Previous Productions
Listed below are the previous productions of the society
2001 - Iolanthe
or
The Peer and the Peri
Directed by: Liz McKenzie
Conducted by: Melanie Gilbert
A semi-staged production
Iolanthe - Poster
designed by Viv Morgan
2002 - The Yeomen of the Guard
or
The Merryman and his Maid
Directed by: Jean Keighley
Conducted by: Melanie Gilbert
The Yeomen of the Guard - Poster
designed by Viv Morgan
2003 - Patience
or
Bowenthorne’s Pride
Directed by: Nic Wilson
Conducted by: Melanie Gilbert
A revised and updated version of Patience, written by Liz McKenzie and Nic Wilson, which transposed the adulation for 19th century Aesthetic poets to 21st century worship of celebrity, and in particular, the (then) current vogue for television "makeover" programmes.
Patience - Poster
designed by Viv Morgan
Patience - Review
STYLE CHALLENGE
Gay Bolton
Reproduced by permission of the Derbyshire Times
It's become the fashion to give classic works a modern look
What better way to attract new spectators than set an old-fashioned 19th century comedy about competitive poets in the world of rival television makeover kings?
Matlock Gilbert and Sullivan Society's updated version of Patience painted on the colour with a wide brush - from starstruck groupies in bright outfits to the hilarious song and dance act of Max Taylor as Handy Andy Duke and Sue Kinsella as makeover applicant Tara.
I thought the company missed a golden opportunity not to include Trinny and Susannah as makeover hopefuls - but you can't win em all.
The men's chorus, wearing overalls and hard hats came on stage wielding steel frames and built a plant stand.
One of them, Nic Wilson, who produced the show, entertained with the G & S standard 'patter song' including everyone from Jonah Lomu to lan Hislop while references to the National Lottery, Tony Blair, B & Q and Ikea littered the script.
It was only Christine Gilman as Patience who didn't have a new look. Her mop cap and dress were1880s fashion, although this Patience was cook rather than milkmaid.
Eric Morgan, as the flowery dreamer Lawrence Bowenthorne had the best line : "Come On In, The Wardobe's Lovely!" and lan Clulow as rival Archibald Titchmarsh amused everyone as the bighead with a line in naff verse.
The staging was simple but its different levels proved a stumbling block for one of the elder actresses who fell at Bakewell's Medway Centre on Thursday. In true showbiz tradition, she got back on her feet and carried on.
While the company took liberties with the libretto, the music stayed true to the original and a pat on the back to musical director Melanie Gilbert for informative notes in the programme.
Highlights included ensemble piece I Heard The Soft Note, the solo by Ann Hawkswood of Sad Is That Woman's Lot and Christine Gilman's Love Is A Plaintive Song.
All in all it was a terrific creation from a sound force.
2004 - The Mikado
or
The Titipu Club
Directed by: Nic Wilson
Conducted by: Melanie Gilbert
A modern day production which moved the location from 19th century Japan to a seedy nightclub.
This production was the first time the Society used a small orchestra (The Titipu Club Pitband) to accompany the performance.
"I've got a little list" Ko-Ko's song
The Madrigal The Company
"Alone and still alive" Katisha's lament
The Mikado - Poster
designed by Nic Wilson
The Mikado - Review
Society scores a triumph as The Mikado adopts a gangster-style theme
BREAK WITH TRADITION IS KEY TO SUCCESS...
Ian Dempsey
Reproduced by permission of the Derbyshire Times
There was all to play for as Matlock Gilbert & Sullivan Society staged The Mikado on the eve of the European soccer championships.
It marked the society's first away fixture since being founded in 1992 - all their previous productions having taken place in Matlock.
But this time they decided to uproot and travel along the A6 to the neighbouring town of Bakewell.
And there was another new development as the society took to the stage at the Medway Centre - for the first time they were accompanied by a live band under the baton of musical director Melanie Gilbert.
Seedy nightclub
In addition to this, producer Nic Wilson dispensed with the traditional Oriental style of The Mikado and set the action in a seedy nightclub, complete with gangsters.
