Music by Arthur Sullivan, Lyrics and Libretto by W S Gilbert
SYNOPSIS AND CAST
Set in The Piazetta, Venice, “The Gondoliers” opens with the chorus of Contadine awaiting Marco and Giuseppe Palmieri, their favourite gondoliers, to come and choose brides.
The chorus of gondoliers, led by Antonio are selflessly content to wait for the remaining girls. Marco and Giuseppe enter and they and the girls greet each other. They announce their intention of choosing two brides, but tactfully ask to be blindfolded so that fate can decide their choice. After a game of blind man’s buff, in which there is a certain amount of cheating, Marco catches Gianetta and Giuseppe catches Tessa.
At birth, Casilda, the 21 year old daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Plaza-Toro, was married by proxy to the then infant son and heir of the exceedingly wealthy King of Barataria. Unfortunately, the King became a rather bigoted Wesleyan Methodist, and the Grand Inquisitor, determined that such a trend should not continue, arranged for the heir to be kidnapped and taken to Venice. There he was placed in the care of a respectable Gondolier who raised him alongside his own son.
Now Gondoliers themselves, his ’sons’, Marco and Giuseppe, have recently selected a bride each are upset to learn that, as heir apparent to the throne, one of them may have to sacrifice his bride in order to marry Casilda.
She is not happy with the situation either as she is in love with Luiz. As Marco and Giuseppe’s ‘father’ has since died, the only person who can identify the Prince is Inez who was his childhood nurse. When called upon to make her judgement she reveals that neither is in fact the King’s son because when the baby was kidnapped she substituted her own child in his place. Therefore, the true heir to the throne of Barataria is Luiz. This proves very satisfactory to all parties as the Gondoliers can keep their brides and Casilda can both fulfil the proxy and marry the one she loves.
Director: Eve Manghani
Musical Director: Timothy J Davies
Choreographer: Gloria Guado
CAST
| The Duke of Plaza-Toro | Richard Holliday |
| Luis | Richard Seagroatt |
| Don Alhambra del Bolero | Paul Sadler |
| Marco Palmieri | Sam Moulton |
| Giuseppe Palmieri | Jonathon Snow |
| Antonio | Ron Golby |
| Francesco | Andy Giefer |
| Giorgio | Steve Wootton |
| Annibale | Spencer Mitchell |
| The Duchess of Plaza-Toro | Muriel Wood |
| Casilda | Jane Williams |
| Gianetta | Jane Greenshields |
| Tessa | Jane Cuva |
| Fiametta | Celine Archambeau |
| Vittoria | Gill Birchall |
| Giulia | Kate Anastasia |
| Inez | Marion Stewart |
| DANCERS | |
| Amelie Chevalier | Concepcion |
| Lauriane Delteil | Esther Jubb |
| CHORUS | |
| Sylvia Carter | Anne Crockford |
| Cindy Elson | Janet Huckle |
| Dominique Norbrook | Dianne Norton |
| Penny Stone | Linda Sutch |
| Margart Sweeney | |
| Peter Bagwell | Neil Catton |
| Geoff Greensmith | Greg Shaw |