John Dean (singer)
Encyclopedia
John Dean was an English
singer and actor, best known for his performances in the tenor
roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
.
, Shropshire
, England. He joined a D'Oyly Carte touring company in 1926. The next year, he took his first role, First Yeoman in The Yeomen of the Guard
. He also made occasional appearances as Leonard Meryll in Yeomen. In 1928, he began to play the roles of the Defendant in Trial by Jury
and Francesco in The Gondoliers
. In 1929, Dean took over the role of Leonard Meryll and switched to the larger role of Luiz in The Gondoliers.
In 1930, Dean added the roles of Mr. Box in Cox and Box
, Earl Tolloller in Iolanthe
, Cyril in Princess Ida
and Nanki-Poo in The Mikado
. Over the next fifteen years, he continued to play the principal tenor parts, although he had to yield some of them to Derek Oldham
when he returned to the company, from time to time, until 1936. Other roles included Alexis in The Sorcerer
, Ralph Rackstraw in H.M.S. Pinafore
Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance
, the Duke of Dunstable in Patience
, Richard Dauntless in Ruddigore
, Colonel Fairfax in Yeomen, and Marco in The Gondoliers.
Dean left the D'Oyly Carte organisation in 1946 and was replaced by the returning Leonard Osborn
and Thomas Round
. After leaving the company, he traveled to Australia with several other former members of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. He appeared in The Gondoliers in Australia in 1949 with the J. C. Williamson Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company. In 1975, during the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company's centennial season, Dean was invited to participate in the final performance of Trial by Jury, in which the company's regular chorus was augmented by fourteen former stars of the company.
Dean died in Thornton-le-Dale
, Yorkshire
. He was known, among his D'Oyly Carte colleagues, as a good storyteller.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
singer and actor, best known for his performances in the tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
roles of the Savoy Operas with 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...
.
Life and career
John Dean was born in LilleshallLilleshall
Lilleshall is a village in Shropshire, England.It lies between the towns of Telford and Newport, on the A518, in the Telford and Wrekin borough and the Wrekin constituency....
, Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England. He joined a D'Oyly Carte touring company in 1926. The next year, he took his first role, First Yeoman in 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...
. He also made occasional appearances as Leonard Meryll in Yeomen. In 1928, he began to play the roles of the Defendant in 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...
and Francesco in 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...
. In 1929, Dean took over the role of Leonard Meryll and switched to the larger role of Luiz in The Gondoliers.
In 1930, Dean added the roles of Mr. Box in 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...
, Earl Tolloller in 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....
, Cyril in Princess Ida
Princess Ida
Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was their eighth operatic collaboration of fourteen. Princess Ida opened at the Savoy Theatre on January 5, 1884, for a run of 246 performances...
and Nanki-Poo in 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...
. Over the next fifteen years, he continued to play the principal tenor parts, although he had to yield some of them to Derek Oldham
Derek Oldham
Derek Oldham was an English singer and actor, best known for his performances in the tenor roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company....
when he returned to the company, from time to time, until 1936. Other roles included Alexis in The Sorcerer
The Sorcerer
The Sorcerer is a two-act comic opera, with a libretto by W. S. Gilbert and music by Arthur Sullivan. It was the British duo's third operatic collaboration. The plot of The Sorcerer is based on a Christmas story, An Elixir of Love, that Gilbert wrote for The Graphic magazine in 1876...
, Ralph Rackstraw in 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...
Frederic in 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...
, the Duke of Dunstable in Patience
Patience (opera)
Patience; or, Bunthorne's Bride, is a comic opera in two acts with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. First performed at the Opera Comique, London, on 23 April 1881, it moved to the 1,292-seat Savoy Theatre on 10 October 1881, where it was the first theatrical production in the...
, Richard Dauntless in 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...
, Colonel Fairfax in Yeomen, and Marco in The Gondoliers.
Dean left the D'Oyly Carte organisation in 1946 and was replaced by the returning Leonard Osborn
Leonard Osborn
Leonard Osborn was an English opera singer, best known for his portrayal of the tenor roles in the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. An accomplished actor and dancer, he later became a stage director for the company.-Life and career:Leonard Alfred George Osborn was born in...
and 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....
. After leaving the company, he traveled to Australia with several other former members of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. He appeared in The Gondoliers in Australia in 1949 with the J. C. Williamson Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company. In 1975, during the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company's centennial season, Dean was invited to participate in the final performance of Trial by Jury, in which the company's regular chorus was augmented by fourteen former stars of the company.
Dean died in Thornton-le-Dale
Thornton-le-Dale
Thornton-le-Dale is a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England, about two miles east of Pickering. A thatched cottage in the village has appeared on countless calendars and chocolate boxes over the years...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. He was known, among his D'Oyly Carte colleagues, as a good storyteller.
External links
- John Dean at Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte
- Information about Dean
- Information about D'Oyly Carte members who performed with the J. C. Williamson company