The society must have wondered whether all these changes would produce the right result.
But they needn't have worried ... so many people turned up they had to delay the kick-off for at least five minutes while extra seating was found to accommodate everyone.
Writing in the programme, society chairman Jos Lowe explained the reasons behind the move out of Matlock: "The facilities at the Medway Centre are so ideal that we could not resist. More convenient accommodation, better stage access and lighting, immeasurably better acoustics- and much more comfort for our audience, both in the foyers and seating."
In keeping with the gangster theme,the costumes were mainly black and white, and there were shades of famous movies such as The Godfather, Bugsy Malone, Guys and Dolls and The Blues Brothers.
Even the 101 Dalmatians proved a valuable source of inspiration with Liz McKenzie playing the lovelorn Katisha in the guise of Cruella de Vil - a role she revelled in.
Nic Wilson played Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner, with great comic flair and enjoyed some memorable exchanges with Katisha.
He also found an excellent foil in Ian Clulow as Pooh-Bah, the club 'fixer', bore and Lord High Everything Else!
Nic's Little List song of "people we can do without" gave scope for much amusement.
Football featured in the shape of England captain David Beckham (that was before his costly penalty miss against France) but it wasn't him, it was Posh who got her marching orders.
Others included candidates in the TV show I'm a Celebrity: Get Me Out of Here, various political cronies and tabloid journalists - thankfully, this did not include members of the provinicial press!
David Pope was a swaggering presence as The Mikado, the nightclub owner. His character was very much in The Godfather mode - definitely not a man to be trifled with.
Max Taylor as The Mikado's son, Nanki-Poo, and his beloved Yum-Yum (Sue Sloan) skilfully captured the contrasting emotions as their fortunes swung from one extreme to another.
The youngest member of the cast, 16-year-old Hannah Boron, sparkled as Yum-Yum's younger sister Peep-Bo and delivered some amusing lines with aplomb.
As Yum-Yum prepared to marry Nanki-Poo, who was under sentence of death by decapitation, she reminded her that her enjoyment would soon be "cut short".
Susan Devaney, playing Yum-Yum's older sister Pitti-Sing, provided rousing support, along with Ken Watson as head barman Pish-Tush and Calum Kinsella as assistant barman Go-To.
The presence of a small orchestra added greatly to the atmosphere, creating just the right ambience.
Matlock G&S Society's first away fixture was acclaimed a resounding success by the capacity audience.
They couldn't have wished for a better result...
2005 - The Zoo & HMS Pinafore
Staging devised by Jos Lowe
Directed by: Nic Wilson
Conducted by: Melanie Gilbert
Orchestral arrangement: MaxTaylor
"Ladies and Gentlemen" Thomas Brown & Company
or
The Lass who loved a Sailor
Directed by: Nic Wilson
Conducted by: Melanie Gilbert
"Over the bright blue sea" The Company
"Never mind the why and wherefore" Josephine, Captain Corcoran & Sir Joseph Porter
"Carefully on tiptoe stealing" The Company
The Zoo & HMS Pinafore - Poster
designed by Nic Wilson
The Zoo & HMS Pinafore - Review
DOUBLE DELIGHT IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT
Gay Bolton
Reproduced by permission of the Derbyshire Times
Want to conjure up a heatwave? Just stage HMS Pinafore in flaming June.
Nearly 130 years ago Gilbert and Sullivan's new comic opera almost bombed because searing heat put off the audiences and those that did support it were unenthusiastic.
Two centuries later. Mother Nature turns up the heat again but this time it's a much rosier picture for Matlock Gilbert and Sullivan Society.
Despite scorching temperatures for the launch of the show in Bakewell's Medway Centre on Thursday, the enthusiasm of the cast swept over the spectators like a tidal wave.
After nearly three hours under spotlights, the ladies' chorus in buttoned-up full-length dresses, wide-brimmed hats and woolly tights looked as fresh and fragrant as the first minute they stepped out as did bowler-hatted producer Nic Wilson trussed up in a tight three-piece suit.
This production saw Matlock G&S return to a more traditional approach to their chosen art, rather than the liberties they took with their two previous shows, The Mikado and Patience.
But they didn't stick to the script rigidly. The setting was relocated from dockside to boating lake and Nic Wilson's hilarious portrayal of first lord of the admiralty Sir Joseph
Porter set him up as a pompous Northerner with a touch the Irish. During one scene, Nic clambered onto a small stage which was a masterstroke in depicting his character as a
testy little man with a big ego.
Magnificent Max Taylor has a voice that could launch a thousand ships and was the best able seaman Ralph Rackstraw I have seen to date. His stage presence was as commanding as his voice.
Wendy Costigan's singing was a delight and her confidence grew as the show progressed, making her an eminently likeable and lovable Josephine, daughter of Captain Corcoran who was played with aplomb by Eric Morgan.
Liz McKenzie, in her first contralto role, rose to the challenge of performing Buttercup's songs such as Sir, You Are Sad and A Many Years Ago. As well as putting her own stamp on the character with an uppercrust accent and slimline figure, Liz held the audience in the palm of her hand in the scene where Buttercup reveals her secret.
Staged as part of the Matlock Live festival, HMS Pinafore was part of a double-bill celebrating British patriotism. The opening show was a rarely performed little number called The Zoo on which composer Arthur Sullivan collaborated with writer Bolton Rowe.
The Zoo is a strange tale of suicide attempts, gluttony and a master of disguise.
It highlights England in a bygone era where afternoons were spent looking at animals in cages and taking afternoon tea, served by a glamorous maid in long black dress, white apron and hat.
Vivienne Morgan gave a delightful performance as the refreshment stallholder, Eliza Smith. Once again. Max Taylor took the honours as her high-bom suitor Thomas, as well as being responsible for the orchestral arrangements of the piece.
Despite the signs for bears, racoons and elephants, there wasn't an animal in sight. From my vantage point at the side ot the back row. I thought the only danger lurked in the orchestra pit where the volume of the music came perilously close to drowning out the soloists.
For the main production of HMS Pinafore I transferred to ground level and took a seat in the centre of the audience where the balance of singers and nusicians sounded much better.
* HMS Pinafore and The Zoo will be staged at Ashover Parish Hall on Saturday.
2006 - The Pirates of Penzance (July) & Trial by Jury (December)
or
The Slave of Duty
Directed by: Max Taylor
Conducted by: Melanie Gilbert
Relocated from the 1870's to the 1950's, this production was notable for its use of an all female police force.
"I am the very modern of a modern Major General" Major General's patter song
"Away, away, my heart's on fire" Pirate King, Ruth & Frederic
"A policeman's lot is not a happy one" Lizzie Large & Susie Small
Directed by: Liz McKenzie
Conducted by: Melanie Gilbert
This semi-staged production was performed as the first of half of Gilbertian Goodies & Seasonal Songs - our concert at Christmas.
The Pirates of Penzance - Poster
designed by Nic Wilson
The Pirates of Penzance - Review
PIRATE KINGS
Gay Bolton
Reproduced by permission of the Derbyshire Times
Carnival day in Bakewell rounded off with a rollicking good show in front of a surprisingly large audience.
On one of the hottest days of the year and less than an hour after England crashed out of the World Cup, I expected most people to be drowning their sorrows in pubs or at home.
But the Medway Centre was positively buzzing with joie de vivre as performers washed away any post-match blues in a lively production of The Pirates of Penzance.
While our nation's footballers may not be the best on the planet, Matlock Gilbert and Sullivan Society set out to show why England is the envy of the world when it comes to putting on a first-rate production.
Top-notch singing and comedy was delivered in bucketloads in a show which fizzed along at a rate of knots.
First-time director Max Taylor had promised a few surprises and he didn't disappoint. Several of the pirates looked like quintessential Englishmen in straw boaters - one even had a riding hat and a hobby horse named Fury - while the Major General's daughter wore 50s-style polka dot dresses and accessories.
