The Pirates Of
Louise Gold appeared as Isabel, one of Major General
Stanley's daughter's, at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, opening on 26th
May 1982, she left on Saturday 26 February 1983, as part of first major cast change
(there seems to have been a few minor cast changes prior to this) . Like
several of the cast she had earlier appeared in the same producer's film version of The Pirates Of Penzance, in her case playing Edith, a role she also
understudied in this production.
Perhaps one of the most amazing things about this
production was the cast, some of whom were already names, and many of whom went
on to become better known. In addition the band of Noblemen-turned-Pirates
included among their number a real nobleman.
Cast
Original
The Pirate King - Tim Curry
Samuel, His Lieutenant - Sylvester McCoy
Frederic - Michael Praed
Ruth, A Pirate Maid - Annie Ross
Major-General
Edith - Karen Lancaster
Kate - Bonnie Langford
Isabel - Louise Gold
Mabel - Pamela Stephenson
Major-General Stanley - George Cole
The Sergeant - Chris Langham
Pirates and Police:
Timothy Bentinck, Graham Bickley,
Keith Binns, Peppi
Borza, Ken Caswll,
Mark Davis, Kevin Feighery, Alan
Forrester, Andrew Golder, David
Hampshire, Paul Hegarty, Simon Howe,
Paul Leonard, Clive Packham, & Kevin
A. J. Ranson
Back-up Singers:
Neil Braithwaite, Christina
Collier, John
Denton, Michael Lessiter, Anita Pashley, Sarah Shipton,
William Snape & David Wheldon-Williams
Understudies:
Pirate King - Timothy
Bentinck
Samuel - Andrew Golder
Ruth - Sarah Shipton
Frederic - Graham Bickley
Edith - Louise
Gold
Major-General -
Kevin A. J. Ranson
Sergeant - David
Hampshire
Mabel - Christine
Collier
Kate - Carolyn
Allen
Isabel - Jackie
Downey
Swings - Ray
Hatfield, Anita Pashley & Aidan
Cook.
Cast
Listed In Programme Around December 1982
The Pirate King - Tim Curry
Samuel, His Lieutenant - Sylvester McCoy
Frederic - Michael Praed
Ruth, A Pirate Maid - Annie Ross
Major-General
Edith - Karen Lancaster
Kate - Bonnie Langford
Isabel - Louise Gold
Mabel - Pamela Stephenson
Major-General Stanley - George Cole
The Sergeant - Chris Langham
Pirates and Police:
Timothy Bentinck, Graham Bickley,
Keith Binns, Peppi
Borza, Ken Caswll,
Mark Davis, Kevin Feighery, Alan
Forrester, Andrew Golder, David
Hampshire, Paul Hegarty, Simon Howe,
Paul Leonard, Clive Packham, & Kevin
A. J. Ranson
Back-up Singers:
Christina Collier, John Denton, Mike Holoway, Michael Lessiter,
Anita Pashley, Sarah Shipton,
William Snape & David Wheldon-Williams
Understudies:
Pirate King - Timothy
Bentinck
Samuel - Andrew Golder
Ruth - Sarah Shipton
Frederic - Graham Bickley
Edith - Louise
Gold
Major-General -
Kevin A. J. Ranson
Sergeant - David
Hampshire
Mabel - Christine
Collier
Kate - Carolyn
Allen
Isabel - Jackie
Downey
Swings - Ray
Hatfield, Anita Pashley & Aidan
Cook.
January
1983 (for three weeks -? possibly Sat 9
(eve) to 29 )
The Pirate King - Timothy Bentinck
Samuel, His Lieutenant - Sylvester McCoy
Frederic - Michael Praed
Ruth, A Pirate Maid - Annie Ross
Major-General
Edith - Karen Lancaster
Kate - Bonnie Langford
Isabel - Louise Gold
Mabel - Pamela Stephenson
Major-General Stanley - George Cole
The Sergeant - Chris Langham
Pirates and Police:
Graham Bickley, Keith Binns,
Peppi Borza, Ken
Caswll, Mark Davis, Kevin Feighery, Alan Forrester, Andrew Golder, David Hampshire, Paul Hegarty, Simon Howe, Paul Leonard, Clive
Packham, & Kevin A. J. Ranson
Back-up Singers:
Christina Collier, John Denton, Mike Holoway, Michael Lessiter,
Anita Pashley, Sarah Shipton,
William Snape & David Wheldon-Williams
Understudies:
Samuel - Andrew Golder
Ruth - Sarah Shipton
Frederic - Graham Bickley
Edith - Louise
Gold
Major-General -
Kevin A. J. Ranson
Sergeant - David
Hampshire
Mabel - Christine
Collier
Kate - Carolyn
Allen
Isabel - Jackie
Downey
Swings - Ray
Hatfield, Anita Pashley & Aidan
Cook.
