Quite an Adventure
Encyclopedia
Quite an Adventure is a one-act comic opera
by Edward Solomon
with a libretto by Frank Desprez
. The farcical plot concerns a house-guest who mistakes his hostess's husband for an intruder.
The opera's first run in London was under the management of Michael Gunn, but the piece was played by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
in the 1880s and 1890s as a curtain raiser
to full-length Savoy opera
s, both on tour and later in London.
was to present long evenings in the theatre, and so producer Richard D'Oyly Carte
preceded his Savoy opera
s with curtain raisers
such as Quite an Adventure. W. J. MacQueen-Pope
commented, concerning such curtain raisers:
Quite an Adventure was first produced on tour in the English provinces by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
as a curtain raiser for H.M.S. Pinafore
. The London premiere was at the Olympic Theatre
on 7 September 1881, under the management of Michael Gunn, as a companion piece for Solomon's operetta Claude Duval
. It ran until the end of October 1881. D'Oyly Carte again toured the piece in tandem with Patience
in 1881, and with Pinafore and The Pirates of Penzance
in 1882, and 1883.
Quite an Adventure was revived at the Savoy Theatre
from 15 December 1894 to 29 December 1894 as a companion piece to The Chieftain
. Further provincial performances were given when D'Oyly Carte took The Vicar of Bray
and The Chieftain on tour between 1892 and 1895.
A copy of the vocal score (published in 1882 by Chappell & Co.
), but no printed libretto, is found in British Library
. The score contains music only, no dialogue. A copy of the libretto is in the Lord Chamberlain
's collection (filed September/October 1880).
gave this summary of the plot:
1883 Touring cast
1894 Savoy cast
Comic opera
Comic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
by Edward Solomon
Edward Solomon
Edward Solomon was a prolific English composer, as well as a conductor, orchestrator and pianist. Though he died before his fortieth birthday, he wrote dozens of works produced for the stage, including several for the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, such as The Nautch Girl, among others.-Early...
with a libretto by Frank Desprez
Frank Desprez
Frank Desprez was an English playwright, essayist, and poet. He wrote more than twenty pieces for the theatre, as well as numerous shorter works, including his famous poem, Lasca.-Life and career:...
. The farcical plot concerns a house-guest who mistakes his hostess's husband for an intruder.
The opera's first run in London was under the management of Michael Gunn, but the piece was played by 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...
in the 1880s and 1890s as a curtain raiser
Curtain raiser (drama)
A curtain raiser is a performance, stage act, show, actor or performer that opens a show for the main attraction. The term is derived from the act of raising the stage curtain...
to full-length 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 tour and later in London.
Background and productions
The fashion in the late Victorian eraVictorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
was to present long evenings in the theatre, and so producer Richard D'Oyly Carte
Richard D'Oyly Carte
Richard D'Oyly Carte was an English talent agent, theatrical impresario, composer and hotelier during the latter half of the Victorian era...
preceded his 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 with curtain raisers
Curtain raiser (drama)
A curtain raiser is a performance, stage act, show, actor or performer that opens a show for the main attraction. The term is derived from the act of raising the stage curtain...
such as Quite an Adventure. W. J. MacQueen-Pope
W. J. MacQueen-Pope
Walter James MacQueen-Pope was an English theatre historian and publicist. From a theatrical family which could be traced back to contemporaries of Shakespeare, he was in management for the first part of his career, but switched to publicity, in which field he became well-known...
commented, concerning such curtain raisers:
- This was a one-act play, seen only by the early comers. It would play to empty boxes, half-empty upper circle, to a gradually filling stalls and dress circle, but to an attentive, grateful and appreciative pit and gallery. Often these plays were little gems. They deserved much better treatment than they got, but those who saw them delighted in them. ... [They] served to give young actors and actresses a chance to win their spurs ... the stalls and the boxes lost much by missing the curtain-raiser, but to them dinner was more important.
Quite an Adventure was first produced on tour in the English provinces by 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...
as a curtain raiser for 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 London premiere was at the Olympic Theatre
Olympic Theatre
The Olympic Theatre, sometimes known as the Royal Olympic Theatre, was a 19th-century London theatre, opened in 1806 and located at the junction of Drury Lane, Wych Street, and Newcastle Street. The theatre specialised in comedies throughout much of its existence...
on 7 September 1881, under the management of Michael Gunn, as a companion piece for Solomon's operetta Claude Duval
Claude Duval (opera)
Claude Duval – or Love and Larceny is a comic opera with music by Edward Solomon to a libretto by Henry Pottinger Stephens. The plot is loosely based on supposed events in the life of the eighteenth century highwayman, Claude Duval....
. It ran until the end of October 1881. D'Oyly Carte again toured the piece in tandem with 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...
in 1881, and with Pinafore and 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...
in 1882, and 1883.
