Misplaced Pages

#67932

143-632: The American Musical Theatre of San Jose had been through many name changes: In 1934, a group of community volunteers formed the San Jose Light Opera Association (SJLOA), performing works by Gilbert and Sullivan . The first production was The Mikado , held at the Victory Theatre on North First Street near Santa Clara Avenue in downtown San Jose , where they would perform for several more years. Shows were later held at Theodore Roosevelt Junior High School Auditorium,

286-527: A Japanese village exhibition opened in Knightsbridge, London, making the time ripe for an opera set in Japan. Gilbert said, "I cannot give you a good reason for our... piece being laid in Japan. It... afforded scope for picturesque treatment, scenery and costume, and I think that the idea of a chief magistrate, who is... judge and actual executioner in one, and yet would not hurt a worm, may perhaps please

429-470: A "show's chief pleasure". Benny Andersson commented in Variety on the negative Broadway reviews: "I really don't know why they don't like it. ... I do know that most of the audiences so far stand up and cheer for everyone at the end. They appear to get emotionally involved with the show, and they really like it." The musical's American incarnation has noticeably different settings, lyrics, song orders, and

572-541: A DVD featuring a documentary and five video clips of songs from the album. Previously unreleased bonus tracks. Documentary: Music videos (all of which can be found on Chess Moves ): Chess premiered in London's West End on 14 May 1986 at the Prince Edward Theatre . The original production was originally set to be directed by Michael Bennett , but after casting the show and commissioning

715-404: A Japanese setting. Gilbert initially proposed a story for a new opera about a magic lozenge that would change the characters, which Sullivan found artificial and lacking in "human interest and probability", as well as being too similar to their earlier opera, The Sorcerer . As dramatised in the film Topsy-Turvy , the author and composer were at an impasse until 8 May 1884, when Gilbert dropped

858-472: A Musical and Leading Actress in a Musical categories. None of the nominations resulted in a win, but Philip Casnoff received a 1988 Theatre World Award for Best Debut Performance. The Original Broadway Cast recording of the musical was nominated for the 1988 Grammy Award in the category Best Musical Cast Show Album (won by Into the Woods ). Later, the musical developed a cult following based primarily on

1001-413: A balanced budget and began a streak of eight profitable seasons. When Slater took over, the company relied heavily on star power to draw audiences. The big names were paid for at the expense of production quality; many of the supporting cast were unpaid volunteers. One of Slater's first acts was to end this practice, avoiding costly stars to bolster the quality of the entire production. In 1984, thanks to

1144-460: A ballet, L'Île Enchantée (1864) and incidental music for a number of Shakespeare plays. Other early pieces that were praised were his Symphony in E , Cello Concerto , and Overture in C (In Memoriam) (all three of which premiered in 1866). These commissions were not sufficient to keep Sullivan afloat. He worked as a church organist and composed numerous hymns , popular songs, and parlour ballads . Sullivan's first foray into comic opera

1287-643: A book by Richard Nelson , but survived only for two months. Chess is frequently revised for new productions, many of which try to merge elements from both the British and American versions, but was not revived in the West End until 2018. Chess placed seventh in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the UK's "Number One Essential Musicals". Tim Rice , a lyricist and librettist best known for musicals such as Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita , had long wanted to write

1430-653: A completely different Act 2 from the British version. In particular, in the American Chess the entire show is about one chess match, not two. Act 1 involves the first part of the match, which is held in Bangkok, Thailand, while Act 2 handles the conclusion, and is set in Budapest, Hungary. Also, the incumbent champion is switched in the American version (that is, to Anatoly Sergievsky rather than Freddie Trumper) as

1573-434: A consistently large audience and closed on 25 June, after 17 previews and 68 regular performances. "And there I was, on closing night, singing and sobbing along", later wrote Time magazine critic Richard Corliss . Overall, the show (capitalized at $ 6 million) since its opening, according to Variety , "has been doing moderate business, mainly on the strength of theater party advances". Gerald Schoenfeld , co-producer of

SECTION 10

#1732790586068

1716-597: A costume shop; before that, actors were responsible for making their own costumes. By 1979 SJMT was providing costumes for the entire cast. The 1979/1980 season saw a downturn in the company's fortunes. The premiere of City of Broken Promises , based on the book of the same name by Austin Coates , ran so far over budget that SJMT faced bankruptcy . The President of the board resigned, and newly installed President Anthony J. Mercant demanded that each board member donate $ 500 or resign. The members complied, and this, coupled with

1859-850: A fashion that Gilbert later condemned. The musical score to Thespis was never published and is now lost, except for one song that was published separately, a chorus that was re-used in The Pirates of Penzance , and the Act II ballet music. Over the next three years, Gilbert and Sullivan did not have occasion to work together again, but each man became more eminent in his field. Gilbert worked with Frederic Clay on Happy Arcadia (1872) and Alfred Cellier on Topsyturveydom (1874) and wrote The Wicked World (1873), Sweethearts (1874) and several other libretti, farces, extravaganzas, fairy comedies, dramas and adaptations. Sullivan completed his Festival Te Deum (1872); another oratorio, The Light of

2002-453: A fictional kingdom ruled by a pair of gondoliers who attempt to remodel the monarchy in a spirit of "republican equality." Gilbert recapitulates a number of his earlier themes, including the satire of class distinctions figuring in many of his earlier librettos. The libretto also reflects Gilbert's fascination with the "Stock Company Act", highlighting the absurd convergence of natural persons and legal entities, which plays an even larger part in

2145-538: A grand opera, the new libretto provided Sullivan with the opportunity to write his most ambitious theatre score to date. The critics, who had recently lauded the composer for his successful oratorio, The Golden Legend , considered the score to Yeomen to be Sullivan's finest, including its overture, which was written in sonata form , rather than as a sequential pot-pourri of tunes from the opera, as in most of his other overtures. The Daily Telegraph said: The accompaniments... are delightful to hear, and especially does

2288-594: A grant from Chevron , averted financial disaster. After the 1979/1980 season the board hired Stewart Slater as General Manager, ushering in a new era and another new name: the San Jose Civic Light Opera (SJCLO). In Slater, who had been general manager of American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco , the board chose someone from outside the organization and a proven business leader. Within two years of Slater's hiring, SJCLO once again had

2431-580: A loss at least $ 2 million over two years, and to the departure of Slater after 24 years as executive producer. Michael Miller, the new executive producer, blamed the downturn on the community disconnect caused when the Nederlander agreement displaced local talent and on the struggling Silicon Valley economy. Upon his arrival from Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey , the AMTSJ alumnus Miller launched

2574-523: A match of wit and passion." Richard Christiansen of Chicago Tribune suggested that " Chess falters despite new strategy", yet concluded his review: "Audiences forgive a lot of failings when they find a show that touches them with its music, and Chess , clumsy and overblown as it sometimes is in its three hours-plus running time, gives them that heart". Welton Jones wrote in The San Diego Union-Tribune that Chess "has one of

