Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen's Guild Operatic Society's Production of 'The Mikado'

The Rotherfield Players Presents an Amateur Performance of Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Operatic Society’s Production of „The Mikado‟ 14th - 16th October 2010 Rotherfield Village Hall Programme £2 An operetta by David Mcgillivray and Walter Zerlin jr Based on "The Mikado" or "The Town of Titipu" By W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan Music arranged by Sue Van Colle An amateur production by arrangement with Samuel French Ltd Registered Charity No: 1119458 Rotherfield St Martin The RSM Centre, Carisbrooke, New Rd Providing social facilities and support for senior citizens. Opening Hours Mon 10.00am - 12.30pm Tue - Fri 10am - 12.30pm & 1.30pm - 4pm For information about activities, bookings for therapies and Volunteer Driver Scheme Tel: 01892 853021 Email: [email protected] Website: www.rotherfieldstmartin.org.uk Supported by: Rotherfield Parish Council St Denys‟ Church ANNIE WELCOMES CUSTOMERS OLD AND NEW TO A TRADITIONAL PUB THE CATTS INN, ROTHERFIELD FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE WHOLESOME HOME COOKED FOOD SELECTION OF FINE ALES OUTSIDE BARS AND CATERING TEL: 01892 852546 From the Director Alison Organ On first reading the script of The Farndale Avenue Townswomen’s Guild Operatic Society’s production of “The Mikado,” I knew The Rotherfield Players had to do it. With Sue Burnett as Musical Director and Catherine Ireland as Choreographer it became a reality. The cast, including several new members, has been wonderful, working their Japanese socks off. We have had such fun. My thanks go to the backstage crew, who have excelled themselves, with Ian Hunt stepping into the breach as Stage Manager at a late hour; Mark Tasker making the arch and the large wooden cut outs; Helen Gallifant and Beattie Smitham producing all the costumes that were not hired from Bryan Philip Davies; Barbara Fee gallantly finding props and Nigel Cassford creating the lighting. The business side of putting on a production must not be forgotten. James Gallifant, in the role of Producer, has dealt with finances, tickets, programmes etc, and Judith Hardy, as Front of House Manager, ensures that you, as members of the audience, are comfortably seated and that refreshments are available. The Mikado is a comic operetta and the Farndale ladies try very hard to do it justice, but the resulting humour in their production does not arise from the pens of Gilbert and Sullivan but from their own idiosyncratic efforts. Sit back and enjoy the show. From the Musical Director Sue Burnett Having grown up with a father who knew almost every Gilbert & Sullivan operetta inside out and back to front, I developed the typical teenage attitude that G & S was, in today‟s parlance, “not cool”. This attitude became even more ingrained during my 3 years studying at the Royal Academy, where such music was regarded as “pop” and ranked alongside Mick Jagger and “The Who”! Now, nearly 40 years later, I have finally agreed to take part in a production of “The Mikado”, and I have discovered that both words and music have come flooding back from the dim recesses of the mind where my teenage antipathy banished them, and that there is much to admire and enjoy in the work of W.S. Gilbert & Arthur Sullivan. The whole journey, from casting to Show Week has been terrific fun. Working with Alison is always a great experience, and the cast have been excellent, working hard, but with a tremendous sense of enjoyment. The humour in the script has been further enhanced by this attitude and I can‟t remember a rehearsal when we didn‟t dissolve into fits of laughter. On a more serious note, the music has been challenging, not to say tough, and the way the soloists and chorus have tackled the difficulties has been inspirational. It is always a pleasure to work with the band, and this year we welcome back Robin Fox on bassoon, and two completely new members – Jenny Maltby on flute and Zach Coe on trumpet. I should like to take this opportunity to thank them all for their time, hard work and support. They have also tackled their additional roles with enthusiasm, but hasten to point out that these are only an extension of what goes on with the band all the time! From the choreographer Catherine Ireland Catherine is an ex-professional dancer and has worked with many great stars and loves helping out with the players. “I get great satisfaction when someone says „I can't dance‟ and then works really hard to learn a routine and enjoy it.” From the chairman James Gallifant With four productions this year it seems that The Players are working non-stop. It is not an illusion. Rehearsals of The Railway Children overlapped both Present Laughter and this Farndale Avenue production. I‟ll call it “Farndale” because the title is so long and I will bore you. We do have a membership of over 100 people but a shortage of people in key areas, mainly those clever people who can make things such as stage properties and costumes. Although we hire a large number