Edinburgh Fringe 2024
Gilbert and Sullivan’s Improbable New Musical….and Helen
The Coily Dart Theatre Company
Genre: Music, New Writing
Venue: theSpace Triplex
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
A well-crafted and executed piece of comic operetta celebrating the role of Helen, arguably the power behind the phenomenon that was Gilbert and Sullivan and the D’Oyly Carte empire, featuring snippets from many of their well known and perhaps less revived masterpieces.
Review
Gilbert and Sullivan’s last original comic opera, The Grand Duke, premiered in 1896 when Queen Victoria still reigned supreme but The Coily Dart Theatre Company have created a 21st century niche with their own original shows focusing on little known elements of the G&S backstory.
Whilst previous shows have featured Fringe lozenges and other interesting everyday objects, this one focused firmly on the role of Helen Lenoir (to take her stage name), initially secretary to impresario Richard D’Oyly Carte, latterly his wife and the driving force behind what rapidly became an extremely successful business, creating hotels, theatres and opera houses that are still going strong over a century later.
Coily Dart’s successful formula combines music and lyrics plucked from the vast repertoire of G&S operettas to support director Sue Ellerby’s original, unfailingly amusing and, in this particular case, largely biographical script. OK, one with a few liberties taken as one should never let the truth get in the way of telling a tall tale or two. So you’ll get all the usual Gilbertian plot devices such as mixed up babies, confusion of birth dates, labyrinthine plot twists and an improbable ending where everyone gets to live happily ever after. Oh, and a few silly dances!
Our eight strong cast (basically two voices to cover the SATB range that is the staple of all G&S music) form a pleasant ensemble with the roles of Helen (the capable Catherine Perry) and Richard D’Oyly Carte (the mellifluous Craig Butterworth) naturally featuring throughout, both singers possessing the power and range to carry off their solos with aplomb. Credit too, to all the gentlemen involved for their careful creation of the most splendid set of original whiskers to be seen on a Fringe stage in 2024. Oh, and let’s not forget the indefatigable Abigail Parker on piano, note perfect throughout.
The set was, as usual, simple – a bare stage onto which various furnishings were moved quickly and efficiently as we switched scenes, rattling through the largely unheralded story of Helen’s growing influence and impact on the rapidly expanding organisation that became, of course, the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company.
The music all sounds reassuringly familiar and appears simple enough to sing. But in reality it isn’t. Sullivan’s music is more complex that it might appear – harmonies need to be spot on as you’ve often got male voices singing against a counter melody from females or mixed male/female voices singing against each other. In such circumstances, enunciation is critical. Gilbert was known to be very precious of his lyrics and woe betide any singer, however minor their part, who “swallowed” their words.
He’d have had nothing but praise for this troupe though, for whilst there was the odd wobble in terms of pitch, every syllable came across loud and clear in a seventy five minute piece of comic operetta that held the attention of young and old, G&S aficionado or newbie alike.
Over a century has passed since the heyday of G&S’s comic operettas and their ground breaking pricking of establishment pomposity and the exposure of the inherent incompetence and corruption present in many aspects of the UK’s public organisations. They’d be amazed that their music and lyrics are as apposite today as they were when they created theatre that really has stood the test of time.
Recommended for those of you just dying to unleash your inner love for comic opera. So, why not totter along for an early morning dose of entertainment, education and, above all, good music.