Max, playing the role of Major General, had adapted the traditional "patter song" to include a reference to Bakewell pudding and Delia The nearest it came to football was a mention of Wembley, which was a little bit of a let-down given the dramatic events of the night but perhaps timing was against a last-minute rewrite of the song on Saturday
Susan Devaney and Liz McKenzie provided the comic piece de resistance as the singing detectives, proving mistresses in the art of sleuth defence in their buttoned-up macs and delivering police speak together in a robotic monotone.
And the classic With Cat-Like Tread was sung heartily, rather than softly, by the pirates, under the leadership of a bearded Eric Morgan as the Pirate King.
Nic Wilson was outstanding in his role as leading man and apprentice pirate Frederic. His diction was crystal clear, his delivery engaging and his outfit lived up to an "effective but alarming costume" resembling a cross-between Just William and a boyish-looking Scout master.
Nic's duets with Lesley Kraushaar, who played leading lady Mabel and reached
sky-scraping high notes with apparent ease, and Carole Pilkington, who played Ruth, were among the show's highlights.
Under the baton of musical director Melanie Gilbert, the orchestra pitched its
playing just perfectly and the simple staging allowed the large cast to ebb and flow effortlessly.
Last week's three-night run of Pirates even stole a march on the rest of the world the International Festival of Gilbert and Sullivan lands at Buxton later this month.
2007 - Ruddigore
or
The Witch's Curse
Directed by: Max Taylor
Conducted by: Melanie Gilbert
"Welcome gentry" The Company & Sir Despard's song
"Painted emblems of a race" The Ghosts & Sir Roderic's song
"My eyes are fully open" Sir Ruthven, Mad Margaret & Sir Despard's trio
Ruddigore - Poster
designed by Nic Wilson
Ruddigore - Review
RAISING THE ROOF!
Gay Bolton
Reproduced by permission of the Derbyshire Times
Top-class singing, spirited dancing, comic characterisation and impressive costumes - Matlock Gilbert and Sullivan Society's production of Ruddigore brought the house down quite literally.
Flimsy artwork's ruddy poor show saw house rooftops brought down by the swirling dresses of peachy bridesmaids rushing around the stage during the opening minutes of launch night.
But the cheap-looking cardboard scenery propped up against the backdrop was the only weakest link in a show which highlighted the strengths of this small, but enthusiastic company.
A society as small as Matlock's is fortunate in having principals who wouldn't look out of place on a larger stage than that of the Medway Centre, Bakewell, where the show ran last week.
They brought an air of professionalism to the tale about a witch's curse, bad baronets and desperate bridesmaids.
Lesley Kraushaar as Rose Maybud, a maiden whose constant companion was her book of etiquette, has a voice to die for. Her impressive singing shone out alongside that of counterpart Nic Wilson in their signature duet "I Know A Youth". The tip-toeing style of the music, played by a nine-strong orchestra under the baton of Melanie Gilbert, was complemented by the lead pair's acting which embodied the essence of a shy couple attracted to each other.
This was one of Nic's finest performances - and one where he was required to play two different characters; the first as a modest farmer labouring under a false identity and the second where he revealed his true colours as a baronet, scowling and creeping around the stage with all the menace of a pantomime villain.
Show producer Max Taylor brought maximum comedy to his role as humble mariner Richard Dauntless, skipping around the stage with a posse of bridesmaids, heading up a hornpipe dance and then collapsing on a bench looking worn out by his exertions.
Larger-than-life characterisations require actors of a big stature and the towering presence of Bernard Gardner as the wicked baronet Sir Despard proved a trump card in the production.
Chris Kraushaar as baronet Sir Roderick showed off a fine singing voice in "When The Night Wind Howls" while "There Grew A Little Flower" sung with Liz McKenzie (who played Dame Hannah) was one of the best in the show.
Producer Max added a few neat touches to the original script, substituted Bakewell for Birmingham and making reference to the Peak District.
For the last word on these polished performers, it's over to Wendy Costigan's killer line in her role as Mad Margaret: "They sing choruses in public — that's mad enough."