2717-537: A musical about the Cold War . During the mid-1970s, he had discussed the idea of a musical about the Cuban Missile Crisis with his usual collaborator, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber , but the idea never came to fruition. By the late 1970s, Rice had become inspired to tell his Cold War story through the prism of the long-standing United States-Soviet Union chess rivalry; he had earlier been fascinated by

2860-421: A new comic opera on six months' notice. Princess Ida (1884) spoofed women's education and male chauvinism and continued the theme from Iolanthe of the war between the sexes. The opera is based on Tennyson 's poem The Princess: A Medley . Gilbert had written a blank verse farce based on the same material in 1870, called The Princess , and he reused a good deal of the dialogue from his earlier play in

3003-491: A new set, which featured mobile towers that shifted continuously throughout the show, in an attempt to give it a sense of cinematic fluidity. The first preview on 11 April 1988 ran 4 hours with a 90-minute intermission (the stage crew reportedly had problems with the sets); by opening night on 28 April, it was down to 3 hours 15 minutes. But despite a healthy box-office advance, the Broadway production did not manage to sustain

SECTION 20

#1732790586068

3146-696: A now-adult Florence ("Freddie's Entrance"). At a press meeting, Freddie loses his temper with the reporters as Florence scolds them for their sensationalism ("Press Conference"). The current world champion, a Soviet Russian named Anatoly Sergievsky, discusses this with his second, Molokov. Afterwards, in private, Anatoly cynically reflects on how his career as world champion has been characterized by empty fame ("Where I Want to Be"). Meanwhile, Florence grows frustrated with Freddie's seedy financial agent, Walter, and complains to Freddie that her intellectual capabilities are under-appreciated ("Argument"). The opening ceremony features merchandise vendors and Walter relishing in

3289-590: A pair of strolling players – a jester and a singing girl – who are caught up in a risky intrigue at the Tower of London during the 16th century. The dialogue, though in prose, is quasi- Early Modern English in style, and there is no satire of British institutions. For some of the plot elements, Gilbert had reached back to his 1875 tragedy, Broken Hearts . The Times praised the libretto: "It should... be acknowledged that Mr. Gilbert has earnestly endeavoured to leave familiar grooves and rise to higher things". Although not

3432-432: A program to boost revenues with flexible ticket package offerings, extensive marketing, and aggressive fundraising. The plan paid off almost immediately, with AMTSJ showing over $ 500,000 of positive revenue for 2005, cutting debt by one third. On November 26, 2008, AMTSJ laid off all of its employees. The following week, it filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and ended operations. Executive producer Michael Miller announced that

3575-467: A revival of Thespis for the 1875 Christmas season, which Gilbert and Sullivan would have revised, but he was unable to obtain financing for the project. In early 1876, Carte requested that Gilbert and Sullivan create another one-act opera on the theme of burglars, but this was never completed. Carte's real ambition was to develop an English form of light opera that would displace the bawdy burlesques and badly translated French operettas then dominating

3718-535: A successful season ticket renewal campaign, the CLO had a rare surplus of $ 40,000 in advance ticket sales, prompting Slater to take an unprecedented risk for the organization. He hired a Chicago arts publicist, Danny Newman , to organize the largest direct mailing campaign ever done by an arts organization, spending the entire surplus. The gamble paid off, with the number of season ticket subscribers increasing by 10,000 within two years. The Slater era saw steady growth in

3861-548: A superb victory against Viigand ("Endgame"). Later, Florence confesses her feelings that he should return to his family in the Soviet Union. The pair reflects on the conclusion of their romance ("You and I: Reprise"). Walter later approaches Florence with the news that Anatoly has defected back to the USSR, meaning that her father will certainly be released. He startlingly admits, however, that no one actually knows if her father

4004-458: A surprise twist changes everything dramatically near the end of the story. Gilbert oversaw the designs of sets and costumes, and he directed the performers on stage. He sought realism in acting, shunned self-conscious interaction with the audience, and insisted on a standard of characterisation in which the characters were never aware of their own absurdity. He insisted that his actors know their words perfectly and obey his stage directions, which

4147-465: A version of the "lozenge" plot for their next opera, and Sullivan reiterated his reluctance to set it. While the two men worked out their artistic differences, and Sullivan finished other obligations, Carte produced revivals of such old favourites as H.M.S. Pinafore , The Pirates of Penzance , and The Mikado . The Yeomen of the Guard (1888), their only joint work with a serious ending, concerns

4290-477: A year, with strong New York and touring productions. During the run, on 12 March 1889, Sullivan wrote to Gilbert, I have lost the liking for writing comic opera, and entertain very grave doubts as to my power of doing it... You say that in a serious opera, you must more or less sacrifice yourself. I say that this is just what I have been doing in all our joint pieces, and, what is more, must continue to do in comic opera to make it successful. Sullivan insisted that

4433-407: Is "One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble". One song, which became "Heaven Help My Heart", was recorded with an entire set of lyrics, sung by ABBA's Agnetha Fältskog with the title "Every Good Man", although none of the original lyrics from this song were used. Partly to raise money in order to produce the show in the West End and partly to see how the material would fare with the public, it

American Musical Theatre of San Jose - Misplaced Pages Continue

4576-454: Is as good as anything I've ever done. And maybe it costs too much brainpower for the average person to follow it". Many critics panned the show, most notably Frank Rich of The New York Times , who wrote that "the evening has the theatrical consistency of quicksand" and described it as "a suite of temper tantrums, [where] the characters ... yell at one another to rock music". Howard Kissel of New York Daily News complained that "the show

4719-417: Is composed by Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus A 2014 release called Chess: The Original Recording Remastered Deluxe Edition was released in celebration of the 30th anniversary original double album. Released as a double-CD and single DVD, the album features the complete original 1984 concept recording. The remastered and expanded (deluxe) edition includes three previously unreleased bonus tracks as well as

4862-514: Is confronted by an inchoate mess." Other newspapers posted rave reviews however. The Daily Telegraph wrote that the show was "gift-wrapped and gorgeous...compels admiration", The Times noted that "it turns out to be a fine piece of work that shows the dinosaur mega-musical evolving into an intelligent form of life" and Today called it "gripping, eye-catching.. nearly a major triumph". In addition, Michael Ratcliffe wrote in Observer that

5005-421: Is more even, and maintained at a higher standard, than in any of his earlier works..." Iolanthe is one of several of Gilbert's works, including The Wicked World (1873), Broken Hearts (1875), Princess Ida (1884) and Fallen Fairies (1909), where the introduction of men and "mortal love" into a tranquil world of women wreaks havoc with the status quo. Gilbert had created several "fairy comedies" at

5148-502: Is responsible for Svetlana's presence in Bangkok, blackmails her into urging Anatoly to throw the match . Walter, who has been promised the release of certain captured American agents if he can ruin Anatoly's performance, informs Florence that her father is still alive though imprisoned, and that he too will be released if she can convince Anatoly to lose. Despite Molokov and Walter's efforts, none of their ploys work to get Anatoly to throw

