A DELIGHTFULLY DISORDERLY DIVE INTO GILBERT AND SULLIVAN WITH THE ESK COMMUNITY CHOIR

 

On the afternoon of  29^th March at the Somerset Civic Centre in Esk, even before the proverbial curtain rose and long before a single, confident note rang out on that stage, this Rollicking Romp with Gilbert and Sullivan was shaped, guided, and brought to life by the tireless dedication of our musical director and accompanist, Alexis FitzGerald OAM. Through many months of rehearsals, filled with laughter, missed lyrics and dance steps, eventual progress, and many amazing musical moments, Alexis steered her choristers with patience, precision, and an unwavering belief in the joy of performance. What follows is not just a recount of a concert, but a celebration of the high-spirited journey that transformed a group of eager Esk Community Choir members into a delightfully close-knit cast, ready to embrace the wit, whimsy, and wonder of Gilbert and Sullivan.

Bob Hardy with the chorus  

Sue and Malcolm 

As the afternoon slipped into show time, our ever-eloquent emcee Sean Choat took a moment to acknowledge the choir’s new corporate sponsors, expressing sincere gratitude for their generous support.   With Sean’s brief glimpse into Iolanthe, a comic opera blending satire and fantasy, the opening items captured this playful spirit.   Tripping hither and thither- enter, the fairies’ dainty presence, the pomp and bluster of the Peers, and Bob’s powerfully delivered solo along with the lively chorus ensemble, celebrating the might of the establishment. This portion of the rollicking romp concluded with Susie and Malcolm’s charming duet If We’re Weak Enough to Tarry, a light-hearted reflection on love and hesitation, a perfect balance between Gilbert and Sullivan’s satire and warmth.

Liz, Evey and Marina 

Yum-Yum, Pitti-Sing, and Peep-Bo, brought to life by Liz, Evey, and Marina, were a delight both visually and vocally, their vibrant costumes and harmonious rendition of The Three Little Maids from School captivating the audience. 

Aydan

Then it was hardly persuasion which was required when Aydan Forsythe bounded onto the stage with If You Give Me Your Attention from Princess Ida. From the outset, Aydan commanded the audience’s full focus, his performance sparkling with playful, satirical charm, capturing the character’s mischievous personality, reflecting his own to perfection.

Patrina and Sue

Meandering into Venice and the music of The Gondoliers, one of G & S’s most spectacular comic operas, Susie and Patrina ignited the story-telling charm of A Regular Royal Queen, inviting the audience into a world of the witty musical brilliance of this timeless classic. 

Following a brief interlude, innovatively ‘filled’ by our energetic emcee to accommodate quick costume changes, Susie and Anna returned to the stage with one of the comic highlights of the programme.  Their tender-hearted rendition of Poor Wand’ring One from The Pirates of Penzance, was a performance met with enthusiastic applause by a now captivated audience.

Sue and Anna - Poor Wand'ring One

Denis - Captain and Crew 

A lively shift in pace ushered in a choral salute to H.M.S. Pinafore with the harmonious voices of a spirited company of maritime crew and a jolly good captain too, all characterising the wit and charm of seafaring life. And amid all this energy, Poor Little Buttercup, warmly brought to life by Maree Lansdown with her basket of baubles in hand, made her entrance, weaving through the bustling crew and softening the exuberance with a touch of musical whimsy and vocal charisma.

Buttercup - Maree Lansdown

A Policeman’s Lot Is Not a Happy One to be sure but delivered with charm, especially in the spirited pursuit of the young rascal Aydan. Denis and Roger, portraying the hapless constabulary, brought humour ironically reflecting the policemen’s lack of courage. This clever rendition provided a brilliant segue into this Gilbert and Sullivan rollicking romp’s finale.  Complete with a swashbuckling chorus of pirates, A Pirates Chorus was the climactic conclusion which left the audience in rapturous applause and eager for more.

Denis and Roger 

Watch the Video.

For the success of this endeavour, we of the choir extend our deepest thanks to our extraordinary volunteers, especially our newbies, all of whom never hesitate to step forward and support every aspect of our performances, from front -of -house to the kitchen. Your willingness and dedication form the foundation of everything we do. Special appreciation goes to David Finn for his artistry in lighting and sound, elevating the cast beyond what they thought possible, and to Denis for his thoughtful research on backdrops, bringing each song vividly into its proper context. We are also sincerely grateful to Ruth and Suzanne for their beautiful flute and piccolo embellishments, enhancing Alexis’s already unparalleled piano accompaniments. Finally, our heartfelt thanks go to Alexis, the beating heart of this choir, whose passion, leadership, and unwavering commitment make all of this possible.

By: Sue Walker

 

The crew

Hearty Sailors

Malcolm, Aydan, Helene 

Musical Director Alexis FitzGerald OAM with 
Suzanne and Ruth 

W.S. GILBERT AND ARTHUR SULLIVAN…THANK YOU!!

