
Musical Director & Orchestrator - Richard Balcombe
Musical Director - Caroline Humphries
Lighting Designer - Peter Mumford
Sound Designer - Matt McKenzie
Assistant Directors - Martin Constantine & Joe McGann
Assistant Choreographer - Anita Griffin
Please click here for a review/account of the show.
In the
original production of The Gondoliers the role of The Duchess Of
Plaza Toro was played by Miss Rosina Brandram, whom Louise Gold
portrayed in the film Topsy Turvy. It does not
appear to be known whether there has ever been an occurrence before of an actor
playing a person in a biopic and then playing a role on stage originated by
that person (the closest example so far has been Julie Andrews playing Gertrude
Lawrence in the biopic Star, and Anna on a studio cast album
of The King & I., but that was only a cast album), if anyone
knows of any other examples of this occurrence, do email the webmaster.
Unfortunately
during the run of the production James Saxon (who played the role of Don
Alhambra del Bolero, the Grand Inquisitor) was taken ill, and died suddenly on
2 July 2003. The role of The Grand Inquisitor was taken over by Kieran Hill
for the last six performances.
The majority
of the cast (in fact everyone except Martin Marquez, James Saxon, Julie Barnes, Liza Pulman, and, Jamie
Parker) also appeared in the Chichester Festival Theatre’s
production of The Water Babies. For which Jonathan
Lunn was also the choreographer, Caroline Humphris a Musical Director
and of course as both shows take place in
As The
Gondoliers was presented in repertory (with The Merchant Of
Venice, The Water Babies , and, The Seagull)
the actual dates of the performances were:
Previews on: 26, 28, 29 and 30 April at 7:30 and 1 May at 2:00
Opening Night: Thursday 1 May 7:30
Performances:
May: 1 at 7:30, 2 at 7:30, 3 at 2:00 & 7:30, 6 at 7:30, 7 at 7:30, 8 at 2:00 & 7:30, 9 at 7:30, 10 at 2:00 & 7:30, 12 at 7:30, 13 at 7:30, 14 at 7:30, 15 at 2:00 & 7:30, 16 at 7:30, 17 at 2:00 & 7:30, 19 at 7:30, 20 at 7:30, 21 at 7:30, 22 at 2:00 & 7:30, 23 at 7:30, 24 at 2:00 & 7:30, 27 at 7:30, 28 at 7:30, 29 at 2:00 & 7:30, 30 at 7:30, 31 at 2:00 & 7:30
June: 20 at 7:30, 21 at 2:00 & 7:30, 23 at 7:30, 24 at 7:30, 25 at 7:30, 26 at 2:00 & 7:30
July: 4 at 7:30, 5 at 2:00 & 7:30
August: 9 at 7:30, 17 at 4:00, and 23 at 7:30.
Pre Show Talk on 6 May at 5:30
Post Show Discussion on 8 May
Trevor
Conner,
Deborah Crowe, Fiona Dunn, Steve Elias, Steven
Fawell, Louise Gold, Jo Nesbitt, Katherine O’Shea, Sasha
Oakley, Jamie Parker, Christian Patterson, Benedict Quirke,
Joe Shovelton and Nicola Sloane took part in Final Chic
Cabaret 2003 towards the end of the season (The Gondoliers had
already finished by that time).
Louise Gold and Alicia Davies ended their work on
2003’s Chichester festival season by appearing in a fundraising show Curtain Up at
Having been
one of
Louise Gold’s previous experience with the work of Gilbert
& Sullivan on stage includes: The Pirates Of Penzance and The Metropolitan Mikado. She has also
appeared in two G&S films, namely The Pirates Of Penzance and Topsy Turvy, in the latter she played Miss Rosina
Brandram. She has sung their work (briefly) on two albums Topsy Turvy (Film Soundtrack) and Defiant Dames. She has also performed a bit of G&S
in her cabaret act LOUISE GOLD...By
Appointment.
Louise Gold and Liza Pulman have both made notable
appearances in G&S spoofs. Ms Gold in The Metropolitan Mikado and Ms Pulman in
Quite a few
other members of the cast also had previous G&S experience:
Joseph
Shovelton, Steven Fawell
and Trevor Conner ’s previous G&S experience included a spell
in a Doyly Carte, they all appeared together in a production of H.M.S.