5291-606: Is shrilly overamplified" and "neither of the love stories is emotionally involving", while Newsweek magazine called the show a "Broadway's monster" and opined that "Chess assaults the audience with a relentless barrage of scenes and numbers that are muscle-bound with self-importance". A few reviewers, however, praised it highly. William A. Henry III wrote an exceptionally sympathetic review in Time : "Clear narrative drive, Nunn's cinematic staging, three superb leading performances by actors willing to be complex and unlikeable and one of

5434-405: Is still alive. Florence breaks down, realising that she too has been used, and she sadly mirrors Anatoly's earlier sentiment that her only borders lie around her heart ("Anthem: Reprise"). The multiple songs listed here are often merged on recordings into a single track. Song is alternately titled "U.S. vs. U.S.S.R." This song actually originated with the American (Broadway) version of

5577-443: Is taken to its logical conclusion: fairies rub elbows with British lords, flirting is a capital offence, gondoliers ascend to the monarchy, and pirates emerge as noblemen who have gone astray. Sullivan, six years Gilbert's junior, composed the music, contributing memorable melodies that could convey both humour and pathos. Their operas have enjoyed broad and enduring international success and are still performed frequently throughout

5720-591: Is the winner of the Sergievsky–Trumper tournament. In 1956, a Hungarian revolutionary, Gregor Vassy, calmly explains to his 4-year-old daughter, Florence, the history of chess, before the two are separated in the midst of a violent rebellion in Budapest ("Prologue" / "The Story of Chess"). Decades later at an international chess tournament in Bangkok, Thailand , the wild-tempered American challenger, Freddie Trumper, arrives with his second and presumed lover:

5863-465: Is to fuse opposites with an imperceptible sleight of hand, to blend the surreal with the real, and the caricature with the natural. In other words, to tell a perfectly outrageous story in a completely deadpan way. Gilbert developed his innovative theories on the art of stage direction, following the playwright and theatrical reformer Tom Robertson . At the time Gilbert began writing, theatre in Britain

American Musical Theatre of San Jose - Misplaced Pages Continue

6006-516: Is today ("Pity the Child"). He sends the Arbiter a letter of resignation, resulting in Anatoly becoming the new world champion. Anatoly immediately defects from the Soviet Union and seeks asylum at the British embassy ("Defection" / "Embassy Lament"). Florence, accompanying Anatoly, reflects on their newfound romance ("Heaven Help My Heart"). Meanwhile, Walter tips off the press about this scandal. When

6149-466: Is today ("Where I Want to Be"). The opening ceremony features the American and Soviet delegates each vowing their side will win ("Diplomats"), the Arbiter insisting on a clean game ("The Arbiter"), and marketers looking to make a profit ("Hymn to Chess" / "Merchandisers"). During the increasingly intense match, Freddie suddenly throws the chessboard to the floor and storms out of the arena ("Chess #1"), leaving Florence to negotiate with Anatoly, Molokov, and

6292-536: Is willing to put their conflict behind him. Having decided that he only wants Anatoly to "be true to the game", Freddie informs Anatoly of a significant flaw in Viigand's strategy that will help Anatoly win ("Talking Chess"). In the deciding game of the match, with the score tied at five games all, Svetlana castigates Anatoly for wallowing in the crowd's empty praise and Florence expresses similar annoyance with him for casting aside his ideals; regardless, Anatoly achieves

6435-470: The German Reeds ): the heroic protagonist ( tenor ) and his love-interest ( soprano ); the older woman with a secret or a sharp tongue ( contralto ); the baffled lyric baritone – the girl's father; and a classic villain ( bass-baritone ). Gilbert and Sullivan added the element of the comic patter-singing character . With the success of H.M.S. Pinafore , the D'Oyly Carte repertory and production system

6578-563: The Haymarket Theatre in the early 1870s. These plays, influenced by the fairy work of James Planché , are founded upon the idea of self-revelation by characters under the influence of some magic or some supernatural interference. In 1882, Gilbert had a telephone installed in his home and at the prompt desk at the Savoy Theatre so that he could monitor performances and rehearsals from his home study. Gilbert had referred to

6721-595: The House of Lords and made much of the war between the sexes. The critics felt that Sullivan's work in Iolanthe had taken a step forward. The Daily Telegraph commented, "The composer has risen to his opportunity, and we are disposed to account Iolanthe his best effort in all the Gilbertian series." Similarly, The Theatre judged that "the music of Iolanthe is Dr Sullivan's chef d'oeuvre . The quality throughout

6864-588: The Nederlander Organization , one of the largest operators of live theatre and music in the United States, allowing AMTSJ to present touring Broadway shows in the same season with locally produced shows. The move ended a 67-year era of exclusive locally produced works and led to the departure of artistic director Dianna Shuster. Following the Nederlander agreement, single-ticket sales, subscriptions, and donations all plummeted, leading to

7007-569: The Savoy Theatre in 1881 to present their joint works (which came to be known as the Savoy Operas ) and founded the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company , which performed and promoted Gilbert and Sullivan's works for over a century. Gilbert was born in London on 18 November 1836. His father, William , was a naval surgeon who later wrote novels and short stories, some of which included illustrations by his son. In 1861, to supplement his income,

7150-529: The Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900) and to the works they jointly created. The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S. Pinafore , The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado are among the best known. Gilbert, who wrote the libretti for these operas, created fanciful "topsy-turvy" worlds where each absurdity

7293-539: The "Gilbertian" style as follows: With great fluidity and freedom, [Gilbert] continually challenges our natural expectations. First, within the framework of the story, he makes bizarre things happen, and turns the world on its head. Thus the Learned Judge marries the Plaintiff, the soldiers metamorphose into aesthetes , and so on, and nearly every opera is resolved by a deft moving of the goalposts... His genius

SECTION 50

#1732790586068

7436-661: The "operetta plot which would have delighted a mature Lehar is dramatised in a buoyant, eclectic and stirring theatre-score" and called Körberg "the indisputable star of the show". Sheridan Morley in International Herald Tribune complimented the show's "remarkably coherent dramatic shape" and "staging of considerable intelligence and invention". The president of the International Chess Federation —the Arbiter —speculates on

7579-423: The "respectability" of civilisation and the peerage, and the relevance of a liberal education. The story also revisits Pinafore ' s theme of unqualified people in positions of authority, in the person of the "modern Major-General" who has up-to-date knowledge about everything except the military. The Major-General and his many daughters escape from the tender-hearted Pirates of Penzance, who are all orphans, on

7722-736: The #1 spot on the UK singles charts for four weeks, winning the Ivor Novello Award in the process as the Best Selling Single ('A' Side). On 27 October 1984, a concert version of the album was premiered by the original cast in London's Barbican Centre and then performed in Hamburg, Amsterdam, and Paris with final presentation on 1 November in Berwaldhallen in Stockholm. In 1985, music videos were filmed for

7865-429: The 1980s. As with other productions such as Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita , a highly successful concept album was released prior to the first theatrical production in order to raise money. In the case of Chess , the concept album was released in the autumn of 1984 while the show opened in London's West End in 1986 where it played for three years. A much-altered US version premiered on Broadway in 1988 with

8008-537: The Arbiter ("Quartet"). Florence manages to arrange a meeting between the two players, after trading heated words with Molokov. It turns out that Freddie engineered the outburst in the hopes of extracting more money from his sponsor, an American sensationalist media company called Global Television, though Walter—the company's representative in Freddie's delegation—criticizes the stunt as ludicrous ("Florence and Molokov"). Florence later scolds Freddie, and they fight about

8151-441: The British version in both plot and music. Trevor Nunn brought in playwright Richard Nelson to recreate the musical as a straightforward "book show" for Broadway audiences. Nunn brought in new, younger principals after he disqualified Paige from the role of Florence by insisting Nelson recreate the character as an American. The story changed drastically, with different settings, characters, and many different plot elements, although

8294-465: The Cold War tensions present in the 1980s. The musical has been referred to as a metaphor for the whole Cold War, with the insinuation being made that the Cold War is itself a manipulative game. Released and staged at the height of the strong anti-communist agenda that came to be known as the " Reagan Doctrine ", Chess addressed and satirized the hostility of the international political atmosphere of

8437-511: The English-speaking world. Gilbert and Sullivan introduced innovations in content and form that directly influenced the development of musical theatre through the 20th century. The operas have also influenced political discourse, literature, film and television and have been widely parodied and pastiched by humorists. The producer Richard D'Oyly Carte brought Gilbert and Sullivan together and nurtured their collaboration. He built

8580-480: The First World War, and the piece was regularly performed by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company thereafter. Some of the plot elements of Ruddigore were introduced by Gilbert in his earlier one-act opera, Ages Ago (1869), including the tale of the wicked ancestor and the device of the ghostly ancestors stepping out of their portraits. When Ruddigore closed, no new opera was ready. Gilbert again proposed

8723-457: The Gaiety, but no one at the time foresaw that this was the beginning of a great collaboration. Unlike the later Gilbert and Sullivan works, it was hastily prepared, and its nature was more risqué, like Gilbert's earlier burlesques , with a broader style of comedy that allowed for improvisation by the actors. Two of the male characters were played by women, whose shapely legs were put on display in

SECTION 60

#1732790586068

8866-621: The London Symphony Orchestra with splashy electronic embellishments". The album featured Murray Head , Tommy Körberg , Elaine Paige , and noted actor Denis Quilley in the role of Molokov. A single from the album, " One Night in Bangkok ", with verses performed by Murray Head and choruses performed by Anders Glenmark , became a worldwide smash, reaching #3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 . The duet " I Know Him So Well " by Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson held

9009-502: The London stage. He assembled a syndicate and formed the Comedy Opera Company, with Gilbert and Sullivan commissioned to write a comic opera that would serve as the centrepiece for an evening's entertainment. Gilbert found a subject in one of his own short stories, "The Elixir of Love", which concerned the complications arising when a love potion is distributed to all the residents of a small village. The leading character

9152-507: The Mikado will be visiting the town, Ko-Ko assumes that he is coming to ascertain whether Ko-Ko has carried out the executions. Too timid to execute anyone, Ko-Ko cooks up a conspiracy to misdirect the Mikado, which goes awry. Eventually, Ko-Ko must persuade Katisha to marry him to save his own life and the lives of the other conspirators. With the opening of trade between England and Japan, Japanese imports, art and styles became fashionable, and

9295-678: The Montgomery Theatre downtown, and then the Santa Clara University Theatre . For the 1957/1958 season, SJLOA shifted from light opera to musical theatre. (Light opera is light-hearted opera usually with a happy ending; musical theatre can be thought of as a play with singing.) Also, performances were moved to the San Jose Civic Auditorium . The first productions in the new venue were Carousel and Guys and Dolls . In 1972, as

9438-886: The US Billboard 200 , #39 in France, #35 in Australia, and for seven weeks remained at #1 on the Swedish album chart due in no small part to the composers' Swedish heritage. The recording also received several prestigious awards, including the Goldene Europa from Germany, the Edison Award from the Netherlands, and the Rockbjörn from Sweden. All lyrics are written by Tim Rice & Björn Ulvaeus; all music

9581-526: The World (1873); his only song cycle , The Window; or, The Song of the Wrens (1871); incidental music to The Merry Wives of Windsor (1874); and more songs, parlour ballads, and hymns , including " Onward, Christian Soldiers " (1872). At the same time, the audience for theatre was growing because of the rapidly expanding British population; improvement in education and the standard of living, especially of

9724-441: The adjacent photograph. The work also lampoons male vanity and chauvinism in the military. The story concerns two rival aesthetic poets, who attract the attention of the young ladies of the village, formerly engaged to the members of a cavalry regiment. But both poets are in love with Patience, the village milkmaid, who detests one of them and feels that it is her duty to avoid the other despite her love for him. Richard D'Oyly Carte

9867-480: The age of eight, he was proficient with all the instruments in the band. In school he began to compose anthems and songs. In 1856, he received the first Mendelssohn Scholarship and studied at the Royal Academy of Music and then at Leipzig , where he also took up conducting. His graduation piece, completed in 1861, was a suite of incidental music to Shakespeare's The Tempest . Revised and expanded, it

10010-483: The basic plot remained the same. Benny Andersson told Variety : "The main difference between London and here is that in London there is only about two or three minutes of spoken dialog. Here, in order to clarify some points, it is almost one-third dialog". The score was reordered, and comparisons of the Broadway cast recording and the original concept album reveal the dramatic extent of the changes. Robin Wagner designed

10153-467: The best rock scores ever produced in the theater. This is an angry, difficult, demanding and rewarding show, one that pushes the boundaries of the form" (Time, 9 May 1988). His sentiments were echoed by William K. Gale in Providence Journal : "A show with a solid, even wonderfully old-fashioned story that still has a bitter-sweet, rough-edged view of the world ... exciting, dynamic theater ...