It took the combination of a committed little choir from Esk and the brilliance of one of the Victorian era’s greatest theatrical partnerships to realise a Spectacular which had concert goers swept away on a glorious tide of sight, sounds and utter entertainment when they entered the world of comic opera created by Gilbert and Sullivan. 

The curtains parted on the stages of the Somerset Civic Centre on 24^th September and the Gatton Shire Hall on October 1^st for the first wave which rolled off the quarter-deck of H.M.S. Pinafore where a bunch of high-spirited mariners unleashed for the audience their rousing opening number.

There is ‘no business like show business’, and in this instance it was the ‘heartache’ which caused a slight alteration to the programme.  However, Gilbert and Sullivan would surely have approved when the brilliance of Eric von Nida, with precious little notice, fittingly filled the void with Noel Coward’s The Stately Homes of England.

Those mischievous Three Little Maids from School, Susie, Ruth and Kathleen then shuffled into The Town of Titipu in their colourful kimonos with Gilbert and Sullivan’s mordacious mockery of a British Institution, the stage to then be swamped by some swashbuckling Penzanian sounds from The Pirates’ Chorus.  

 Iolanthe is a satirical look at the disruption of a tranquil world of fairies and their equals resulting from male-domination through the discovery of mortal love.  However, there was little to neither disrupt nor distract from the joy of a stage full of Dainty Little Fairies tripping hither and thither and the spirited frolicking of Grace, Joann, Desma and Caitlin as their leaders.

A short interval followed during which the drawing of fabulous raffle prizes made for some very exuberant winners including Gloria Ziebarth from Laidley South who is now the proud owner of the beautifully hand-crafted quilt generously donated by its maker, Christine Garrett who hails from Darwin.

Oh would that a law suit and trial for breach of promise be as entertaining as was the post interval performance of, Trial By Jury!  If there is one thing that has not changed over the years, it is the ability to stir emotions and transport people to another place with great characters and a great story.  Gilbert and Sullivan had the ability to tell theirs by satirizing real life. On this occasion, it was the brilliance of a cast of characters from the Esk Community Choir who commanded the stage in Trial By Jury and who became those great characters connecting a great story with captivated audiences.

Bob Hardy embraced with consummate ease the role of the pickled and unscrupulous Judge…every defendant’s greatest wish; Eric von Nida as the self-confessed ‘ruffian,  bully and snob’ who still managed to win over an audience as the devilishly debonair Edwin, the Defendant;  Carolyn King as the glamorous femme fatale, Angelina, the fortune seeking plaintiff who did strike gold on so many levels; Roger Woodman, brilliant as the Courtroom Usher with the job of a Circus Ringmaster; Lloyd King, outstanding as Counsel for the Prosecution, learned in the law, yet sadly unable to tell a bigamist from a burglar;

Angelina’s three supposedly supportive Bridesmaids, Susie,   Karen and Kathleen aka Delilah, Delightful and Delinquent, by nature as by name and Roland Cox, who slipped rather too comfortably into the role of the philandering Foreman of the Jury.

 There was the gaggle of Jurors, as easily swayed by beauty as by the beauty of a bribe and a gallery where members of ‘the public’ including suffragettes, sisters, saucy seductresses and the few with common sense…or commoners with scents for a titillating trial completed the scene and the telling of Gilbert and Sullivan’s story which has and will again continue to live in hearts for a very long time.

Deserved acknowledgements might normally precede a story but coming at this end by no means diminishes the importance of the vital roles these people played in bringing these two performances to fruition.   

To undertake a task of perfecting 89 pages of accompaniment would be to most a daunting task. To Margaret Philp, alongside Alexis, who complemented the singers with impeccable playing throughout each performance, absolutely honouring the music of Arthur Sullivan and for her calm throughout months of rehearsals, we are eternally grateful.  To Sue Cox who co-ordinated the catering completely satisfying the masses at each venue and in doing so, kept the culinary reputation of this choir in very safe hands, we give our thanks.

We are so fortunate to have Tom Byrne whose inventiveness and accomplished skill with hammer, saw and nails created a Courtroom to rival D’Oyly Carte Opera Company as well as seamlessly managing the stage sets and scenes allowing for the smooth delivery of superlative performances; and Gregg Skippen, our audio ace, who has very quickly mastered the complicated network of chords, mics and speakers allowing audiences quality sound and making us sound so much better than we think we are. Our thanks also to ‘team Costume’ Carolyn and Kerry for their efforts in giving such authenticity and wonderful stage presence to the characters and to the editors of The Somerset Newspaper, Scott and Melissa, whose support of our publicity has gone way above and beyond.  

Lastly, but never least, our gratitude is endless for Alexis, our Angel of Music, whose patience should be bottled, who could make flowers bloom on stage, who brought us to the level of singing that made us feel proud, who inspires us daily and teaches us that hurdles are meant to be jumped.

By: Sue Walker