- Sullivan and Gilbert
Sullivan and Gilbert is a musical by
Ken Ludwig with music and lyrics byGilbert and Sullivan . "Sullivan and Gilbert" features over 15 Gilbert and Sullivan songs. It examines an eventful day in the life of the famousVictorian era composer and dramatist, and takes place behind the scenes at theSavoy Theatre in London.Sullivan and Gilbert premiered in 1983 at
National Arts Centre of Canada , where it won the Ottawa Critics’ Circle award for Best Play of the Year, followed by a run at theKennedy Center starringFritz Weaver andNoel Harrison . It also played in Milford, New Hampshire in 1983 [ [http://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsL/ludwig-ken.html Listing of Ludwig plays] ] . The cast includes eight men and four women.ynopsis
Near the end of their collaboration, and still smarting from their famous carpet quarrel,
W. S. Gilbert andSir Arthur Sullivan have neither seen nor spoken with each other in months. Now they must supervise a rehearsal for a review of theircomic opera s, a command performance for the Queen of England. The underprepared show is set to open in about eight hours. Sullivan has been ill and has missed most of the rehearsals; and he’s in love with pretty Violet Russell, a youngsoprano of whom Gilbert disapproves. To make matters worse, Sullivan has invited Alfred, the Duke of Edinburgh (and son of the Queen), to join the cast. The eager duke can't sing, dance or remember his cues. When Gilbert finds out, he's furious. With a company of temperamental actors to manage, and their producer,Richard D'Oyly Carte , breathing down their necks, there is plenty for the two men to fight about. But their admiration for each other as collaborators and friends wins the day.References
* [http://www.kenludwig.com/sullivan_and_gilbert/sullivan_and_gilbert.php Official website]
* [http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?_r=1&res=9F0CE3D8143CF937A35754C0A965958260&oref=slogin NY Times description of a 1993 summer stock production of the show in Phoenix]
* [http://vc.yourhub.com/Camarillo/Stories/Entertainment/Theater/Story~146131.aspx Description of a 2006 California production of the musical]
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