10296-428: The cantata as an opera in 1898. Patience (1881) satirised the aesthetic movement in general and its colourful poets in particular, combining aspects of A. C. Swinburne , Dante Gabriel Rossetti , Oscar Wilde , James McNeill Whistler and others in the rival poets Bunthorne and Grosvenor. Grossmith, who created the role of Bunthorne, based his makeup, wig and costume on Swinburne and especially Whistler, as seen in

10439-528: The company continued to grow in popularity and success, SJLOA changed its name to San Jose Music Theatre (SJMT), in time for its move into the new San Jose Community Theatre (renamed in 1975 as the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts ). To mark the occasion, SJMT hired its first Equity actor, Enzo Stuarti , for its production of South Pacific . Unfortunately, the move to the new venue

10582-517: The company's reputation and attendance. Performances such as the critically acclaimed production of Jesus Christ Superstar in the 1989/1990 season and the widely successful restaging of Chess in 1991/1992 were considered notable achievements by Dianna Shuster, whom Slater had promoted to Artistic Director in 1985. In 1995, the theatre changed its name yet again, this time to American Musical Theatre of San Jose, to commemorate its 60th anniversary. In February 2002, AMTSJ announced an agreement with

10725-695: The concept album, Elaine Paige , Tommy Körberg and Murray Head reprised their roles on stage. Barbara Dickson was unable to appear, and Siobhán McCarthy played the part of Svetlana, and the cast also featured Anthony Head , Grainne Renihan, Ria Jones, David Burt and Peter Karrie , during its three-year run. The show won the Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Musical and received three 1986 Laurence Olivier Award nominations for Best Musical, Outstanding Performance by an Actor ( Tommy Körberg ) and Outstanding Performance by an Actress ( Elaine Paige ). The production closed on 8 April 1989. The premiere of

10868-420: The defendant fervently and seeks "substantial damages." After much argument, the judge resolves the case by marrying the lovely plaintiff himself. With Sullivan's brother, Fred , as the Learned Judge, the opera was a runaway hit, outlasting the run of La Périchole . Provincial tours and productions at other theatres quickly followed. Fred Sullivan was the prototype for the " patter " (comic) baritone roles in

11011-519: The drama. Its mixture of political satire and grand opera parody mimicked Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld and La belle Hélène , which (in translation) then dominated the English musical stage. Thespis opened on Boxing Day and ran for 63 performances. It outran five of its nine competitors for the 1871 holiday season, and its run was extended beyond the length of a normal run at

11154-420: The earlier collaborations with a run of 288 performances. The original title, Ruddygore , together with some of the plot devices, including the revivification of ghosts, drew negative comments from critics. Gilbert and Sullivan respelled the title and made a number of changes and cuts. Nevertheless, the piece was profitable, and the reviews were not all bad. For instance, The Illustrated London News praised

11297-532: The evils of modern England till they had literally not a leg to stand on, exactly as Swift did... I doubt if there is a single joke in the whole play that fits the Japanese. But all the jokes in the play fit the English. ... About England Pooh-bah is something more than a satire; he is the truth." Several of the later operas are similarly set in foreign or fictional locales, including The Gondoliers , Utopia, Limited and The Grand Duke . The Mikado became

11440-507: The expansive set and costume designs, he withdrew from the project for health reasons and died on 2 July 1987 from AIDS -related lymphoma . Trevor Nunn , who had directed the musicals Cats and Les Misérables , took over as director. Set designer Robin Wagner later told Lynn Pecktal, author of the book Set Design , that Bennett had planned a "multimedia" show, with an elaborate tilting floor, banks of television monitors, and other technological touches. Nunn applied his realistic style to

11583-535: The false plea that he is an orphan himself. The pirates learn of the deception and re-capture the Major-General, but when it is revealed that the pirates are all peers , the Major-General bids them: "resume your ranks and legislative duties, and take my daughters, all of whom are beauties!" The piece premiered in New York rather than London, in an (unsuccessful) attempt to secure the American copyright, and

11726-517: The financial security of writing for the Savoy, increasingly viewed his work with Gilbert as unimportant, beneath his skills, and repetitious. Furthermore, he was unhappy that he had to simplify his music to ensure that Gilbert's words could be heard. But paradoxically, in February 1883, just after Iolanthe opened, Sullivan had signed a five-year agreement with Gilbert and Carte requiring him to produce

11869-488: The first time in the partnership's history, no new opera would be ready when the old one closed. On 22 March 1884, he gave Gilbert and Sullivan contractual notice that a new opera would be required in six months' time. In the meantime, when Ida closed, Carte produced a revival of The Sorcerer . The most successful of the Savoy Operas was The Mikado (1885), which made fun of English bureaucracy, thinly disguised by

12012-577: The future". The Broadway production was nominated for several major awards. It got five nods from the Drama Desk Awards : Outstanding Actor in a Musical ( David Carroll ), Outstanding Actress in a Musical ( Judy Kuhn ), Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical ( Harry Goz ), Outstanding Music (Andersson and Ulvaeus) and Outstanding Lighting Design ( David Hersey ). Carroll and Kuhn also received Tony Award nominations in Leading Actor in

12155-679: The game. As a result, Molokov and Walter team up to get Freddie to personally persuade Anatoly and Florence, knowing that Freddie is vengeful toward Anatoly and interested in winning back the love of Florence; however, Freddie's attempts also fail ("The Deal"). Surprisingly, Svetlana and Florence end up bonding over their respective relationships with Anatoly. Florence ultimately admits that it would be best for Anatoly to return to his children and Svetlana, while Svetlana accepts that Anatoly has long fallen out of love with her ("I Know Him So Well"). Anatoly, meanwhile, follows an anonymous letter guiding him to Wat Pho , where Freddie appears to tell him that he

12298-450: The group, Rice agreed. He later wrote that he felt no reservations because "there is a sense of theatre in the ABBA style". With Vos also in attendance, Rice met with the two in Stockholm for the first time on 15 December 1981 in order to discuss the concept, and they quickly signed on to the project. All through 1982 and 1983, the three men worked on the music and lyrics. Rice would describe

12441-496: The later operas. F. C. Burnand wrote that he "was one of the most naturally comic little men I ever came across. He, too, was a first-rate practical musician.... As he was the most absurd person, so was he the very kindliest...." Fred's creation would serve as a model for the rest of the collaborators' works, and each of them has a crucial comic little man role, as Burnand had put it. The "patter" baritone (or "principal comedian", as these roles later were called) would often assume

12584-458: The leading role in Gilbert and Sullivan's comic operas, and was usually allotted the speedy patter songs . After the success of Trial by Jury , Gilbert and Sullivan were suddenly in demand to write more operas together. Over the next two years, Richard D'Oyly Carte and Carl Rosa were two of several theatrical managers who negotiated with the team but were unable to come to terms. Carte proposed

12727-466: The leading role, but her death in childbirth cancelled the project. Not long afterwards, Richard D'Oyly Carte was managing the Royalty Theatre and needed a short opera to be played as an afterpiece to Offenbach 's La Périchole . Carte knew about Gilbert's libretto for Rosa and suggested that Sullivan write a score for it. Gilbert read the piece to Sullivan in February 1875, and the composer

12870-415: The libretto of Princess Ida . Ida is the only Gilbert and Sullivan work with dialogue entirely in blank verse and is also the only one of their works in three acts. Lillian Russell had been engaged to create the title role, but Gilbert did not believe that she was dedicated enough, and when she missed a rehearsal, he dismissed her. Princess Ida was the first of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas that, by