2008 - The Sorcerer
or
The Village of Ploverleigh
Directed by: Nic Wilson
Conducted by: Melanie Gilbert
Orchestral arrangement and original music: Max Taylor
An updated production placed in the 1930s.
The Sorcerer - Poster
designed by Nic Wilson
The Sorcerer - Review
PIONEER PATIENT lAN TAKES CENTRE STAGE
Gay Bolton
Reproduced by permission of the Derbyshire Times
Brave performance by MS sufferer wins plaudits in magical performance of G&S classic The Sorcerer
By the time you read this, Multiple Sclerosis sufferer lan Clulow will have started a revolutionary medical procedure aimed at trans forming his life for the better. He has put himself forward for a stem cell transplant which, if successful, could bring relief to thousands of sufferers who share his walking and sight difficulties. But there was no trace of pre-hospital nerves when lan bravely stepped onto the stage for Matlock Gilbert and Sullivan Society's opening night of "The Sorcerer" on Thursday.
Few performers have displayed such stoicism as lan who took measured steps across the stage at Bakewell's Medway Centre, his face displaying no hint of discomfort. In the role of Dr Daly, lan delivered his opening song, Time Was When Love And I Were Well Acquainted, with confidence and clarity and an instrumental solo on recorder was testament to the hours of practice which he had put in.
lan was also part of a quintet which aired a song about nursing, tending and mending, particularly poignant given that his friends in the society are launching a £24,000 appeal to fund his treatment which is not available on the NHS.
The Sorcerer, which ran for three nights last week, provided plenty of light relief for the audience as well as giving some of the society's younger members a chance to shine. Playing Constance, the teenager with an eye for middle-aged men, Hannah Boron showed she had the singing qualities and acting ability to be a leading lady of the future, while ten-year-old Elizabeth Blades as the sorcerer's apprentice, Hercules, had an engagingly mischievous smile as she faced the audience having dripped love potion into the teacups of her fellow characters.
Nic Wilson and Lesley Kraushaar as principal couple Alexis and Aline amused with lovey-dovey expressions like "exquisite rapture" and "unmingled joy." He had some of the finest lines in the show such as the tongue-twister "lucid lake of liquid love" and "steep the village up to its lips in love" while she had some
of the prettiest songs which were delivered with confidence and charm.
The flirting factor stepped up a gear during an hilarious scene between Aline's mother Lady Sangazure and The Sorcerer, John Wellington Wells, characterised by Liz McKenzie and Max Taylor. Their "love me/hate me" duet had been cleverly rewritten so Max could sing: "Hate Me, I sing in Chesterfield a lot!" It wasn't the only change to the script which Max unveiled. In an earlier incantantion, his Prophetic Tables spiel had been updated to include references to "change in Prime Minister and a rise in petrol," which drew a chuckle from the audience.
And the hours of work Max had put into reworking the musical script for a smaller group than an orchestra paid off with some delightful accompaniment from a nine-strong ensemble, conducted by Melanie Gilbert.
But it was as The Sorcerer brewing up his magic "love at first sight" potion that proved to be Max's finest moment in the spotlight. He looked like a man possessed as be huddled over a kettle reciting incantantions and summoning up eerie spirit-like voices which sang from behind a gauze screen at the side of the stage. The exploding kettle scene was sheer magic as it shot out stars and a jet of steam high into the air. But if you don't want to know how they did it, stop reading now....
According to its enterprising creator David 'Mac' McKenzie it was a fire extinguisher triggered by a foot pump!
• The society launches its first fund-raising event for lan Clulow's treatment on July 18. There will be a concert at All Saints' Church, Matlock, with entertainment provided by the society and The Dalesmen choir, two groups lan belongs to.
For further information on fund-raising events call Liz McKenzie on (01629) 57029 or log onto
www.mspioneerfund.org
2009 - Iolanthe
To be staged on 11th, 12th, 13th June 2009 at the Medway Community Centre, New Road, Bakewell.
For more information, watch this space!