53-576: The Fortune Hunter is a drama in three acts by W. S. Gilbert . The piece concerns an heiress who loses her fortune. Her shallow husband sues to annul the marriage, leaving her pregnant and taking up with a wealthy former lover. The piece was produced on tour in Britain in 1897, never playing in London. Gilbert was the librettist of the extraordinarily successful Savoy operas , written in collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan . Their last work together
106-530: A German-style casino. The initial casino opened in La Condamine in 1862, but was unsuccessful. It relocated several times, before reaching its present location in the "Les Spélugues" (The Caves) area of Monte Carlo. Success came slowly, largely because Monaco was inaccessible from much of Europe. The railway, installed in 1868, brought with it an influx of people, and Monte Carlo grew in wealth. Saint-Charles Church on Monte Carlo's Avenue Sainte-Charles
159-592: 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. The following table lists the known companion pieces that appeared at the Opera Comique or the Savoy Theatre during the original runs and principal revivals of the Savoy Operas through 1909. There may have been more such pieces that have not yet been identified. In
212-551: A comic opera librettist in collaboration with Sir Arthur Sullivan, Mr. Gilbert returned to serious play writing only to score a failure. His new comedy, The Fortune Hunter , which was tried upon the Birmingham public, has fallen flat. The critics are unanimous in their verdict that the play lacks the elements of strength and popularity and that no amount of carpentering, tinkering, or revising could infuse life into it. This after Mr. Gilbert had announced, seemingly without thought of
265-878: A number of cases, the exact opening and closing dates are not known. Date ranges overlap, since it was common to rotate two or more companion pieces at performances during the same period to be played with the main piece. Many of these pieces also played elsewhere (and often on tour by D'Oyly Carte touring companies). Only the runs at the Opera Comique and the Savoy are shown here. *Indicates an approximate date. Monte Carlo Monte Carlo ( / ˌ m ɒ n t i ˈ k ɑːr l oʊ / MON -tee KAR -loh , Italian: [ˈmonte ˈkarlo] ; French : Monte-Carlo , French: [mɔ̃te kaʁlo] ; or colloquially Monte-Carl , French: [mɔ̃te kaʁl] ; Monégasque : Munte Carlu , Ligurian: [ˈmuŋte ˈkaɾlu] ; lit. ' Mount Charles ' )
318-498: A performance by Sarah Bernhardt dressed as a nymph. The first opera performed there was Robert Planquette 's Le Chevalier Gaston on 8 February 1879, and that was followed by three more in the first season. Other famous twentieth-century singers to appear at Monte Carlo included Titta Ruffo , Geraldine Farrar , Mary Garden , Tito Schipa , Beniamino Gigli , Claudia Muzio , Georges Thill , and Lily Pons . The Hôtel de Paris, established in 1864 by Charles III of Monaco ,
371-784: A strong-willed Australian heiress named Diana Caverel. Diana rejects Sir Cuthbert's proposal, calling him "the best, the truest, the most valued friend I have ever possessed." The Duke and Duchess of Dundee board, preceded by their courier, Barker. Two snobbish British tourists, Mr. and Mrs. Coxe-Coxe, eagerly greet Barker, thinking that he is the Duke. They lend him money to gamble under his infallible system. Euphemia sees Armand and apologises for having ill-treated him. After she leaves, he proposes to Diana, and she accepts. One year later, in Paris at Armand's flat, Armand discovers that Diana has no more fortune. In debt, Armand asks Lachaud, his lawyer, to annul
424-876: Is a popular tax haven for many tennis professionals and home to many active and retired athletes. Monte Carlo is host to most of the Circuit de Monaco , on which the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix takes place. It also hosts world championship boxing bouts, the European Poker Tour Grand Final and the World Backgammon Championship as well as the Monaco International Auto Show (Fr: Salon International de l'Automobile de Monaco ), fashion shows and other events. Although
477-576: Is an official administrative area of Monaco , specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to a larger district, the Monte Carlo Quarter (corresponding to the former municipality of Monte Carlo), which besides Monte Carlo/Spélugues also includes the wards of La Rousse/Saint Roman , Larvotto/Bas Moulins and Saint Michel . The permanent population of
530-581: Is derived from the Savoy Theatre , which impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte built to house the Gilbert and Sullivan pieces, and later those by other composer–librettist teams. The great bulk of the non-G&S Savoy Operas either failed to achieve a foothold in the standard repertory, or have faded over the years, leaving the term "Savoy Opera" as practically synonymous with Gilbert and Sullivan. The Savoy operas (in both senses) were seminal influences on
