Gilbert and Sullivan for All
Encyclopedia
Gilbert and Sullivan for All was a touring concert and opera company, formed in 1963 by D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
performers Thomas Round
and Donald Adams
and Norman Meadmore, and which exclusively performed the works of Gilbert and Sullivan
, usually in concert, but sometimes giving full productions. They also recorded most of the Savoy opera
s both on video and audio. They continued to tour into the 1980s, occasionally reuniting for performances thereafter.
s of Gilbert and Sullivan, and sometimes full productions of the operas, throughout Britain and making several world tours to North America
, Australasia
, and the Far East
.
By 1963, Round had left the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
, and, together with Adams and Meadmore, formed the group. Gilbert and Sullivan for All, usually composed of five or six singers and a pianist, would perform on nights when D'Oyly Carte was playing The Gondoliers
, since Adams was not engaged by D'Oyly Carte to play in that opera. In 1969 Adams left the D'Oyly Carte Company, and he joined Gilbert and Sullivan For All full time. The group's repertory included highlights from Cox and Box
, Trial by Jury
, H.M.S. Pinafore
, The Pirates of Penzance
, Iolanthe
, The Mikado
, Ruddigore
, The Yeomen of the Guard
, and The Gondoliers
. Round, and sometimes Adams, acted as director for the company.
In 1972, the group recorded staged and costumed abridged productions of these nine operas, both on video and for audio recordings. Four of these starred soprano Valerie Masterson
, and all included Round and Adams. Introductions and linking narration were included and later re-recorded by Round. Other former members of the D'Oyly Carte company appeared with Gilbert and Sullivan for All, including Gillian Knight
and Ann Hood. In A Gilbert and Sullivan Discography, Marc Shepherd writes, "The productions, despite being heavily abridged, are beautifully costumed and staged. Business and blocking are in the traditional manner, but do not slavishly reproduce D'Oyly Carte stagings.... These films provide rare glimpses of many former D'Oyly Carte stars." Peter Murray, the group's regular touring pianist, conducted the orchestra, except for Cox and Box, which they performed with piano accompaniment.
During their Gilbert and Sullivan for All years, Round and Adams also appeared on tour as Arthur Sullivan
and W. S. Gilbert
, respectively, in Tarantara! Tarantara!, Ian Taylor's musical
about the Gilbert and Sullivan partnership. Gilbert and Sullivan for All remained active throughout the early 1980s, until Adams's growing career as an operatic singer and Round's increasing age forced it to close. They occasionally reunited for concert performances thereafter.
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company was a professional light opera company that staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas. The company performed nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere, from the 1870s until it closed in 1982. It was revived in 1988 and...
performers Thomas Round
Thomas Round
Thomas Round is a retired English opera singer and actor, best known for his performances in the tenor roles of the Savoy Operas and in grand opera....
and Donald Adams
Donald Adams
Charles Donald Adams was an English opera singer and actor, best known for his performances in bass-baritone roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and his own company, Gilbert and Sullivan for All.Adams began his career with the BBC Repertory Company in 1944...
and Norman Meadmore, and which exclusively performed the works of Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
, usually in concert, but sometimes giving full productions. They also recorded most of the Savoy opera
Savoy opera
The Savoy Operas denote a style of comic opera that developed in Victorian England in the late 19th century, with W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan as the original and most successful practitioners. The name is derived from the Savoy Theatre, which impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte built to house...
s both on video and audio. They continued to tour into the 1980s, occasionally reuniting for performances thereafter.
Description
Gilbert and Sullivan For All gave concert performances of highlights from the Savoy operaSavoy opera
The Savoy Operas denote a style of comic opera that developed in Victorian England in the late 19th century, with W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan as the original and most successful practitioners. The name is derived from the Savoy Theatre, which impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte built to house...
s of Gilbert and Sullivan, and sometimes full productions of the operas, throughout Britain and making several world tours to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
, and the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
.
By 1963, Round had left the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company was a professional light opera company that staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas. The company performed nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere, from the 1870s until it closed in 1982. It was revived in 1988 and...
, and, together with Adams and Meadmore, formed the group. Gilbert and Sullivan for All, usually composed of five or six singers and a pianist, would perform on nights when D'Oyly Carte was playing The Gondoliers
The Gondoliers
The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances , closing on 30 June 1891...
, since Adams was not engaged by D'Oyly Carte to play in that opera. In 1969 Adams left the D'Oyly Carte Company, and he joined Gilbert and Sullivan For All full time. The group's repertory included highlights from Cox and Box
Cox and Box
Cox and Box; or, The Long-Lost Brothers, is a one-act comic opera with a libretto by F. C. Burnand and music by Arthur Sullivan, based on the 1847 farce Box and Cox by John Maddison Morton. It was Sullivan's first successful comic opera. The story concerns a landlord who lets a room to two...
, Trial by Jury
Trial by Jury
Trial by Jury is a comic opera in one act, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was first produced on 25 March 1875, at London's Royalty Theatre, where it initially ran for 131 performances and was considered a hit, receiving critical praise and outrunning its...
, H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, England, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical...
, The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences...
, Iolanthe
Iolanthe
Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy operas and is the seventh collaboration of the fourteen between Gilbert and Sullivan....
, The Mikado
The Mikado
The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations...
, Ruddigore
Ruddigore
Ruddigore; or, The Witch's Curse, originally called Ruddygore, is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy Operas and the tenth of fourteen comic operas written together by Gilbert and Sullivan...
, The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid, is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888, and ran for 423 performances...
, and The Gondoliers
The Gondoliers
The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances , closing on 30 June 1891...
. Round, and sometimes Adams, acted as director for the company.
In 1972, the group recorded staged and costumed abridged productions of these nine operas, both on video and for audio recordings. Four of these starred soprano Valerie Masterson
Valerie Masterson
Margaret Valerie Masterson , is a retired English opera singer, a lecturer and Vice-President of British Youth Opera. After study in Italy, she began to sing opera in Europe...
, and all included Round and Adams. Introductions and linking narration were included and later re-recorded by Round. Other former members of the D'Oyly Carte company appeared with Gilbert and Sullivan for All, including Gillian Knight
Gillian Knight
Gillian Knight is an English singer and actress, known for her performances in the contralto roles of the Savoy Operas. After six years starring in these roles with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, beginning in 1959, Knight began a grand opera career.Knight joined Sadler's Wells Opera in 1968...
and Ann Hood. In A Gilbert and Sullivan Discography, Marc Shepherd writes, "The productions, despite being heavily abridged, are beautifully costumed and staged. Business and blocking are in the traditional manner, but do not slavishly reproduce D'Oyly Carte stagings.... These films provide rare glimpses of many former D'Oyly Carte stars." Peter Murray, the group's regular touring pianist, conducted the orchestra, except for Cox and Box, which they performed with piano accompaniment.
During their Gilbert and Sullivan for All years, Round and Adams also appeared on tour as Arthur Sullivan
Arthur Sullivan
Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan MVO was an English composer of Irish and Italian ancestry. He is best known for his series of 14 operatic collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including such enduring works as H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado...
and W. S. Gilbert
W. S. Gilbert
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, of which the most famous include H.M.S...
, respectively, in Tarantara! Tarantara!, Ian Taylor's musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
about the Gilbert and Sullivan partnership. Gilbert and Sullivan for All remained active throughout the early 1980s, until Adams's growing career as an operatic singer and Round's increasing age forced it to close. They occasionally reunited for concert performances thereafter.
External links
Autobiography.- Thomas Round at Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte
- Biography of Donald Adams at the Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte website