Mistaken identity at heart of Gilbert & Sullivan's comic "Gondoliers"
Brian Tanner, left, and Ben Bradley in "The Gondoliers."
The University of Michigan Gilbert & Sullivan Society takes a trip to the make-believe kingdom of Barataria for it’s next show, “The Gondoliers,” which opens Thursday, April 1.
The story is based on a familiar Gilbert and Sullivan plot device. Two boys, 1 the son of a gondolier and the other the heir to the throne of the make-believe kingdom of Barataria, are mixed up at birth. Since no one knows which is which, the pair decide to share power. Circumstances are complicated (it wouldn’t be Gilbert and Sullivan if they weren’t) because the 1 who is truly the king was married by proxy to Casilda, the daughter of a Spanish duke, when he was an infant. When Casilda arrives in Barataria, she finds, to her dismay, both boys wedded to local girls, making one of the lads a bigamist. The mess is sorted out eventually with the arrival of the true king’s mother, who knows which boy is which.
The comic opera, first performed in 1889, was the 12th of 14 collaborations between William S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan.
The work came at a time when Gilbert and Sullivan were at artistic odds, said director Josh Borths.
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“Sullivan wanted to write grand opera, Gilbert wanted to make operettas that sold. They came to a resolution, so what you get in ‘Gondoliers’ is this incredibly operatic score, and 1 of their most sung-through works. There’s a couple of dialog scenes, but other than that it’s almost entirely music,” Borths explained.
A sophomore at the University of Michigan, majoring in vocal performance and musicology with an emphasis on opera direction, Borths was an assistant director last semester with UMGASS and was Frederick in a recent “Pirates of Penzance” production. This is the 2nd show he’s directed.
Music director for “The Gondoliers” is Avlana Eisenberg, who held the same position for UMGASS’ production of “Patience” last year.
“The Gondoliers,” although not as well-known as some of G&S’s other works, was very popular in its day — in fact, it was the pair’s last big hit.
“I think they did 2 or 3 shows after, but they were bombs. This was their 2nd or 3rd most successful,” said Borths.
As is typical of UMGASS productions, the cast includes a mix of seasoned veterans and eager newcomers. Borths is happy to talk about those who fall in both categories.
“Alan Wineman is Don Alhambra and Paul Grosvenor is Giorgio. Richard Harperk, who was Bunthorne last semester in ‘Patience,’ is the duke. Sam Winter, who played the title role of Patience last semester, is playing Gianetta, one of the gondoliers’ wives. And we have some wonderful newcomers. Sarah Flammer plays Tessa, Leah Bobbey plays Casilda, Nadya Hill plays the Duchess, Ben Brady, a freshman — he’s playing Giuseppe. Overall it’s a pretty new cast, which is always exciting.”
The show has a number of musical highlights, Borths said. “The most famous is probably the cachucha, which is a big dance and choral number in the 2nd act. It’s often regarded as one of G&S’ best chorus numbers. Other than that, there aren’t a lot of famous songs, but my personal favorites are the duets of Luiz and Casilda and the entire opening sequence, 20 minutes of just straight music, and all these melodies that recur through that opening scene are just wonderful.”
Borths has a theory about why Gilbert and Sullivan’s popularity endures.
“For me, what I absolutely love about G&S is the innocent joy. So little of the shows today, while they are great and amazing, and as much as I love modern opera and new musical theater and things like that, shows aren’t written today that are that innocent.
“What I am trying to do in ‘Gondoliers’ is capture the joy and exuberance that lives throughout these pieces. The sometimes not-so-subtle parodies and satires of the aristocracy and the monarchy creates an evening that’s delightful and also fulfilling — it’s deeper, it’s not just fluff.”
Roger LeLievre is a freelance writer who covers music for AnnArbor.com.