583-578: Is divided into 9 wards, which are grouped into 4 quartiers. The quarter of Monte Carlo was served by tramways from 1898 to 1931. It linked all parts of Monaco ( see transportation in Monaco ). In 2003 a new cruise ship pier was completed in the harbour at Monte Carlo. Monte Carlo has an area of 28.14 hectares (or 0.28 square kilometers ) and faces the Mediterranean Sea , bordered to the west by Ravin de Sainte-Dévote and La Condamine, and to
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#1732787723332636-661: Is his manner but not his wit, his lyrical fluency but not his charm. ... [For] the most part, the lyrics were uninspiring and the melodies uninspired. Isaac Goldberg added, "the old self-censorship [had] relaxed". By March 1897, Gilbert was ready to get back to work. He suggested to producer Richard D’Oyly Carte and his wife Helen Carte that he write a libretto for a new comic opera based on his earlier play, The Wicked World . Carte declined this offer, but years later, Gilbert followed through on this idea in Fallen Fairies . A revival of Gilbert's comic opera Princess Toto
689-513: Is in Naples. Diana believes that Armand is having an affair with the Duchess. Sir Cuthbert doubts that Euphemia would take up with a married man, but Diana notes that the Duchess might not know of Armand's marriage; indeed his own parents have only just been informed of it. The Marquis and Marquise de Breville, Armand's parents, appear and question Diana. They are shocked to find out that her father
742-783: Is located on the west side of the Place du Casino in the heart of Monte Carlo. It belongs to the Société des bains de mer de Monaco (SBM), and is part of the elite Palace Grand Hotels in Monaco with the Hotel Hermitage , the Monte-Carlo Beach Hotel , Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort , the Hotel Metropole and Fairmont hotel. The hotel has 106 rooms divided into four groups based on type of view, decoration and luxury. The Exclusive City View offers 20 rooms,
795-494: Is made to grapple with its inherent difficulties. To the question, "What has caused the train to be so late?" the officials reply, "It is Saturday" – as who should say, "It is an earthquake." Savoy operas Savoy opera was 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
848-462: The London and North Western Railway . The Fortune Hunter may be little remembered today, but the letter is frequently quoted: In the face of Saturday the officials and the [railway] company stand helpless and appalled. This day, which recurs at stated and well-ascertained intervals, is treated as a phenomenon entirely outside the ordinary operations of nature and, as a consequence, no attempt whatever
901-657: The Monte Carlo Masters tennis tournament is billed as taking place in the community, its actual location is in the adjacent French commune of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin . The Monte Carlo Rally is one of the longest running and most respected car rallies ; from 1973 to 2008 and again from 2012, it marks the start of World Rally Championship season, having also served as the curtain-raiser for the Intercontinental Rally Challenge between 2009 and 2011. The rally, however, takes place outside
954-567: The Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort . At the quarter's eastern border, one crosses into the French town of Beausoleil (sometimes referred to as Monte-Carlo-Supérieur), and 8 kilometres (5 mi) to its east is the western border of Italy . In 1856, Charles III of Monaco granted a concession to Napoleon Langlois and Albert Aubert , to establish a sea-bathing facility for the treatment of various diseases, and to build
1007-629: The Penguin Opera Guides and many other general music dictionaries and encyclopedias classify the Gilbert and Sullivan works as operettas. Gilbert and Sullivan's early operas played at other London theatres, and Patience (1881) was the first opera to appear at the Savoy Theatre, and thus, in a strict sense, the first true "Savoy Opera", although the term "Savoy Opera" has, for over a century, referred to all thirteen operas that Gilbert and Sullivan wrote for Richard D'Oyly Carte. During
1060-672: The Prince's Palace , all of which are in Monaco-Ville . The Opéra de Monte-Carlo or Salle Garnier was built to designs of the architect Charles Garnier , who also designed the Paris opera house now known as the Palais Garnier . Although much smaller, the Salle Garnier is very similar in style with decorations in red and gold, and frescoes and sculptures all around the auditorium. It was inaugurated on 25 January 1879 with
1113-504: The Theatre Royal, Birmingham , the play opened on 27 September 1897. The first-night audience was enthusiastic, but the play's tragic ending, as well as Gilbert's treatment of Diana and his familiar theme of "woman victimized by man's double standards" (compare Charity ), together with his old-fashioned style, dissatisfied the critics. Despite a fine production with "exquisite costumes" and excellent acting from Fortescue and others,