13013-615: The lozenge idea and agreed to provide a libretto without any supernatural elements. The story focuses on a "cheap tailor", Ko-Ko, who is promoted to the position of Lord High Executioner of the town of Titipu. He loves his ward, Yum-Yum, but she loves a musician, who is really the son of the emperor of Japan (the Mikado) and who is in disguise to escape the attentions of the elderly and amorous Katisha. The Mikado has decreed that executions must resume without delay in Titipu. When news arrives that

13156-494: The many layered keyboard parts himself along with other basic work at their usual Polar Studios , and choral and orchestral work then recorded in London by The Ambrosian Singers along with the London Symphony Orchestra . The album was then sound-engineered and mixed back at Polar by longtime ABBA sound engineer Michael B. Tretow . The double LP , often referred to as a concept album or album musical ,

13299-627: The match. Florence and Anatoly are now openly lovers, and worry about Freddie's sudden reappearance as well as the impending arrival of Anatoly's estranged wife, Svetlana, from Russia ("One More Opponent" / "You and I"), which Anatoly suspects is part of Molokov's plan to shame him into returning to the Soviet Union. Molokov, meanwhile, has trained a new protégé, Leonid Viigand, to challenge, defeat, and humiliate Anatoly ("The Soviet Machine"). Walter, now Freddie's boss, manipulates Freddie into embarrassing Anatoly on live TV during an eventually heated interview between them ("The Interview"). Molokov, who indeed

13442-483: The middle class; improving public transport; and installation of street lighting, which made travel home from the theatre safer. The number of pianos manufactured in England doubled between 1870 and 1890 as more people began to play parlour music at home and more theatres and concert halls opened. In 1874, Gilbert wrote a short libretto on commission from producer-conductor Carl Rosa , whose wife would have played

13585-481: The mob of reporters ambush Anatoly and ask why he is deserting his country ("Anatoly and the Press"), he tells them that he will never truly leave his homeland. ("Anthem"). A year later, Anatoly is set to defend his championship in Bangkok, Thailand ("Golden Bangkok"). Freddie is already there, chatting up locals and experiencing the Bangkok nightlife ("One Night in Bangkok"); he is Global TV's official commentator for

13728-417: The mood of particular songs he wanted, then Andersson and Ulvaeus would write and record the music and send the tapes to Rice, who would then write lyrics to fit the music, and send the resulting tapes back to Andersson and Ulvaeus and so on. Some of the songs on the resulting album contained elements of music Andersson and Ulvaeus had previously written for ABBA. For example, the chorus of "I Know Him So Well"

13871-430: The musical provoked an overall mixed to favourable verdict from the critics and, according to Variety , created "one of the bigger West End mob scenes in recent memory". Most of the naysaying notices had comments ranging from "far too long" and "shallow, improbable story masquerading as a serious musical" from The Sunday Times to The Guardian 's conclusion that, "A musical is only as good as its book , and here one

14014-429: The musical, but has since been also included in productions and recordings otherwise adhering to the British version. Its placement varies; this is the placement used by the 2008 Royal Albert Hall concert. After the West End production, the creative team decided to reimagine the show from the top down, leading to a second major stage version of the musical intended for American audiences, with considerable differences from

14157-543: The new technology in Pinafore in 1878, only two years after the device was invented and before London even had telephone service. Sullivan had one installed as well, and on 13 May 1883, at a party to celebrate the composer's 41st birthday, the guests, including the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII ), heard a direct relay of parts of Iolanthe from the Savoy. This was probably the first live "broadcast" of an opera. During

14300-673: The next opera must be a grand opera . Gilbert did not feel that he could write a grand opera libretto, but he offered a compromise that Sullivan eventually accepted. The two would write a light opera for the Savoy, and at the same time, Sullivan a grand opera ( Ivanhoe ) for a new theatre that Carte was constructing to present British opera. After a brief impasse over the choice of subject, Sullivan accepted an idea connected with Venice and Venetian life, as "this seemed to me to hold out great chances of bright colour and taking music." The Gondoliers (1889) takes place partly in Venice and partly in

14443-426: The next opera, Utopia, Limited . Press accounts were almost entirely favourable. The Illustrated London News reported: Chess (musical) Chess is a musical with music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of the pop group ABBA , lyrics by Ulvaeus and Tim Rice , and book by Rice. The story involves a politically driven, Cold War -era chess tournament between two grandmasters , one American and

14586-555: The opera. In 1880, Sullivan's cantata The Martyr of Antioch premiered at the Leeds Triennial Music Festival , with a libretto adapted by Sullivan and Gilbert from an 1822 epic poem by Henry Hart Milman concerning the 3rd-century martyrdom of St. Margaret of Antioch . Sullivan became the conductor of the Leeds festival beginning in 1880 and conducted the performance. The Carl Rosa Opera Company staged

14729-459: The origins of the game of chess ("Story of Chess") before announcing the location of the upcoming world chess championship : Merano , Italy. As the townsfolk prepare for the occasion ("Merano"), the current world champion, Freddie Trumper of the United States, arrives with his second and presumed lover: Hungarian-born, English-raised Florence Vassy ("Freddie's Entrance"). Florence confronts Freddie about his brash behavior and rocky relationship with

14872-472: The other Soviet, and their fight over a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other. Although the protagonists were not intended to represent any real individuals, the character of the American grandmaster (named Freddie Trumper in the stage version) was loosely based on Bobby Fischer , while elements of the story may have been inspired by the chess careers of Russian grandmasters Viktor Korchnoi and Anatoly Karpov . Chess allegorically reflected

15015-419: The partnership's longest-running hit, enjoying 672 performances at the Savoy Theatre, and surpassing the runs of Pinafore and Patience . It remains the most frequently performed Savoy Opera. It has been translated into numerous languages and is one of the most frequently played musical theatre pieces in history. Ruddigore (1887), a topsy-turvy take on Victorian melodrama , was less successful than most of

15158-506: The partnership's previous standards, was not a success. A particularly hot summer in London did not help ticket sales. The piece ran for a comparatively short 246 performances and was not revived in London until 1919. Sullivan had been satisfied with the libretto, but two months after Ida opened, Sullivan told Carte that "it is impossible for me to do another piece of the character of those already written by Gilbert and myself." As Princess Ida showed signs of flagging, Carte realised that, for

15301-606: The performers, writing their operas for ensemble casts rather than individual stars. The repertory system ensured that the comic patter character who performed the role of the sorcerer, John Wellington Wells, would become the ruler of the Queen's navy as Sir Joseph Porter in H.M.S. Pinafore , then join the army as Major-General Stanley in The Pirates of Penzance , and so on. Similarly, Mrs. Partlet in The Sorcerer transformed into Little Buttercup in Pinafore , then into Ruth,

15444-647: The piratical maid-of-all-work in Pirates . Relatively unknown performers whom Gilbert and Sullivan engaged early in the collaboration would stay with the company for many years, becoming stars of the Victorian stage. These included George Grossmith , the principal comic; Rutland Barrington , the lyric baritone; Richard Temple , the bass-baritone; and Jessie Bond , the mezzo-soprano soubrette . The Pirates of Penzance (New Year's Eve, 1879) also poked fun at grand opera conventions, sense of duty, family obligation,

