|
  Martins
Operatic Society in The Grand Duchess by Offenbach
Staged: 23
to 27 March 1971 at the Neptune Theatre Liverpool
We now find
ourselves firmly in unfamiliar
territory. Yes, 1971 would have been the twenty-fifth anniversary of Martins BANK Operatic Society, but under new owners
Barclays, the word “bank” has had to be removed from the title of our merry
band of performers. Still, this
situation does provide a certain amount of homage to Martins Bank and the
chance to continue showing the world what an amazingly talented bunch they
are! That productions will continue to be staged by Martins Operatic Society
until 1980 is surely testament to the solid foundations of the society
itself, and the commitment of a large number of staff from both Banks to
staging light opera and musical comedy on Merseyside. The operetta is produced under the auspices
of the rather grandly titled Barclays Bank “ARTS
COUNCIL”
whose name does seem to confer more than a whiff of pretentiousness upon
itself, but never mind, the show goes on and that’s the main thing. As we will learn below, the first night is
beset with problems, not least TWO of the
lead performers being absent, and the fact that this is the Silver Jubilee
Year presentation of the Society makes their professionalism in keeping calm
and carrying on all the more heroic.
Remember that many of the society’s members have been on stage or back
stage since the start, so they won’t let the small matter of being two cast
members down, get in the way of giving the audience a good time! “The Grand Duchess” is a great choice for this important anniversary
year, and whilst Martins Bank Magazine is no longer on hand to provide its
usual “blow-by-blow” critique, we are left with a copy of the original
programme, which gives us a synopsis of the plot, along with the details of
those who have come together to perform, stage and produce the show. Thanks
to our friends at the British Newspaper Archive, we can also bring you “All
right on the night” a review by Hughie Ross in his column The Amateur Stage
from the Liverpool Echo…
|
 The Grand Duchy of Gerolstein is in trouble.
Its Grand Duchess, who spends more time with ‘affairs’ than affairs of
State, refuses repeatedly to marry Prince Paul of the neighbouring state of
Pfiffelhofen. Her Prime Minister, Baron Puck, declares war on nearby
Schuffclburg, in order to give her something else to think about. Whilst
reviewing a platoon of the Royal Grenadiers the Duchess’s eye lights upon
Fritz, probably the most inept private in the army. To satisfy a whim she
rapidly promotes Fritz to the rank of Captain, to the horror of the
Commander-in-Chief General Boom, but the delight of Fritz’s sweetheart
Wanda. General Boom unfolds his war plan which Fritz, who knows the
country, points out to be unworkable. The Duchess is so taken with Fritz’s
alternative plan that she raises him to the rank of General and sends him
off to lead the army. Fritz wins the war with a piece of the most un-text
book like strategy, which further infuriates Boom. The Duchess, however, is
even more determined to add Fritz to her collection. Meanwhile Paul, Boom,
Puck and Grog have drawn lots to decide who will eliminate Fritz. Paul wins
the honour, but completely bungles the affair. During the melee the
priceless Sword of State is lost. The Duchess, now tiring of Fritz’s devotion
to Wanda, is outraged at the ‘priceless relic’s’ loss and gives Fritz
twenty-four hours to find it or be shot. Despite the overhanging threat of
doom, Fritz and Wanda are married; and when the Duchess informs Fritz that
the time is up and the Sabre still missing, Baron Grog, Pfiffelhofen
ambassador, suggests that any man who now produces the Sabre will be a hero
worthy of her hand in marriage. The Duchess agrees, and a masked stranger
appears carrying the Sabre. Amid general rejoicing everybody gets, if not
what they want, certainly what they deserve.
|
|
All right on the Night…
The
name of the Society might have changed, but our performers are still in the
very safe hands of Hughie Ross, who is a veteran reviewer of Martins Bank
Operatic Society performances in his popular column “The Amateur
Stage”. His reviews are to the
point, but usually gentle, with a nod to the complexities of putting on a
show. It is interesting to note that
as late as 1971 – and following the sexual revolution of the late 1960s –
the word word “gay” is still being
used by Hughie Ross to indicate “happy”,“bright”, “joyful”…
|
|
|
{Celebrating their silver jubilee, Martins Operatic Society presented
the premiere of Offenbach’s comic operetta, The Grand Duchess at Neptune
Theatre and made it a very gay occasion.
Despite a first night blow when two of the principals were unable to
appear, they coped splendidly with a little cast switching and liberal use
of the script-in-hand technique by the substitutes Tony Clare and Gerry
Smith.
The story concerns the affairs of the Grand Duchess of
Gerolstein who refuses to marry the Prince of a neighbouring State and
casts her favours on a private soldier, finally promoting him through
various ranks in quick succession up to General with comical results.
Pat Carrier as the Duchess not only had a roving eye but a
lovely voice and a charming presence, and John Bowen made the erstwhile
member of the awkward squad a very lively General indeed. He entered into
the spirit of burlesque perfectly and sang well, particularly his solo “
How the War was Won” and with his peasant-girl fiancée Wanda (Valerie Mudd)
and the Duchess.
Ian Wilson was in splendid voice as the displaced General
and with Ken Jones (he also produced), as the rather precious Prince Paul.
Tony Clare, John Milne and Gerry Smith became lively conspirators at they
tried to foil the Duchess.
A big prop in every sense of the word was the huge
ceremonial sabre with which great play was made. The chorus work throughout
was very good under the able direction of Derek Sadler, who also controlled
the orchestra in great style}.
|
|
Image and Text © Reach PLC
and Find my Past created courtesy of
THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. Image and Text reproduced
with kind permission of
The British Newspaper Archive
|
|
|
|
Just how many dedicated people does it take to stage a three-act
operetta over FIVE nights to the general public?
Even after a change of name AND weekday
employer, Martins Operatic Society is alive and well, and continues to
delight audience throughout the 1970s…
With
special thanks to the late, great Beryl Creer.
|
 M
|
