Our shows for 2009 were The Sorcerer and Cox and Box, and took place in Ipswich Corn Exchange from November 18-21. This show again had Andrew Burke as Musical Director and Brian Robinson as Director.
Prior to the performance we had some publicity photos taken at the Moreton Hall school.
The Sorcerer was Gilbert and Sullivan's 2nd successful collaboration, and their first full-length opera. It's a type of story greatly loved by Gilbert, since it relies on a magic potion to throw the plot up in the air in a Topsy Turvy way. In that sense, it's similar to Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore. It has one of Gilbert's most identifiable characters in it - John Wellington Wells - plus a cast of great characters. Sullivan wrote some excellent music to go with it - one of my personal favourites being Dr Daly's song "Time was when love and I were well acquainted". It's not performed terribly often, so this was a chance to come and see and hear it.
The Sorcerer is quite short, and so we chose to pair it with Cox and Box. This is not a Gilbert and Sullivan, but is rather a Burnand and Sullivan - the librettist being Francis Burnand. It's based on the 1847 farce Box and Cox by John Maddison Morton. It tells of a landlord, Bouncer, who lets his apartment to 2 people at the same time: Cox, a hatter who works all day and Box, a printer who works all night. They never come in contact, except that they occasionally pass on the staircase. In this way he can get two lots of rent, providing he can ensure they never meet....
| James John Cox (A Journeyman Hatter) | Roy Preston |
| John James Box (A Journeyman Printer) | Rosalind Atkins |
| Sergeant Bouncer (A Lodging House Keeper, with military reminiscences) |
Phil Holmes |
| Sir Marmaduke Pointdextre (An Elderly Baronet) | Phil Holmes |
| Alexis (of the Grenadier Guards - his Son) | Gerry Bremner |
| Dr Daly (Vicar of Ploverleigh) | Howard Brooks |
| John Wellington Wells (of J. W. Wells & Co., Family Sorcerers) | Mark Ellis |
| The Notary | Ian Hunter |
| Lady Sangazure (A Lady of Ancient Lineage) | Sara Bucknall |
| Aline (her Daughter - Betrothed to Alexis) | Natasha Bennett |
| Mrs Partlet (A Pew-Opener) | Rosalind Atkins |
| Constance (her Daughter) | Fiona Morris |
Ladies' Chorus |
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| Pascaline Boura | Marion Banyard | Mareth Bassett |
| Geneva Downes | Alison Dumbell | Margaret Follett |
| Louise Hall | Eileen Hodson | Sarah Howe |
| Greta Kerridge | Sue Lamm | Sheila Martin |
| Lucy Miller | Lucy Pakes | Joan Parish |
| Judy Read | Debbie Rogers | Sylvia Towell |
| Vanessa Westley | Lesley Wittgreffe | Jin-An Wu |
Gentlemen's Chorus |
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| John Aldam | David Atkins | Jason Davis |
| Leslie Dumbell | David Fleming-Brown | David Hayhow |
| Martin Kennedy | Peter Meredith | Bob Newton |
| Alan Otterburn | Mike Rayment | Ewen Stamp |
| Phil Toms | ||
Looked like this:
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Box, Bouncer and Cox get ready for breakfast |
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James John Cox (a hatter) gets ready to go out
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John James Box explains how to evade marriage |
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Sergeant Bouncer tells of his time in the Militia
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Cox and Box appear unimpressed with Bouncer's explanation |
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John Wellington Wells casts a spell |
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"We will tend them, nurse them, mend them"
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Alexis serenades and apparently unimpressed Aline |
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"Sprites of earth and air"
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Lady Sangazure is shocked |
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But the notary couldn't be happier
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Mrs Partlett and the good ladies of Ploverleigh |
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Dr Daly is even more shocked than Lady Sangazure
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Alexis tells Sir Marmaduke of his love for Aline |