of our costumes from the brilliant Bryan Davies, we are lucky to have Helen Gallifant and Beattie Smitham who labour through the night creating costumes for the chorus characters. Observe the detail of the obi‟s and the dragon, for example. We are also lucky to have Mark Tasker join us recently. He manufactured the signalling equipment in the Railway Children. The great levers were identical to those found in signal boxes in the glorious days of steam (I remember those days well‼). Mark has manufactured an enormous number of stage bits and pieces for this play. When Alison Organ and Sue Burnett suggested this show last year I couldn‟t have been more enthusiastic because I laughed my socks off in the Farndale production of Macbeth back in 2003. However, this is a musical and thus it is four times as difficult to produce as compared to a traditional play. Poor Alison has gritted her teeth with a fixed smile at times but it is a credit to both of them that every rehearsal has been immense fun for the cast. Alas, I will be away in Spain during this production but I‟ll be thinking of the fun that you will have watching The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen's Guild Operatic Society's Production of 'The Mikado'. It‟s a cracker. Synopsis of the mikado The show opens in Titipu when a chorus of Gentlemen of Japan is joined by Nanki Poo, who is disguised as an itinerant musician, a second trombone. He is secretly in love with Yum-Yum, but she is betrothed to her guardian, Ko-Ko, a ”cheap tailor”, who had been condemned to death for flirting but was let off so that he could become The Lord High Executioner. Nanki-Poo is told by Pooh-Bah, who holds every office of state, that Ko-Ko and Yum-Yum are to be married that day. After telling Yum-Yum that he is really the son of the Mikado and they realise they can never be together, Nanki-Poo tries to kill himself. Meanwhile, Ko-Ko has received a letter from The Mikado instructing him to carry out an execution within a month or he will abolish the role of Lord High Executioner and reduce Titipu to the status of a village. On seeing Nanki-Poo trying to kill himself, Ko-Ko offers to carry out the deed for him. Nanki-Poo agrees on the condition that he can enjoy one month of married life with Yum-Yum and then Ko-Ko can marry her when she is a widow. As celebrations take place Katisha arrives – she is the woman The Mikado wants Nanki-Poo to marry. She threatens to reveal Nanki-Poo‟s true identity but the chorus try to drown her out. Act 2 opens with Yum-Yum preparing for her wedding, but it soon emerges that under the Mikado‟s law the widow of a beheaded man must be buried alive. If Nanki-Poo marries Yum-Yum she will suffer a dreadful fate after he is executed, and if he doesn‟t marry her she will have to marry Ko-Ko immediately. Nanki-Poo asks Ko-Ko to kill him immediately, but Ko-Ko can‟t bring himself to do this. With the arrival of The Mikado imminent, Ko-Ko tries to draw up an affidavit that Nanki-Poo has been executed, so the Mikado thinks his son has been executed. Katisha, thinking Nanki-Poo is dead, agrees to marry Ko-Ko. Then Yum-Yum and Nanki-Poo arrive, having got married. The Mikado finally agrees that “Nothing could be more satisfactory”. CAST Flora Lynn Lunn (playing The Mikado) Angela Sarah Thorn (playing Nanki-Poo) Ronnie Kate Organ (playing Ko-Ko) Mrs Reece Jacky Jenkins (playing Poo-Bah) Thelma Grainne Cotter (playing Yum-Yum) Rev. Bishop Adam Hardy (playing Pitti-Sing) Dawn Becky Syms (playing Peep-Bo) Felicity Jo Evans (playing Katisha) The Producer Brian Wright Pat, the Stage Manager Geraldine Davies The Chorus Ann Jennie Whelan Beryl Heather Stewart Betty Louise Coe Doreen Gussie Penny Georgia Mary Howells Hermione Ros Williams Janice Josephine Day Kitty Jess Lunn Liz Annie Darling Marjorie Alice Burrell Sheila Jess Hardy Shirley Clare Carruthers Tricia Mary-Ann Mellor THE ORCHESTRA Musical Director and Sue Burnett piano (Gwendoline) Flute (Joan - Leader) Katherine Crowley Flute Jenny Maltby Clarinet (Ross) Nigel Burnett Clarinet Kate Shaw Saxophone (Vic) Philip Illman Bassoon Robin Fox Trumpet Zach Coe Drums (Louis) Mark Howard BACKSTAGE Director Alison Organ Musical Director Sue Burnett Choreographer Catherine Ireland Producer James Gallifant Stage Manager Ian Hunt Stage Hands Mark Tasker Trevor Skinner Properties Barbara Fee Lighting Nigel Cassford Sound Steve Allen Costumes Helen Gallifant Beattie Smitham Sue Exton Shelagh Whitehead Box Office James Gallifant Publicity Ros Williams Programme Design Gillian Earle Front of House Judith Hardy Principal Character Costumes supplied by Bryan Philip Davies and Wigs supplied by Barbara Burrows Notes from the cast Alice Burrell Jo Evans Marjorie Felicity / Katisha This is my sixth year with the Having been in the last Farndale Rotherfield Players and I‟m still loving it, production of Macbeth, I couldn't miss although I didn‟t think I‟d have a baby the chance of being in another bump at the age of 17; that‟s for the role Townswomen's Guild extravaganza, of Marjorie.

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