The International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival is delighted to welcome a plethora of G&S “greats” from the old and new D’Oyly Carte Opera Company for a special reunion concert in the Royal Hall, Harrogate, as part of the 28th Festival on Friday, August 12th.
- The 28th International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival – 10 to 21 August 2022.
Former D’Oyly Carte conductor, David Steadman, has created a fantastic programme, aptly titled “Together Again”, with an outstanding cast of Savoyards. The concert commemorates the 40th anniversary of the last performance by Bridget D’Oyly Carte’s Company at the Adelphi Theatre on February 27th 1982.
David Steadman said:
This evening is probably more special than any of the previous reunion concerts because it will absolutely be the last. I say that because the years are rolling on, but we can promise visitors a great night of Gilbert & Sullivan with a few surprises along the way.
Renowned patterman Richard Suart headlines the programme along with fellow pattermen Jeremy Peaker and James Conroy-Ward, an understudy to the great, late John Reed. From the old D’Oyly Carte, Bruce Graham and John Broad will be there and ringing in a new generation is soprano Rebecca Bottone who recently performed in the joint production with Scottish Opera and the D’Oyly Carte Trust.
One of the D’Oyly Carte’s great personalities, Peggy Ann Jones, will also be on stage with Abbey Hadfield and Lorraine Daniels.
Steadman will conduct part of the programme and hand the baton over to David Mackie. David was chorus master of the old D’Oyly Carte through to the closure at the Adelphi Theatre and conducted the last opera performed by the Company on the final day.
David Steadman said:
That final performance was like no other. They did a concert with excerpts from all of the operas in the repertory, and a wonderful fantasy overture was put together and arranged by Paul Seeley, the Company repetiteur. Paul will be with us in Harrogate on August 12th, and we are going to play the overture he wrote for that last performance. It is a very clever and witty piece of arranging.
Together Again promises to be an evening to treasure. It will be in the Royal Hall, Harrogate from 7.30 pm on Friday August 12th. Tickets from £25 are available from the Box Office: 01422 323252 or online: www.gsfestivals.org