Pinafore, as Ralph Rackstraw, a tenor, and a bass respectively, which
funnily enough Martin Duncan also directed. They all seem to have been
in productions of The Mikado at some point or another as well.
And Steven Fawell has also been in Iolanthe and The
Yeoman Of The Guard.
Other cast
members who’ve had spells in The Doyly Carte include: Deborah Crowe
(The Mikado and H.M.S. Pinafore and somewhere in
her career she’s also played Casilda in The Gondoliers), Liza
Pulman (La Vie Parisienne), Benedict Quirke (Iolanthe,
The Yeoman Of The Guard, The Mikado, and, H.M.S.
Pinafore)
Joseph
Shovelton has also appeared in
productions of: Box & Cox (G&S Opera Co in Buxton),
H.M.S. Pinafore (G&S Opera Co in Buxton), H.M.S.
Pinafore (Opera della Luna), Trial By Jury, and, The
Pirates Of Penzance. He has played Ralph Rackstaw in at least three
different productions of H.M.S. Pinafore.
Liza Pulman has appeared in The Mikado (Carl
Rosa Opera Company)
Fiona Dunn has appeared in productions of The Pirates
Of Penzance (Regents Park Open Air Theatre) and H.M.S.
Pinafore (Opera della Luna)
Katherine
O’Shea has appeared in H.M.S.
Pinafore (Concordia Theatre Company) on board The QEII.
While Nicola
Sloane’s previous G&S experience includes a previous production
of The Gondoliers at The Bristol Old Vic, where she played
Inez!
Additional
material for The Gondoliers is provided by Alistair Beaton,
who’s previous writing credits include: The G&S Spoofs The
Ratepayers’ Iolanthe and The Metropolitan
Mikado, and their concert of highlight’s from the Ratepayers’ Iolanthe
& The Metropolitan Mikado. He also wrote for the mega-flop stage
musical Ziegfeld (stage show), some of his
work appears on the album Ziegfeld (recording).
His other writing credits include a variety of political satirical pieces both
for stage and television, including the satirical TV puppet show Spitting Image.
James Saxon’s television credits include some involvement
with David Claridge’s Roland Rat The Series,
which coincidentally Louise Gold puppeteered on.
Martin
Marquez’s television credits
include playing a Detective Sergeant in The Bill.
Alicia
Davies, Fiona Dunn and Louise
Gold have previously appeared in The
Regent’s Park 70th Anniversary Gala. Alicia Davies was a
member of the cast of their production of Oh What A Lovely War, Fiona
Dunn was in their production of The Pirates Of Penzance, and Louise
Gold was in their production of The
Boys From Syracuse.
Louise Gold and Fiona Dunn had previously appeared
together in Of Thee I Sing
Louise
Gold and Liza Pulman have previously appeared together in Oh Kay and A Lost
Musicals Occasion
Richard Balcome’s conducting credits include The Great
Musicals - Wonderful Tales, The Great
Musicals – Glamour And Majesty, The Great Musicals – Dashing Heroes,
Blushing Maidens, and, The Great Musicals
– Laughter And Tears.
Joe McGann had previously taken part in Thing
A Thon, which Caroline Humphries
may also have contributed to.
Louise Gold has also previously appeared at The Chichester
Festival Theatre in the David Kernan revue Noel/Cole: Let’s Do It, and, an RSC
touring production of The Cherry Orchard
Coincidentally
Louise Gold is not the only member of her theatrically-oriented family
to have played Chichester, twenty four years earlier her mother appeared in George
Bernard Shaw’s The Devil’s Disciple, and George S Kaufman
& Moss Hart’s The Man Who Came To Dinner in
Louise Gold, and, Christian Patterson
went on to appear together in Oliver!
Critics Comments
“Louise Gold makes the
husband-taming Duchess of Plaza-Toro a vivacious termagant.”