15587-533: The political machinations of the 1972 " Match of the Century " between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky . However, by the time Rice wanted to begin work on the musical in early 1979, Lloyd Webber was unavailable, as he was already at work on his next musical, Cats . Subsequently, American producer Richard Vos suggested to Rice to work with Andersson and Ulvaeus instead, knowing that they were looking to develop and produce projects outside of ABBA. An ardent fan of

15730-685: The politics of the tournament until he viciously turns the argument toward her missing father, believed captured or killed by Soviet forces during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution ("1956: Budapest is Rising"). She laments the situation alone ("Nobody's Side") before heading off to the Merano Mountain Inn for the reconciliatory meeting she has scheduled between Freddie and Anatoly ("Der Kleine Franz"). Freddie does not immediately turn up, though, leaving Anatoly and Florence awkwardly alone together; however, they eventually embrace as romantic feelings arise before being finally interrupted by Freddie, who

15873-469: The pop bases", Kurt Ganzl 's Blackwell Guide to the Musical Theatre on Record telling readers about the "thrilling exposition of an exciting piece of modern musical theater occurring before the event" and Time declaring that the "rock-symphonic synthesis [was] ripe with sophistication and hummable tunes". The album became a Top 10 hit in the UK, West Germany and South Africa, reached #47 on

16016-413: The press ("Commie Newspapers"), which immediately gets out of hand when he assaults a journalist who questions his relationship with Florence ("Press Conference"). Meanwhile, Freddie's Soviet Russian challenger, Anatoly Sergievsky, argues with his own second, the scheming Molokov ("Anatoly and Molokov"). Afterwards, in private, Anatoly cynically reflects on the selling out of his dreams to get to where he

16159-533: The production with no return, staged a public fracas, sending a group of thugs to seize the scenery during a performance. Stagehands managed to ward off their backstage attackers. This event cleared the way for Carte, in alliance with Gilbert and Sullivan, to form the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, which then produced all their succeeding operas. The libretto of H.M.S. Pinafore relied on stock character types, many of which were familiar from European opera (and some of which grew out of Gilbert's earlier association with

16302-498: The public." Setting the opera in Japan, an exotic locale far away from Britain, allowed Gilbert and Sullivan to satirise British politics and institutions more freely by clothing them in superficial Japanese trappings. Gilbert wrote, "The Mikado of the opera was an imaginary monarch of a remote period and cannot by any exercise of ingenuity be taken to be a slap on an existing institution." G. K. Chesterton compared it to Swift 's Gulliver's Travels : "Gilbert pursued and persecuted

16445-577: The richest, most exciting scores heard on Broadway in years ... Sadly, the music has been encumbered with an overwritten book and an uninspired staging ... Truly, this is a score to be treasured, held ransom by a questionable book and production". All critics agreed, though, on the three leading performances by Judy Kuhn , David Carroll and Philip Casnoff . They were showered with praise – "splendid and gallant" ( Newsweek ), "powerful singers" ( The New York Times ), "remarkably fine" ( New York Post ) – especially Kuhn, whose performance Variety called

16588-435: The run of Iolanthe , in 1883, Sullivan was knighted by Queen Victoria . Although it was the operas with Gilbert that had earned him the broadest fame, the honour was conferred for his services to serious music. The musical establishment, and many critics, believed that this should put an end to his career as a composer of comic opera – that a musical knight should not stoop below oratorio or grand opera . Sullivan, despite

16731-533: The score (Frank Rich noted in his book Hot Seat that "the score retains its devoted fans"), while Nelson's book received more mixed notices. Many attempts were made to fix the Broadway version's perceived problems. In 2001, in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle , Tim Rice admitted that after the "comparative failure of Chess, his all-time favourite, he became disillusioned with theatre." He commented, "It may sound arrogant, but Chess

16874-471: The show instead, although the basics of the mammoth set design were still present in the final production. These included three video walls , the main of which featured commentary from chess master William Hartston , and appearances from various BBC newsreaders rounding out the package. Costs were estimated at up to $ 12 million. The London version expanded the storyline of the concept album, adding considerable new recitative . The three principal singers from

17017-494: The show, noted: "The musical had been playing to about 80 percent capacity, which is considered good, but about 50 percent of the audience have held special, half-priced tickets. If we filled the house at 100 percent at half price, we'd go broke and I haven't seen any surge of tourist business yet this season. The show needs a $ 350,000 weekly gross to break even, but only a few weeks since its April 28 opening have reached that.... You have to consider what your grosses are going to be in

17160-429: The songs "One Night in Bangkok", "Nobody's Side", "The Arbiter", and the ballads "I Know Him So Well" and "Pity the Child", featuring the performers from the album, directed by David G Hillier and produced by Nick Maingay. These were released together in a VHS video entitled Chess Moves . The original concept album received critical accolades, with Rolling Stone raving that the "dazzling score covers nearly all

17303-566: The sudden failure was due to a $ 1.7 million loss on an adaptation of Disney 's musical Tarzan in partnership with Theater of the Stars in Atlanta . Miller called legal action against Theater of the Stars "likely" and claimed that money given to Theater of the Stars by AMTSJ for Tarzan was diverted for other purposes. Company assets were auctioned the last week of February 2009. Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan refers to

17446-470: The team. Gilbert and Sullivan scored their first international hit with H.M.S. Pinafore (1878), satirising the rise of unqualified people to positions of authority and poking good-natured fun at the Royal Navy and the English obsession with social status (building on a theme introduced in The Sorcerer , love between members of different social classes). As with many of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas,

17589-514: The tournament's money-making opportunities ("Merchandisers"); the American and Soviet delegates each vowing their side will win ("Diplomats"); and the beginning of the tournament's first round ("Chess #1"). When Anatoly begins eating yogurt during the match, Freddie accuses him of cheating before storming out of the arena, leaving Florence to negotiate with the tournament's Arbiter, Molokov, and Anatoly, eventually promising to retrieve Freddie ("Quartet"). Florence later scolds Freddie, and they fight about

17732-471: The treatment of the woodwind compel admiring attention. Schubert himself could hardly have handled those instruments more deftly, written for them more lovingly.... We place the songs and choruses in The Yeomen of the Guard before all his previous efforts of this particular kind. Thus the music follows the book to a higher plane, and we have a genuine English opera.... Yeomen was a hit, running for over

17875-420: The two first collaborated, Gilbert continued to write humorous verse, stories and plays, including the comic operas Our Island Home (1870) and A Sensation Novel (1871), and the blank verse comedies The Princess (1870), The Palace of Truth (1870) and Pygmalion and Galatea (1871). Sullivan was born in London on 13 May 1842. His father was a military bandmaster, and by the time Arthur had reached

