Captain Billy

"Captain Billy" is a one-act comic opera with a libretto by Harry Greenbank and music by François Cellier. It was first performed at the Savoy Theatre on 23 September 1891 until 16 January 1892 as a curtain raiser to "The Nautch Girl" and from 1 February 1892 to 18 June 1892 as a curtain raiser to "The Vicar of Bray" for a total of 217 performances. [ [http://math.boisestate.edu/gas/companions/billy/index.html Introduction and cast list for Captain Billy] ]

The first stage production with an orchestra for over 100 years was done in May 2007 by the Chapel End Savoy Players at the Deaton Theatre, Forest School, Snaresbrook, London as a curtain raiser for their production of "The Pirates of Penzance". [ [http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/whats-on.php?event=14623 Article about 2007 production] ]

The vocal score was published by Chappells and is in the British Library. There is no printed libretto. A copy of the libretto was filed in the Lord Chamberlain's collection in January/February 1880. A recording of an abridged version was made by a Leicester (UK) G&S Society in the 1970s. [ [http://math.boisestate.edu/gas/companions/billy/ch_end.html Article about a modern production of "Captain Billy"] ]

Background

When the Gilbert and Sullivan partnership disbanded after the production of "The Gondoliers" in 1889, impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte needed new works to fill the Savoy Theatre. The first of these was "The Nautch Girl". The fashion in the late Victorian era was to present long evenings in the theatre, and so Carte preceded the savoy operas with curtain raisers. [Lee Bernard. [http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/classical/Swashbuckling-Savoy-curtainraiser-.4348391.jp "Swash-buckling Savoy curtain-raiser",] "Sheffield Telegraph", 1 August 2008]

To create a curtain raiser for "The Nautch Girl", Carte turned to Cellier, who was the long-time music director of the Savoy Theatre and had produced other works for Carte. Greenbank, on the other hand, was a new writer who would go on to a very productive and successful career writing lyrics for hit musicals, although he lived to the age of only 33.

ynopsis

Captain Billy has been absent from Porthaven, his native village, for many years. His relatives do not know that he has been pursuing a very successful career as a pirate. A young foundling, Christopher Jolly, visits the village to examine the parish register in an attempt to find his birth certificate. Billy returns to the village on the same day and is recognised by his brother Samuel Chunk. Billy is reunited with his wife, who is surprised to discover that she is not a widow after all, and Christopher Jolly discovers that he is Billy's nephew, whom the old scoundrel had "lost" in the Sahara Desert many years before. [ [http://math.boisestate.edu/gas/companions/billy/libretto.htm Libretto] ]

Musical numbers

*No. 1 - Song - Christopher Jolly -- "Oh! it isn't very nice when you fail..."
*No. 2 - Duet - Christopher and Polly -- "When flowers blossom in the spring..."
*No. 3 - Quartett and Dance - Widow Jackson, Polly, Christopher and Chunk -- "With beating heart I wait to see..."
*No. 4 - Song - Captain Billy, with Samuel Chunk -- "A pirate bold am I..."
*No. 5 - Song - Widow Jackson -- "I thought my dashing buccaneer..."
*No. 6 - Quartett -- Polly, Widow Jackson, Christopher and Captain Billy - "It's unpleasant, mia cara..."
*No. 7 - Finale - "By fate released at last..."

Cast information

The original cast was as follows: [ [http://diamond.boisestate.edu/gas/companions/billy/billy_home.htm Introduction and cast list for Captain Billy] ]

*Captain Billy, a pirate (baritone). Helier Lemaistre
*Christopher Jolly (tenor). C.R. Rose
*Samuel Chunk (baritone). Rudolph Lewis
*Widow Jackson (contralto). Rosina Brandram
*Polly, her daughter (soprano). Decima Moore (later Florence Easton)

ee also

Savoy opera

Notes

External links

* [http://diamond.boisestate.edu/gas/companions/billy/billy_home.htm Cast list and link to libretto and other information]
* [http://www.halhkmusic.com/captainbilly.html Song list and links to Midi files]
* [http://math.boisestate.edu/gas/companions/gas2.html Article on Savoy curtain raisers]
* [http://math.boisestate.edu/gas/companions/index.html List of Savoy opera curtain raisers]
* [http://math.boisestate.edu/gas/companions/billy/ch_end.html Article about a modern production of "Captain Billy"]
* [http://math.boisestate.edu/gas/whowaswho/C/CellierFrancois.htm Article about Cellier]
* [http://www.nodanw.com/london_shows_chronology/1891.htm List of London shows opening in 1892]