Quite an Adventure was revived at the Savoy Theatre
Savoy Theatre
The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre located in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre opened on 10 October 1881 and was built by Richard D'Oyly Carte on the site of the old Savoy Palace as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan,...
from 15 December 1894 to 29 December 1894 as a companion piece to The Chieftain
The Chieftain
The Chieftain is a two-act comic opera by Arthur Sullivan and F. C. Burnand based on their 1867 opera, The Contrabandista. It consists of substantially the same first act as the 1867 work with a completely new second act...
. Further provincial performances were given when D'Oyly Carte took The Vicar of Bray
The Vicar of Bray (opera)
The Vicar of Bray is a comic opera by Edward Solomon with a libretto by Sydney Grundy which opened at the Globe Theatre, in London, on 22 July 1882, for a run of only 69 performances. The public was not amused at a clergyman's being made the subject of ridicule, and the opera was regarded by some...
and The Chieftain on tour between 1892 and 1895.
A copy of the vocal score (published in 1882 by Chappell & Co.
Chappell & Co.
Chappell & Co. was an English company that published music and manufactured pianos.-History:It was founded in 1810 by Samuel Chappell in partnership with music professors Francis Tatton Latour and Johann Baptist Cramer. Cramer was also a well-known London composer, teacher and pianist...
), but no printed libretto, is found in British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
. The score contains music only, no dialogue. A copy of the libretto is in the Lord Chamberlain
Lord Chamberlain's Office
The Lord Chamberlain's Office is a department within the British Royal Household. It is presently concerned with matters such as protocol, state visits, investitures, garden parties, the State Opening of Parliament, royal weddings and funerals. For example, in April 2005 it organised the wedding of...
's collection (filed September/October 1880).
Synopsis
In its review of the London premiere, The EraThe Era (newspaper)
The Era was a British weekly paper, published from 1838 to 1939. Originally a general newspaper, it became noted for its sports coverage, and later for its theatrical content.-History:...
gave this summary of the plot:
- It appears that a young married lady, Mrs. Wallaby, living at CroydonCroydonCroydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
, and always in great fear of burglars, is left alone meditating upon a little adventure she has had at Victoria StationVictoria stationVictoria station may refer to:Railway stations:* London Victoria station, a National Rail and London Underground station* Manchester Victoria station* Norwich Victoria railway station * Nottingham Victoria railway station...
. She had been to an entertainment, and from excitement or fatigue had felt faint, when a benevolent young gentleman, a stranger, came to her assistance. Arriving safely at Croydon, however, she is rather startled at receiving a visitor, no other than the gentleman who had so kindly rendered assistance. The stranger, after an apology for troubling her so late, ultimately explains that he cannot get into his rooms, and is locked out, the fact being that in his desire to hasten her recovery he had put his latch key down the lady's back. With many apologies the gentlemen requests Mrs. Wallaby to shake herself a little in order to discover if she is carrying the latch key about her, and with some confusion the lady consents, and after much comic gesticulation the key eventually falls on the floor. Meanwhile, poor Mr. Fraser, the benevolent owner of the key, hears the shriek and roar of the last train to London, and the rain is coming down in torrents. What is to be done? Mrs. Wallaby has not the heart to turn him out, and so, anticipating her husband's speedy return, she supplies the stranger with brandy and water, cigars, her husband's slippers and dressing gown, and leaves him. Mr. Fraser accordingly makes himself comfortable, takes off his wet coat, and wetter boots, mixes a stiff glass of brandy and water, and waxes enthusiastic respecting the charming young wife. He, however, first hangs up his dripping clothes in the hall, but is speedily startled at hearing footsteps, and presumes this must be the burglar whose appearance Mrs. Wallaby so much dreaded. It is no burglar, but her own husband, who, discovering a man in the house is terribly alarmed. Both the men are desperately afraid of each other, and the situation serves for the introduction of an amusing duet. In the height of their excitement a policeman enters. He has been waiting for an interview with the cook, and wonders that the siren of the kitchen is so long in coming to meet him. Curious to ascertain the cause of the delay, he comes cautiously into the house through the French windows opening on the garden, and immediately pounces upon the two men. Mr. Fraser, the owner of the latch key, at once gives the husband in charge; but Mrs. Wallaby enters, and explains, and all ends happily, the stranger being invited to spend the remainder of the night with them.
Cast
Original 1881 London cast- Mr. Wallaby – Charles Ashford
- Mr. Fraser – Arthur WilliamsArthur Williams (actor)Arthur Williams was an English actor, singer and playwright best remembered for his roles in comic operas, musical burlesques and Edwardian musical comedies...
- Policeman – Fred Solomon
- Mrs. Wallaby – Edith Blande
1883 Touring cast
- Mr. Wallaby – A. Loraine
- Mr. Fraser – R. Christian
- Policeman – Edgar Manning
- Mrs. Wallaby – Florence Harcourt
1894 Savoy cast
- Mr. Wallaby – Robert Rous
- Mr. Fraser – Henri Delplanque
- Police Officer – Albert E. Rees
- Mrs. Wallaby – Re Stephanie