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#17327877233321166-617: The gambling center ... that has made Monte Carlo an international byword for the extravagant display and reckless dispersal of wealth". It is also the location of the Hôtel de Paris , Café de Paris and Salle Garnier (the casino theatre which is the home of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo ). The quarter's eastern part includes the community of Larvotto with Monaco's only public beach, as well as its new convention center (the Grimaldi Forum ), and
1219-439: The 1871 opera Thespis – was not a Savoy Opera under any of the definitions mentioned to this point, as Richard D'Oyly Carte did not produce it, nor was it ever performed at the Savoy Theatre. Nevertheless, Rollins & Witts include it in their compendium of the Savoy Operas, as does Geoffrey Smith . The Oxford English Dictionary defines the phrase as: "Designating any of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas originally presented at
1272-442: The Duchess's villa, six months later, Euphemia decides to leave the Duke and return to America to marry Armand. Mr. and Mrs. Coxe-Coxe arrive, demanding the return of the money that they had lent to the "Duke". They are about to be arrested, but Armand explains that Barker, the person to whom they entrusted the money, was actually the Duke's courier. Armand now tells Euphemia that he is married. Although he had begun proceedings to annul
1325-598: The Monte Carlo quarter and is run mostly on French roads. Monte Carlo has been visited by royalty as well as the public and movie stars for decades. Monte Carlo is one of Europe's leading tourist resorts , although many of the key tourist destinations are in other parts of Monaco, including such attractions as Monaco Cathedral , the Napoleon Museum , the Oceanographic Museum and aquarium, and
1378-402: The Savoy Theatre in London by the D'Oyly Carte company. Also used more generally to designate any of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, including those first presented before the Savoy Theatre opened in 1881, or to designate any comic opera of a similar style which appeared at the theatre". The following table shows all of the full-length operas that could be considered "Savoy Operas" under any of
1431-624: The Superior Courtyard has 29 large rooms, the Exclusive Sea View 59 and the Exclusive Casino has six. Additionally, there are 74 suites and junior suites which are grouped similarly, offering more luxury than the rooms. There are single and double suites as well as courtyard junior suites and Sea/Casino Junior suites. There is also one Presidential suite. In October 2014, a renovation project began, to create
1484-519: The creation of the modern musical . Gilbert, Sullivan, Carte and other Victorian era British composers, librettists and producers, as well as the contemporary British press and literature, called works of this kind "comic operas" to distinguish their content and style from that of the often risqué continental European operettas that they wished to displace. Most of the published literature on Gilbert and Sullivan since that time refers to these works as "Savoy Operas", " comic operas ", or both. However,
1537-466: The day. Gilbert also declared that he was retiring from writing for the stage (although he eventually wrote a further four stage works). As soon as Gilbert found out about the Despatch article, he denied that the paper had quoted him correctly. Nevertheless, the press tore into him. For example, The New York Times reported Gilbert as saying: "London critics attack an author as if he was a scoundrel of
1590-419: The definitions mentioned above. Only first runs are shown. Curtain-raisers and afterpieces that played with the Savoy Operas are included in the next table below. The fashion in the late Victorian era and Edwardian era was to present long evenings in the theatre, and so full-length pieces were often presented together with companion pieces. During the original runs of the Savoy Operas, each full-length work
1643-439: The east by La Rousse and Larvotto. Monte Carlo has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate ( Köppen climate classification : Csa), which is influenced by oceanic climate and humid subtropical climate . As a result, it has warm, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. Monte Carlo is home to an ATP Masters 1000 tennis tournament during the clay court season usually played during the end of March through mid to late April. Monte Carlo
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1696-527: The last Savoy Operas. Fitz-Gerald wrote his book, The Story of the Savoy Opera , in 1924, when these other pieces were still within living memory. But over the ensuing decades, the works produced at the Savoy by composers and librettists other than Gilbert and Sullivan were forgotten or infrequently revived. The term "Savoy Opera" came to be synonymous with the thirteen extant works of Gilbert and Sullivan. The first collaboration of Gilbert and Sullivan –
