No 37 -- Summer 1991 Edited by Michael Walters
The G&S world is still very much alive on Tyneside, which may be something of a surprise to the "average" enthusiast who seems to be located somewhere south of Watford Gap. [Come off it Phil, Tring is NORTH of Watford, so are Glasgow, Birmingham, Nottingham and Aberdeen!! MPW.] The area is divided both geographically and by a kind of local loyalty into North and South Tyneside, the focal point of which is Newcastle.
Within a radius of approximately 10 miles of Newcastle there are about 20 stage societies performing musical works, and quite a few almost exclusively G&S. Usually these are groups attached to churches who tend to "do" the great works at least partially because they are "safe" – i.e. no doubtful language, no drinking, etc. Many of these performances take place in Church Halls but there are quite a few good stages in schools and technical colleges used by the larger groups. The most atmospheric venue in the area is the Tyne Theatre which is a recently restored Victorian edifice – now used partially for amateur and occasional professional productions. The main theatre in Newcastle is the Theatre Royal which has visits from Scottish Opera and the Royal Shakespeare Company on a regular basis, and is used occasionally by amateurs from the more prestigeous or pretentious societies, no G&S has been seen there for several years. The Empire in Sunderland is a first class theatre and saw the launch of the new D'Oyly Carte productions; and before that visits by the New Sadlers Wells (Ruddigore and H.M.S. Pinafore) but earlier visits by the "grand" opera companies were not well supported and they ceased to come – I saw the complete Ring there nine years ago.
One of the better old established groups on Tyneside is Hebburn Opera – Hebburn is an industrial town adjacent to Jarrow. This society has produced many "standard" operas during the last 30 years with meagre financial support and insufficient audiences. During November 1988 they produced an unusual double bill of Cavalleria Rusticana and Trial by Jury. Both works were very well done; the orchestra was superb, conducted by Eric Cunningham who has trained the Ever Ready band to many national championships. This society usually offers very well prepared shows mainly because – unusually in my experience – they concentrate hard on the musical side before they start on the floor work. The result is often, but not in this case, that the stage movement is a bit restrained but the harmonies are there. This society has a twinning arrangement with a town in northern France – Noisy–le–Sec, and as a result of performing G&S alternate years in their rather splendid Hotel de Ville they have turned a rather staid French choir into a group performing works by Offenbach which they bring to wildest Tyneside every other year.
I have just finished playing Mercury in Orpheus in the Underworld at an interesting society in Lanchester. I am not one of the area's greatest athletes so there is a slight irony in the casting. [Yes indeed, in my experience the part is usually played by a teenage girl! MPW]. The production was in a school lecture theatre – the playing area being on ground level with the orchestra to one side and the audience on tiered seats. The lack of curtains created problems. I have now played quite a few parts using Park/Hanmer scripts and in my view they get their royalties very easily, a lot of it is just verbiage with little humour or point, but of course anglicised Offenbach is at a disadvantage. So now it's back to our local Methodist society to play Tolloller again.
PHIL BAILEY
Web page created 12 September 1998