From
?possibly 31 January 1983 Until Saturday 26 February 1983
The Pirate King - Oliver Tobias
Samuel, His Lieutenant - Sylvester McCoy
Frederic - Michael Praed
Ruth, A Pirate Maid - Annie Ross
Major-General
Edith - Janet Shaw
Kate - Bonnie Langford
Isabel - Louise Gold
Mabel - Karen Lancaster
Major-General Stanley - Ronald Fraser
The Sergeant - Chris Langham
Pirates and Police:
Timothy Bentinck, Graham Bickley,
Keith Binns, Peppi
Borza, Ken Caswll,
Mark Davis, Kevin Feighery, Alan
Forrester, Andrew Golder, David
Hampshire, Paul Hegarty, Simon Howe,
Paul Leonard, Clive Packham, & Kevin
A. J. Ranson
Back-up Singers:
Christina Collier, John Denton, Mike Holoway, Michael Lessiter,
Anita Pashley, Sarah Shipton,
William Snape & David Wheldon-Williams
Understudies:
Pirate King - Timothy
Bentinck
Samuel - Andrew Golder
Ruth - Sarah Shipton
Frederic - Graham Bickley
Edith - Louise
Gold
Major-General -
Kevin A. J. Ranson
Sergeant - David
Hampshire
Mabel - Christine
Collier
Kate - Carolyn
Allen
Isabel - Jackie
Downey
Swings - Ray
Hatfield, Anita Pashley & Aidan
Cook.
During the run of the show there were many cast
changes (only the first cast plus a few minor changes are listed here - in the
first major cast change (28 February 1983) Anita Pashley
took over as Isabel). Perhaps one of the most notable changes, though, was just
after Christmas 1982, so probably around early January 1983, when Tim Curry
left, his replacement, Oliver Tobias did not actually join the cast
until 3 weeks later, hence why for those three weeks The Pirate King was played
by Timothy Bentinck.
According to the Daily Mail from 25 August 1982, Pamela Stephenson had by that staged
dropped out due to filming commitments on Superman III (to be replaced by her
regular understudy Christine Collier),
however, Pamela Stephenson was still
listed in cast list in a programme dated December 1982.
Production Team
Producer - Joseph Papp
Presented by - Michael White
Lyrics/Libretti - William S Gilbert
Music - Sir Arthur Sullivan
Original Productions – 30 December 1879 at The
Royal Bijou Theatre, Paignton, with Miss Kate
Neville as Isabel and Miss Marian May as Edith, and then, 31
December 1879, at The 5th Avenue Theatre, New York, with Miss
Billie Barlow as Isabel and Miss Jessie Bond as Edith
Director - Wilford
Leach
Musical Arranger - William Elliott
Choreography - Graciela Daniele
Scenery by - Bob Shaw & Wilford Leach
Costumes by - Patricia McGourty
Lighting by - Jennifer Tipton
Sound by - Don Ketteler
Musical Director - Martin Koch
Associate Producer (London) - Andrew Treagus
Hair & Make-up originally designed by -
J. Roy Helland
All of the original cast,
had appeared in a Royal Gala Preview of this production of The Pirates Of Penzance
(Gala Preview) on 18 May 1982. (Although two of the Backing Singers: Anita
Pashley and Sarah Shipton,
appear to have been uncredited).
Apart from Musical Director Martin Koch, the musicians in the orchestra pit are not credited in
the programme. It is however known that Kate
Young sometimes deputised as a pianist in the pit orchestra (one of her
first West End jobs). It is also known that that Assistant MD was Andy Reed.
Amusingly, given that at the end of the Operetta The
Pirates get let-off because they are noblemen, in this production Louise
Gold found herself waltzing around the stage with a real nobleman, namely Timothy
Charles Robert Noel Bentinck, who went on to inherit the title of 12th
Earl Of Portland, Tim also went on to play David Archer in the BBC Radio 4
soap The Archer's .
Louise Gold, Timothy Bentinck,
Peppi Borza, David
Hampshire, and Simon Howe had previously appeared in the Papp film version of The Pirates Of
Penzance.
It is perhaps worth noting that most of the auditions
for chorus and minor roles this production of The Pirates Of Penzance
(according to a cutting from ‘The Stage’) took place on Tuesday 3 November
1981. But it is not quite clear whether those actors who had already appeared
in the film were required to audition again.
In the film of The Pirates Of Penzance Louise
Gold played the role of Edith, which she understudied in this stage
production The Only one of the three girls whom Louise Gold has not
played is Kate, interestingly in the second ever production of The
Pirates Of Penzance, at The 5th Avenue Theatre in New
York, that role was played by Miss Rosina Brandram, whom Louise Gold would later portray
in the film Topsy Turvy. Coincidentally, at some point during the Doyly Carte tour of the
Anita Pashley joined the cast of The Pirates of Penzance a
few weeks into rehearsals, on 26 April 1982, a week before her final
performance as Electra in Cats.