“They
even had time for some updated lyrics mentioning Chris Tarrant and New Labour”
“If there are any
casting quibbles, I would target Martin Marquez as the Duke of Plaza-Toro, the
principal comedic interest. He is not a natural comedian and makes heavy
weather of his patter songs. As his wife, the ever-reliable Louise Gold, helps
out but is woefully under-used.” Stephen Gilchrist, WHATSONSTAGE.COM, 2
May 2003
“Martin Marquez and
Louise Gold are on magnificent form as the Duke and Duchess of Plaza-Toro,
never more so than in their satirical duet Small titles and orders (with some
new topical material added)” John Gross, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, 4 May 2003.
“Good fun, too comes
with Martin Marquez and Louise Gold as the dodgy Duke and Duchess, on their
uppers, greedy for position, and ever ready with a few marital barbs.” Phil
Hewitt, THE WEST SUSSEX GASSETTE, Thursday 8 May, p11 & THE CHICHESTER OBSERVER,
Thursday 8 May 2003, p44
“Comedy is the main is
provided by Martin Marquez,..., as the Duke. ... by the second act he was in
fine form and no more so than in ‘Small Titles and Orders’, that had an extra
contemporary verse added by Alistair Beaton ... and a lovely theatrical in-joke
involving Harold Pinter. Equally comic but sadly underused was Louise Gold, as
the Duchess.” Barrie Jerram, MUSICAL STAGES, Issue 39 Autumn
2003, p30
“Martin Manquez
establishes the absurdity of the Duke of Plaza-Toro without reducing him to a
total poltroon. Louise Gold gives a raging battle-axe performance as his
Duchess.” Jeremy Kingston, THE TIMES, 3 May 2003.
“From a wealth of fine
performances, three in particular deserve mention. Louise Gold is impressively
haughty as the Duchess, while Alicia Davies makes a sweet-voiced Spanish
princess and is more than matched in the truculence stakes by Liza Pulman’s
Tessa.” Fiona Mountford, THE EVENING STANDARD, 7 May 2003, p44.
“Louise Gold, Duchess,
I thought came over well but did not have that richness of contralto tone of,
for instance, Ella Halman.” Peter D Parker, SAVOYNET mailing list, 1
June 2003.
“James Saxon’s Grand
Inquisitor and the Ducal family - Martin Marquez, Louise Gold and Alicia Davies
- provide fun and not a little threat.” Sandy Sell, THE STAGE, 8 May
2003.
“The
performances sparkle, I was particularly taken by James Saxon as a hugely fat
and corrupt Grand Inquisitor, and Martin Marquez, Louise Gold and the
deliciously pert Alicia Davies as the Spanish aristos.” Charles Spencer,
DAILY TELEGRAPH, 3 May 2003.
Links about The Gondoliers
Chichester
Festival Theatre: http://www.cft.org.uk/
See in particular: http://www.cft.org.uk/cgi-bin/archive.pl#1045215855 for production details, http://www.cft.org.uk/cgi-bin/review.pl?key=1045215855 for reviews of the production and http://www.cft.org.uk/extras/gondoliers_pics.htm for pictures from the production. Also see: http://www.cft.org.uk/ensemble/index.shtml# for ensemble resumes.
Whatsonestage.com
page about the production: http://www.whatsonstage.com/dl/page.php?page=details&id=L0335352026 See in
particular: http://www.whatsonstage.com/dl/page.php?page=greenroom&story=E8821051890079 for a
review (by Stephen Gilchrist of the production
The Times,
review (part of) by Jeremy Kingston: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1445-646119,00.html
The Guardian,
review by
The Financial
Times, very short review: http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&StoryFT&cid=1051389783677&p=1016625900929
Theatre World
Internet Magazine, reviews for The Gondoliers and The Water Babies: http://members.aol.com/mouseuk/stage/southrev.htm
Horsham Today,
article about the forthcoming production of The Gondoliers: http://www.horshamtoday.co.uk/custom_pages/CustomPage.asp?Page=652
A Gilbert And
Sullivan Website’s listing of G&S productions for June 2003: http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/sandham/may1.htm
Review of Liza
Pulman’s performance in the G&S Spoof Hollywood Pinafore : http://www.qsulis.demon.co.uk/Reviews/Lost_Musicals_1998_Review.htm
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