18018-415: The work and both Gilbert and, especially, Sullivan: "Sir Arthur Sullivan has eminently succeeded alike in the expression of refined sentiment and comic humour. In the former respect, the charm of graceful melody prevails; while, in the latter, the music of the most grotesque situations is redolent of fun." Further changes were made, including a new overture, when Rupert D'Oyly Carte revived Ruddigore after

18161-530: The world's first public building) to be lit entirely by electric lighting. Patience moved into the Savoy after six months at the Opera Comique and ran for a total of 578 performances, surpassing the run of H.M.S. Pinafore . Iolanthe (1882) was the first of the operas to open at the Savoy. The fully electric Savoy made possible numerous special effects, such as sparkling magic wands for the female chorus of fairies. The opera poked fun at English law and

18304-611: The younger Gilbert began writing illustrated stories, poems and articles of his own, many of which would later be mined as inspiration for his plays and operas, particularly Gilbert's series of illustrated poems, the Bab Ballads . In the Bab Ballads and his early plays, Gilbert developed a unique "topsy-turvy" style in which humour was derived by setting up a ridiculous premise and working out its logical consequences, however absurd. Director and playwright Mike Leigh described

18447-492: Was Cox and Box (1866), written with the librettist F. C. Burnand for an informal gathering of friends. Public performance followed, with W. S. Gilbert (then writing dramatic criticism for the magazine Fun ) saying that Sullivan's score "is, in many places, of too high a class for the grotesquely absurd plot to which it is wedded." Nonetheless, it proved highly successful, and is still regularly performed today. Sullivan and Burnand's second opera, The Contrabandista (1867)

18590-559: Was a Cockney businessman who happened to be a sorcerer, a purveyor of blessings (not much called for) and curses (very popular). Gilbert and Sullivan were tireless taskmasters, seeing to it that The Sorcerer (1877) opened as a fully polished production, in marked contrast to the under-rehearsed Thespis . While The Sorcerer won critical acclaim, it did not duplicate the success of Trial by Jury . Nevertheless, it ran for more than six months, and Carte and his syndicate were sufficiently encouraged to commission another full-length opera from

18733-530: Was another big success with both critics and audiences. Gilbert, Sullivan and Carte tried for many years to control the American performance copyrights over their operas, without success. Nevertheless, Pirates was a hit both in New York, again spawning numerous imitators, and then in London, and it became one of the most frequently performed, translated and parodied Gilbert and Sullivan works, also enjoying successful 1981 Broadway and 1982 West End revivals by Joseph Papp that continue to influence productions of

18876-427: Was based on the chorus of "I Am An A", a song from their 1977 tour, while the chorus of "Anthem" used the chord structures from the guitar solo from their 1980 ABBA song " Our Last Summer ". Ulvaeus would also provide dummy lyrics to emphasise the rhythmic patterns of the music, and since Rice found a number of these "embarrassingly good" as they were, incorporated a few in the final version. The most well known example

19019-400: Was cemented, and each opera would make use of these stock character types. Before The Sorcerer , Gilbert had constructed his plays around the established stars of whatever theatre he happened to be writing for, as had been the case with Thespis and Trial by Jury . Building on the team he had assembled for The Sorcerer , Gilbert no longer hired stars; he created them. He and Sullivan selected

19162-405: Was decided to release the music as an album before any stage productions were undertaken, a strategy that had proven successful with Rice's two previous musicals, Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita . Owing in part to the different countries in which the lyricist and composers resided, recording on the album musical of Chess began in Stockholm in early November 1983, with Andersson recording

19305-548: Was delayed when the interior ceiling of the Community Theatre collapsed, closing the building for three years for repairs. In 1975, SJMT finally debuted at the Center for Performing Arts with Guys and Dolls . That same year, SJMT began to contract much more Equity talent, including stars like Michele Lee , Tommy Tune , JoAnne Worley , Theodore Bikel , and Tyne Daly . The influx of Equity actors forced SJMT to begin

19448-401: Was delighted with it; Trial by Jury was composed and staged in a matter of weeks. The piece is one of Gilbert's humorous spoofs of the law and the legal profession, based on his short experience as a barrister . It concerns a breach of promise of marriage suit. The defendant argues that damages should be slight, since "he is such a very bad lot," while the plaintiff argues that she loves

19591-414: Was in disrepute. Gilbert helped to reform and elevate the respectability of the theatre, especially beginning with his six short family-friendly comic operas, or " entertainments ", for Thomas German Reed . At a rehearsal for one of these entertainments, Ages Ago , in 1870, the composer Frederic Clay introduced Gilbert to his friend, the young composer Arthur Sullivan . Over the next year, before

19734-468: Was not as successful. In 1871, producer John Hollingshead brought Gilbert and Sullivan together to produce a Christmas entertainment, Thespis , at his Gaiety Theatre , a large West End house. The piece was an extravaganza in which the classical Greek gods, grown elderly, are temporarily replaced by a troupe of 19th-century actors and actresses, one of whom is the eponymous Thespis , the Greek father of

19877-568: Was performed at the Crystal Palace in 1862 and was an immediate sensation. He began building a reputation as England's most promising young composer, composing a symphony, a concerto, and several overtures, among them the Overture di Ballo , in 1870. His early major works for the voice included The Masque at Kenilworth (1864); an oratorio , The Prodigal Son (1869); and a dramatic cantata , On Shore and Sea (1871). He composed

20020-497: Was released worldwide in the autumn of 1984 by RCA Records . Liner notes included with the album featured a basic synopsis of the story in multiple languages along with song lyrics and numerous photos. The music on the album was described by The New York Times as "a sumptuously recorded... grandiose pastiche that touches half a dozen bases, from Gilbert and Sullivan to late Rodgers and Hammerstein , from Italian opera to trendy synthesizer-based pop, all of it lavishly arranged for

20163-576: Was something new to many actors of the day. Sullivan personally oversaw the musical preparation. The result was a crispness and polish new to the English musical theatre. Jessie Bond wrote later: H.M.S. Pinafore ran in London for 571 performances, an exceptional run for the period. Hundreds of unauthorised, or "pirated", productions of Pinafore appeared in America. During the run of Pinafore , Richard D'Oyly Carte split up with his former investors. The disgruntled former partners, who had invested in

20306-417: Was the booking manager for Oscar Wilde , a then lesser-known proponent of aestheticism, and dispatched him on an American lecture tour in conjunction with the opera's U.S. run, so that American audiences might better understand what the satire was all about. During the run of Patience , Carte built the large, modern Savoy Theatre , which became the partnership's permanent home. It was the first theatre (and

20449-451: Was working out new financial terms with Global TV ("Mountain Duet"). The chess match proceeds. Distracted by the loss of Florence's love, however, Freddie flounders, leaving himself just one more loss away from losing his title ("Chess #2"). Due to Freddie's atrocious attitude, Florence finally deserts him ("Florence Quits"), whereby Freddie ponders how his unhappy childhood left him the man he

#67932