“By the mystic regulation
of our dark Association,
ere you open conversation
with another kindred soul,
you must eat a sausage-roll!”
The Grand Duke
The Grand Duke or The Statutory Duel
March 7 to 30, 2003
Our production of The Grand Duke was dedicated to the memory of long-time company members, bass Roger Evans, and horn and percussion player Jim Streich.
Directors
| Stage Director: | Randy Winkler |
| Music Director: | James Straka |
| Artistic Director: | Wendy Evans |
About The Grand Duke
The Grand Duke was the final collaboration of Gilbert and Sullivan, and met with less than favorable reviews when it opened on March 7, 1896. Gilbert and Sullivan usually “fine-tuned” their operas after their first performance, dropping numbers, tightening dialogue, sometimes rewriting sections. This did not happen with The Grand Duke. The D’Oyly Carte company never revived the show, and it was seldom performed. When our company produced it in 1991, we decided to make some revisions, as the creators might have done, had they been on speaking terms. This time, we have also incorporated an extra song in Act II, borrowed from Utopia, Limited (another late Gilbert and Sullivan opera) showing the Notary, Ernest, and Rudolph planning a counter-revolution.
Two excellent internet resources for information about The Grand Duke:
Show Poster
Company Photo
Photography by Daniels Studio
“Happy couples, lightly treading,
castle chapel will be quite full!
Each shall have a pretty wedding,
as, of course, is only rightful,
Though the brides be
fair or frightful.
Contradiction little dreading,
this will be a day delightful.
Each shall have a pretty wedding!
Such a pretty, pretty wedding!
Such a pretty wedding!”
The Grand Duke
Photo Gallery