Most of the cast took part, largely as The Pirates Of
Penzance cast, in the 1982
Royal Variety Performance, which that year was actually at
Bonnie Langford had previously
made theatrical history appearing at
It
is perhaps worth noting that Theatre Royal Drury Lane has witnessed many
historical occurrences, in particular connected with royalty, including
assassination attempts on two of the King George’s
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother’s 82 Birthday was marked by the
Queen Mother visiting The Pirates of Penzance and cutting
a huge white, pink and green birthday
cake which she graciously declined to eat. According to William Hickey writing
in The Daily Express (Friday 6 August 1982) it was demolished in about five
minutes flat by members of the cast and staff at
On the Thursday 6th January 1983 the cast,
still headed by Tim Curry (probably just before he left the cast) played
their part in a theatrical tradition, when they did the honours at the annual
ceremonial cutting of the Baddeley
Cake. Robert Baddeley was a pastry
cook and actor, in his will he left a sum of money in perpetury
so that each year on Twelfth Night a cake and a drink would be partaken of by
his fellow actors in his memory. It is West End tradition that this ceremonial
event is always carried out by the members of the cast of whichever production
is occupying Theatre Royal Drury Lane at that time.
It seems quite likely that one of Louise Gold’s
performances in The Pirates Of Penzance
took place nine years to the day of her professional stage debut in Dick Whittington.
Many of the cast stand out in their contribution to
theatre, and a surprising number of them either had worked together before, or
would later be reunited. For example:
Chris Langham had been both
a script-writer and a Guest Star on The Muppet Show, so he already
knew Louise Gold in her puppeteer guise. Chris Langham’s writing credits with the
Muppets include: Muppet Show Music Album,
and The Muppets Go To The Movies.
Louise Gold and Chris Langham had previously appeared in “a
burlesque show with some of the Muppet-company”, and on the documentary Of Muppets And Men.
Anita Pashley and Bonnie Langford had previously appeared together in the original
company of Cats, immediately prior to their appearing in The
Pirates Of Penzance.
Tim Curry later starred as another
Pirate, Long John Silver, in the film Muppet
Treasure Island, which of course Louise Gold puppeteered
on. .
Louise Gold left The Pirates Of
Penzance to become a leading puppeteer on Spitting Image, naturally she
also did voices, and Pamela Stephenson went on to do voices for Spitting Image, and Chris Langham
wrote some material for that show.
Louise Gold, Kevin A. J. Ranson, and, Anita Pashley
later worked together on Anything Goes (stage
show). Incidentally, during her time on The Pirates Of
Penzance Anita had taken over Louise’s role of Isabel. This production also
included Kate Young as a dep pianist.
Sylvester McCoy went on to appear on many
Children's TV programmes including: Jigsaw,
Louise Gold and Mike Holoway subsequently starred on the JAY/TER Studio Cast
recording of Stop The World I
Want To Get Off.
Bonnie Langford went on to appear in Broadway To Brighton
Martin Koch went on to become Musical
Supervisor for Mamma Mia, and in that
capacity was interviewed on television in ABBA - The Reunion
Paul Leonard
and Louise Gold have gone on to appear in The Water Babies, and, Final Chic Cabaret 2003.
Louise Gold and Sylvester McCoy
have gone on to appear in Noises Off
Louise Gold continued her association
with the work of Gilbert and Sullivan appearing in the stage show The Metropolitan Mikado and the film Topsy Turvy.
Graham Bickley’s recording credits include
The Best Of Broadway Musicals , Encore The Very Best From The
Musicals , Great Duets From The
Musicals , Cole Porter - Night And
Day, The Great Musicals - Wonderful Tales,
and, The Great Musicals – Glamour And Majesty.
Mike Holoway’s recording credits include: The History Of The
Musical
Louise Gold
has gone on to appear on stage in another G&S operetta, The Gondoliers
Graham Bickley and Mike Holoway’s
recording credits include Simply Musicals,
and, The Great Musicals – Dashing
Heroes, Blushing Maidens.
Many years later, while appearing at The Prince Edward Theatre, Louise Gold, recalled Theatre Royal Drury lane in Tim
McArthur Interview.
Kate Young went on to
help out as a rehearsal pianist on Assassins .
Links about The
Pirates Of
Timothy Bentinck's website, see section
on his work: http://www.bentinck.net/frame1.htm This link includes a picture of
Bonnie Langford’s Website, section on her theatre
work: http://www.bonnielangford.co.uk/theatre.html
Details of the original productions of the Pirates of
Michael Praed’s Website (includes a
photograph from The Pirates Of Penzance): http://www.michael-praed.com/
Michael Praed Chest Hair Moments (apparently this site
includes several photographs from The Pirates Of
Penzance): http://www.chm.michaelpraed.org/
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