Dennis Olsen

Dennis Olsen
Born: 28 February 1938 (1938-02-28) (age 73)
Adelaide, South Australia
Occupation
Actor, singer, pianist
Notable Roles
Ko-Ko in The Mikado Reginald Bunthorne in Patience The Learned Judge in Trial by Jury Lord Chancellor in Iolanthe Sir Joseph Porter, KCB in H.M.S. Pinafore The Duke of Plaza-Toro / Don Alhambra del Bolero in The Gondoliers Major-General Stanley in The Pirates of Penzance Jack Point in Yeomen of the Guard Robin Oakapple in Ruddigore Antonio Salieri in Amadeus Lord Allcash in Fra Diavolo

Dennis Hans Olsen AM (born 28 February 1938 in Adelaide, South Australia), is an accomplished Australian singer, actor, director and pianist.

Professional career

Olsen, who is of Danish descent, is Australia's leading exponent of Gilbert and Sullivan operas. He originally trained for a professional career as a pianist, and still occasionally plays piano professionally on stage. He decided to become an actor and attended the prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney during the 1960s. He has appeared with the following theatre companies: Old Tote Theatre Company, State Theatre Company of South Australia, Melbourne Theatre Company and Sydney Theatre Company. Some of the theatre productions in which Dennis Olsen has appeared include: The Importance of Being Earnest, The Crucible and The Venetian Twins.

In 1969, Olsen was asked to perform the famous patter roles in the Australian Opera's productions of H.M.S. Pinafore, Iolanthe and The Pirates of Penzance, and these roles led to him being invited to join the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in England. In 1970–1971, Dennis Olsen spent a year in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, understudying John Reed in the comic roles, as well as being a member of the chorus, and touring both England and the continent during his tenure with the company. He was touted to become John Reed's successor in the comic roles with D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, but returned to Australia when it became clear that John Reed had no intention of retiring from the company for some time.^[1]

Dennis Olsen is a very successful exponent of the comic roles of Gilbert and Sullivan Savoy Operas The Mikado (as Koko, The Lord High Executioner), Patience (as Bunthorne), H.M.S. Pinafore (as Sir Joseph Porter, KCB), Iolanthe (as the Lord Chancellor), Ruddigore (as Robin Oakapple), Trial by Jury (as The Learned Judge), The Yeomen of the Guard (as Jack Point) and The Gondoliers (appearing in one production as The Duke of Plaza-Toro, and in another production as Don Alhambra del Bolero, Grand Inquisitor). Most recently Dennis played Major General Stanley in the Adelaide season of Opera Australia's tour of The Pirates of Penzance, as well as covering the role for the extent of Reg Livermore's illness during the Melbourne season.

Dennis Olsen directed as well as starred in a State Opera of South Australia production of H.M.S. Pinafore (as Sir Joseph Porter, KCB). The production also starred Thomas Edmonds (as Ralph Rackstraw) and Judith Henley (as Josephine). Dennis Olsen also sang the role of the Lord Chancellor in the production of Iolanthe in the opening performance of the Lyric Opera of Queensland, in Brisbane in 1984.

He was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 1985 to study operetta in Europe, and has directed many stage productions, including Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, Countess Maritza by Emmerich Kálmán, and the Mozart operas The Abduction from the Seraglio and Così fan tutte.

Dennis Olsen also appeared as George Grossmith (the original Gilbert and Sullivan comic lead), in a very successful one-man Musical theatre show called "A Song to Sing O", which opened in Victoria (during June, 1991) — following by a tour including South Australia and Western Australia (both during July, 1991), and the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland (both during September, 1991).

In October, 2000, in Melbourne, Dennis Olsen appeared in the Production Company's presentation, in association with Melbourne Festival, of "The Gilbert & Sullivan Show", which represented a family party, with some of the family members gathering in a parlour and singing Gilbert and Sullivan songs to entertain the others family members at the party. Accompanying Dennis Olsen were David Gould, Gary Rowley, Roxanne Hislop and Tiffany Speight.

Appearing with the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of South Australia, Dennis Olsen sang the roles of Major General Stanley in their 2004 production of The Pirates of Penzance and Bunthorne in their 2006 production of Patience. He also appeared in their concert production "An Evening with Dennis Olsen" to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Law Society of South Australia in 2004.

Dennis Olsen is also an excellent exponent of Noël Coward, and appeared in a one-man combined Noel Coward-Gilbert & Sullivan show, as well as a Coward production, "Marvellous Party!" with Amanda Muggleton in the Cremorne Theatre at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre. In July 2006, Dennis Olsen played the role of Antonio Salieri in the production of Peter Shaffer's Amadeus in Perth.

Dennis Olsen recorded "Gilbert and Sullivan Highlights" with Thomas Edmonds, and also recorded "Together with Music" with June Bronhill.

Honours

In 1987 he was appointed a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia for services to the performing arts.^[1]

In 2008, Dennis Olsen was made a Patron of the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of South Australia Inc.

Filmography

Films

• The Fourth Wish (1976) as Ross
• Break of Day (1976) as Roger
• Struck by Lightning (1990) as Barnabas

Television mini-series

• Sara Dane (1982)
• Under Capricorn (1983)

References

1. ^ "The Dictionary of Performing Arts in Australia — Opera . Music . Dance — Volume 2" — Ann Atkinson, Linsay Knight, Margaret McPhee — Allen & Unwin Pty. Ltd., 1996.

1. ^ Dennis Olsen and Thomas Edmonds – Gilbert and Sullivan Highlights compact disc information

External links

• Dennis Olsen – Who was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
• Dennis Olsen, an Australian Legend – Celebrity Artist Biography
• Dennis Olsen – Opera Australia
• Dennis Olsen – Stage credits as Director and actor
• A History of the Arts in Adelaide: Dennis Olsen "An Actor's Life for Me" – Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• Dennis Olsen at the Internet Movie Database
• "A Song to Sing 0" – Cremorne Theatre, Brisbane
• An Evening with Dennis Olsen – Gilbert and Sullivan Society of South Australia
• Olsen the very model of a Major-General – Gilbert and Sullivan Society of South Australia
• Dennis Olsen and Thomas Edmonds – Gilbert and Sullivan Highlights compact disc information
• Dennis Olsen and "H.M.S. Pinafore" – Gilbert and Sullivan Discography and review about the State Opera of South Australia's production of the opera
• Dennis Olsen – Adelaide Cabaret Festival
• Dennis Olsen – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe website
• What a piece of work is Hamlet
• Dennis Olsen in Amadeus – Perth Theatre company
• Artscene

Performance photos

• Dennis Olsen as Percy Grainger in "Percy and Rose" — ACT Heritage Library
• Dennis Olsen as Sir Joseph Porter, KCB in "H.M.S. Pinafore" — National Library of Australia
• Dennis Olsen as Emcee in "Cabaret" [2] and [3] and [4] — National Library of Australia
• Dennis Olsen as Jesus in "The Wakefield Mysteries" [5] and [6] — National Library of Australia

Persondata
Name	Olsen, Dennis
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	28 February 1938
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death