Princess Ida - Saturday 4 August - at 7.30pm

Introduction

An evening of light opera in the inimitable style that Gilbert & Sullivan made their own. The plot is as preposterous as in any Grand Opera, the characters strongly caricatured but the music is eminently hummable and the lyrics as clever as any ever penned. This promises to be a really fun evening with the South Anglian Savoy Players who are one of the very best G & S companies in the country and have scooped many prizes with their extravagant productions at international G & S competitions.
The space Kentwell's Open Air offers enables the company to show off their large cast and huge chorus to best effect.

Gilbert & Sullivan

William Gilbert enjoyed a high reputation in mid-Victorian London theatre as writer of successful sketches, comedies, pantomimes, burlesques and musicals. He wrote some of the cleverest and wittiest lyrics ever. Arthur Sullivan was a musical prodigy who composed much else including Onward Christian Soldiers and was at that time the most popular musician in England, as a conductor and composer of oratorios, anthems and hymns. They were introduced by the impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte and began to work together. They wrote 14 comic operas between 1871 and 1896. Gilbert cast and directed the works; Sullivan directed the music.

Princess Ida

This was their 8th collaboration and opened in London in 1884. It is based upon a poem by Tennyson which Gilbert had already mined to produce a blank verse farce which was performed in 1870. Princess Ida also uses blank verse throughout. The Opera satirizes feminism, women's education (following the then recent founding of Girton and Newham colleges at Cambridge and Somerville and Lady Margaret Hall at Oxford) and, even, Darwin's theory of evolution. In Pricess Ida the introduction of men into the tranquil world of women wreaks havoc. Sullivan's score is majestic and the opera, very unusually, features 8 principal male roles. Nowadays, we may feel the satire is laboured but that should not preclude us enjoying the fun and the fine music.

The South Anglia Savoy Players-

As the name implies are a group of local singers. Scarcely amateurs (which they are) as they are so good and go to such pains with all aspects of their performances. Many years ago, every Whit and August Bank Holiday Monday the SAS Players used to perform a Gilbert & Sullivan opera at the Quay Theatre, Sudbury. It was a sort of final rehearsal, before they went on to compete (and often win) at the Wexford Festival. We used to find the shows welcome relief after a busy Bank Holiday weekend. However, the Quay is a small theatre with a tiny stage. The Players were always many and could never fit on it. This added (for me at least) an extra comic twist. At Kentwell there will be no such space restriction. We are now almost their final rehearsal before they take the production into competition at the Interntaional G&S Festival at Buxton. We look forward to another huge cast (chorus of 30+ in addition to some 15 Principals) in addition to a live Chamber Orchestra.

What distinguishes their performances are the scale, direction, musicality, acting and costume. We look forward to another cracking evening. Don't miss it.

Where Performed

On the Cedar Lawn. There are bookable seats set on a raised platform which this year will be under cover. Between the seats and the stage area is grass where groundlings sit (only on rugs and cushions - no raised seats permitted there).

Weather

The performance will continue whatever the weather so bring suitable clothing for the likely conditions. However, DO NOT raise umbrellas during the performance. So warm or waterproof clothing and headgear(or suncream) may be necessary.

Finish Time

Approximately 11.00pm.

Picnicking

You may picnic anywhere in the Gardens except the stage and audience areas. So start your picnic before the show starts or during the one hour supper interval when the Gardens will be floodlit. Various sizes of Kentwell's solid picnic tables may be hired.

Kentwell Catering

Kentwell Buffet Suppers may be booked in advance - part served before the play starts, remainder during the interval.