“Let the air with joy be laden,
Rend with songs the air above,
For the union of a maiden
With the man who owns her love!”
H.M.S. Pinafore
H. M. S. Pinafore – Summer Concert 2015
July 2015
The Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company and the Minneapolis Pops Orchestra will present a concert version of Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore, at the Lake Harriet Bandshell, on Saturday July 11th and Sunday, July 12th.
The performances are free and open to the public. There are benches available directly in front of the stage and lots of lawn seating available in the surrounding area. Plan to arrive early to get a good spot as our concerts are one of the most popular events of the summer at the Lake Harriet Bandshell.
H.M.S. Pinafore is one of the most popular Gilbert & Sullivan operettas, due to Sullivan’s wonderfully infectious tunes and Gilbert’s very well-constructed libretto. The opera gently satirize one of Gilbert’s favorite themes: Love between members of different social classes. The gentlemanly Captain of the Pinafore, who claims that he would never swear at his crew (What, Never?), does not know that his daughter has fallen in love with a common sailor serving on her father’s ship. Meanwhile, the Captain has arranged for her to marry the First Lord of the Admiralty, Sir Joseph Porter. Sir Joseph himself has risen from humble beginnings to gain his office by political acumen, despite having never gone to sea! And the Captain himself fancies a poor bumboat woman. Fear not: it all works out in the end. Hip, hip, hoorah!
| When: | Saturday, July 11th, 7:30 PM, and Sunday, July 12th, 5:30 PM |
| Where: |
The Lake Harriet Bandshell Minneapolis, MN |
The Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company has collaborated with Jere Lanz and the Minneapolis Pops Orchestra for many years in presenting a concert version of one of the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas.
Two excellent internet resources for information about H.M.S. Pinafore:
The Gilbert & Sullivan Archive – H.M.S. Pinafore
Trial by Jury – Minnesota Fringe Festival 2015
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The Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company is pleased to announce that it will present Trial by Jury, at the Minnesota Fringe Festival, between July 30th and August 9th, 2015. This production of Trial by Jury will be directed by Lesley Hendrickson, with Music Direction by Marina Liadova. Trial by Jury is a comic opera in one act, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert and has been acclaimed the most successful British one-act operetta of all time! The lovely Angelina is suing Edwin for “a breach of promise of marriage” and on the way captivates the heart of the Learned Judge. Gilbert’s lighthearted satire and Sullivan’s delightful music combine to poke good natured fun at the British legal system. The success of Trial by Jury launched the famous series of thirteen collaborative works between Gilbert and Sullivan that came to be known as the Savoy Operas. Our company’s production will feature a fourteen piece orchestra and our cast will include Ivey Award winning Twin Cities actor, Steve Hendrickson, as the Learned Judge. |
Poster design by Tom McGregor and Mary Olson Original artwork by Dennis Lo |
Performance Schedule …
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Thursday, July 30th 5:30 – 6:30 pm Performances will be at the University of Minnesota’s Rarig Center’s Proscenium Theater, 330 21st Avenue South, Minneapolis. Minnesota Fringe Festival tickets will be available at: Minnesota Fringe Festival |
Felix Aguilar-Tomlinson as Edwin, the Defendant, Steve Hendrickson as the Learned Judge and Grace Lowe as Angelina, the Plaintiff |
The Cast of Trial by Jury includes:
The Learned Judge Steve Hendrickson
The Plaintiff Grace Lowe
The Defendant Felix Aguilar-Tomlinson
Counsel for the Plaintiff Jim Ahrens
Usher Ryan Johnson
Forman of the Jury Waldyn Benbenek
The Bridesmaids
Victoria Erickson Carly Hayes
Kate Lamb Amanda Weis McGivern
The Defendant’s “Floozies”
Sarah Richens Madeline Veenker
The Jury and Public Chorus
Mary Mescher Benbenek Scott Benson
Tanya Brody James Brooks
John Byram Mary Gregory
Stephen Hage Ivar Hendrickson
Shawn Holt Julia Knoll
Holly MacDonald John Orbison
Eric Pasternack Jo Pasternack
Roger Shaver Tyler Stanchfield
Rhea Sullivan Jason Vogen
Benjamin Wagner Keelin Yenny-Henderson
If you would like to be notified about performance dates, times and locations for any of our productions, we invite you to add your name to our mailing list. This way we will know how to contact you! We never sell our mailing list to other parties.
Two excellent internet resources for information about Trial by Jury:
“Yes, I am a Judge!
And a good Judge, too!
Yes, I am a Judge!
And a good Judge, too!
Though homeward as you trudge,
You declare my law is fudge.
Yet of beauty I’m a judge.
And a good Judge too!”
Trial by Jury