1749-781: The last of the Savoy Operas. After A Princess of Kensington closed in May 1903, Mrs. Carte leased the theatre to unrelated parties until late 1906, when she produced the first of her two seasons of G&S revivals in repertory at the Savoy, with Gilbert returning to direct. In March 1909, Charles H. Workman leased the theatre, producing three new pieces, including one by Gilbert, Fallen Fairies (music by Edward German). The last of these Workman-produced works came in early 1910, Two Merry Monarchs , by Arthur Anderson , George Levy, and Hartley Carrick, with music by Orlando Morgan . The contemporary press referred to these works as "Savoy Operas", and S. J. Adair Fitz-Gerald regarded Workman's pieces as
1802-473: The later ones, did not. After his 1888 flop, Brantinghame Hall , Gilbert vowed never to write another serious drama again. The last of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas was The Grand Duke , opening in March 1896. This was the least successful of them, running for only 123 performances at the Savoy Theatre . H. M. Walbrook suggested the reason for this, writing, "It reads like the work of a tired man. ... There
1855-534: The many critics in attendance panned the piece. Nevertheless, the play did good business at the box office in Birmingham. After the short Birmingham run, as the play was moving to the Theatre Royal in Edinburgh, Gilbert gave an interview to a reporter from the Evening Despatch . The reporter, through a series of leading questions, made it seem that Gilbert had insulted various leading actor-managers of
1908-402: The marriage, he is having second thoughts and plans to halt the proceedings. The Duchess agrees to pay Armand's debts, although she is naturally upset. Diana arrives, and Armand discovers that she has given birth to their son. She appeals to him to stop the annulment so that their child will not suffer the stigma of bastardy . Overwhelmed by his emotions, he assures her that he is moving to halt
1961-480: The marriage. Armand, seeing an opportunity, challenges Sir Cuthbert to a duel, saying that he is insulted by the accusation. Sir Cuthbert resists, but Armand enrages his friend by suggesting that it is inappropriate for Sir Cuthbert to have accompanied Diana. As they begin the duel, Armand intentionally steps into Sir Cuthbert's blade. As he dies, he declares that he himself, not Sir Cuthbert, caused his death. He asks Sir Cuthbert to care for Diana. Originally produced at
2014-521: The marriage. Under the French Civil Code, a man under the age of 25 required parental consent to marry, and Armand had only been 24. Armand goes to Naples, but says to Diana that if anything should happen to leave her "husbandless", he is "not worth weeping for." Diana loves Armand passionately. She has been worried about whether Armand loves her and feels that this statement means that he does. Sir Cuthbert then appears and mentions that Euphemia
2067-439: The nexus of Carte and the Savoy Theatre is used to define "Savoy Opera," then the last new Savoy Opera was The Rose of Persia (music by Sullivan, libretto by Basil Hood ), which ran from 28 November 1899 – 28 June 1900. After Carte's death, his wife Helen Carte assumed management of the theatre. In 1901, she produced Sullivan's last opera, The Emerald Isle (finished after Sullivan's death by Edward German ), and during
2120-457: The piece are based on an 1869 Bab Ballad , "Prince Il Baleine". Aboard the ship Africa , Vicomte Armand De Breville, a young and impoverished French aristocrat, is fencing with his friend Sir Cuthbert Jameson. Armand had, some time earlier, proposed marriage to a crude but wealthy American woman, Euphemia Van Zyl, but she instead married the elderly Duke of Dundee. Sir Cuthbert and Armand are both now romantically interested in another passenger,
2173-455: The possibility of failure, that he had resolved to forswear comic opera for more important work. Now it is being recalled that he promised his public, after the disastrous Brantinghame Hall , that he would never repeat the offense. Subsequent press criticism of The Fortune Hunter was heavy. The play continued to tour for a while, and Gilbert tried several cuts and minor rewrites, but reviews continued to be poor. Because of its lack of success in
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2226-483: The proceedings and begs her to take him back. No longer in love with him, she haughtily rejects him and departs. Armand asks Lachaud to stop the application, but the lawyer says that it is too late. The only way to interrupt the proceeding is if Armand dies. He tries to poison himself, but Lachaud prevents him. Sir Cuthbert arrives and angrily accuses Armand of lying in the letter about his parents' intention to annul his marriage. He proposes to settle Armand's debts to save
2279-428: The provinces, the play never opened in London and ultimately failed. In 1906 and afterwards for several years, Gilbert worked on The Fortune Hunter , rewriting it under different titles, but he did not succeed in reviving interest in the play. The same day that the play opened in Birmingham, coincidentally, Gilbert wrote a letter to The Times (published the following day) complaining about Saturday train service on
2332-415: The run of that opera, she hired William Greet as manager of the theatre. Later that year, she leased the theatre to Greet, who then produced Ib and Little Christina , The Willow Pattern , a revival of Iolanthe , Merrie England (1902) and A Princess of Kensington (1903), each with a cast made up largely of Carte's Savoy company. Cyril Rollins and R. John Witts adopt A Princess of Kensington as
2385-575: The second table below), the G&;S operas were the only works produced at the Savoy Theatre from the date it opened (10 October 1881) until The Gondoliers closed on 20 June 1891. Over the next decade, there were only two new G&S pieces ( Utopia Limited and The Grand Duke ), both of which had comparatively brief runs. To fill the gap, Carte mounted G&S revivals, Sullivan operas with different librettists, and works by other composer–librettist teams. Richard D'Oyly Carte died on 3 April 1901. If
2438-549: The ward of Monte Carlo is about 3,500, while that of the quarter is about 15,000. Monaco has four traditional quarters. From west to east they are: Fontvieille (the newest), Monaco-Ville (the oldest), La Condamine , and Monte Carlo. Monte Carlo is situated on a prominent escarpment at the base of the Maritime Alps along the French Riviera . Near the quarter's western end is the "world-famous Place du Casino,
2491-516: The worst type, and I do not feel disposed to put myself forward as a cock-shy for these gentlemen... The fact is, managers cannot judge of a play when they see it in manuscript. If Pinero sends Irving a play, it is accepted not because it is a good play but because it is by Pinero, and if a stranger, though a clever dramatist, sends Irving or Tree , or anyone else, a play it is refused, however good, because they cannot judge of it." The paper continued: After so many years of distinguished successes as
2544-472: The years when the Gilbert and Sullivan ("G&S") operas were being written, Richard D'Oyly Carte also produced, at the Savoy Theatre, operas by other composer–librettist teams, either as curtain raisers to the G&S pieces, or to fill the theatre when no G&S piece was available. To his contemporaries, the term "Savoy Opera" referred to any opera that appeared at that theatre, regardless of who wrote it. Aside from curtain raisers (which are listed in
2597-543: Was The Grand Duke , produced in 1896. Gilbert's later dramas were mostly unsuccessful, and The Fortune Hunter was no exception; its poor reception provoked Gilbert to announce retiring from writing for the stage. Beginning in 1871, Gilbert and Sullivan wrote fourteen comic operas together. Most of these were tremendously popular, both in London and on tour. Their success eclipsed Gilbert's playwriting career, during which he produced dozens of plays. While many of his comedies enjoyed success, some of his dramas, particularly
2650-539: Was a mere merchant and state that they would have forbidden the marriage, noting that Armand was underage. A letter arrives from Armand, also stating that he was underage at the time of the wedding, and informing Diana that he is moving to annul the marriage. However, this has the unintended effect of angering Armand's parents, who balk at his dishonourable actions and state that they would not do anything to harm Diana's reputation. They declare that they will disown Armand and welcome Diana as their daughter. In Monte Carlo at
2703-590: Was also briefly considered, but Gilbert balked at Carte's suggested revisions. Instead, Gilbert turned to writing a new contemporary drama, The Fortune Hunter , commissioned by Edward Willard. But Willard was not satisfied with Gilbert's drafts, and the manager of the St James's Theatre , who had asked Gilbert for a play, found it unsuitable. Gilbert then offered the play to May Fortescue (the original Celia in Iolanthe ) for her touring company. The snobs and valet in
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#17327877233322756-475: Was completed in 1883. It was restored in its centenary year. The municipality of Monte Carlo was created in 1911, when the constitution divided the principality of Monaco into three municipalities. Monte Carlo encompassed the existing neighborhoods of La Rousse/Saint Roman, Larvotto/Bas Moulins, and Saint Michel. The municipalities merged in 1917, after accusations that the government used them to "divide and conquer". Since then, they became wards . Today, Monaco
2809-665: Was normally accompanied by one or two short companion pieces. A piece that began the performance was called a curtain raiser , and one that ended the performance was called an afterpiece. W. J. MacQueen-Pope commented, concerning the 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
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