The Grand Duke

The Grand Duke is Gilbert & Sullivan’s final operetta, it premiered in 1896, and is one rarely performed, as compared to their other more popular works. I confess I knew nothing at all about this one, except, when telling a friend about my visit, he said “sausage rolls” which I admit both confused and intrigued me. A group of actors led by Ernest Dummkopf are conspiring to overthrow The Grand Duke. Despite only being allowed to discuss the plan once exchanging the secret sign, the plan is inadvertently disclosed and leads to Statutory duels, multiple weddings, and fake funerals, but ultimately due to a legal oversight all is resolved happily.

The set design consisted of a static set with raised staging and a curved set of steps, painted red and black. Multiple flats with cartoonlike buildings depicting the German Town of Pfennig Halbpfennig along the back and sides. This all worked well, providing levels and plenty of interest. Smaller pieces of set furniture were used to depict scene changes and were moved effectively by the cast.

The Direction flowed well, and was well thought out, using the space fully. As ever with this group I love how the Youth are fully incorporated (some very youthful cast members but start them young I say!) I see you choreographed as well, there were some lovely movement touches, the gestures to depict the cards. I also loved the Human Roulette, which worked so well.

The balance between the Cast and the 11-piece Orchestra was excellent. I felt that some of the music cues were perhaps slow to start at times as there were moments where the cast looked as though they were waiting to start singing.  

Lighting was generally effective, you had extensive use of spotlights, though there were several instances where the cast missed their marks or stepped out of the light. Despite these occasional missteps, the overall lighting complemented the mood effectively and enhanced the atmosphere. Additionally, the sound balance remained consistently well-managed throughout.

The Costume Team had a difficult job sourcing 90 costumes, the Principal characters all looked great. I wondered about the period consistency in some of the ensemble costumes, some very modern looking shirts, varying skirt lengths and modern shoes/boots dotted among them. Hair and Makeup looked appropriate for the period and setting.

In Reviewing the Principal Performances:

Ludwig:  A well rounded performance, lovely vocals and you fully embraced the humour.

Lisa: A really sincere performance with a lovely vocal quality.

Ernest: Another strong comedy performance with clear vocals.

Dr Tannhauser: A great character role, which you executed confidently.

Julia: Beautiful Soprano voice, lovely clear vocals. The German accent worked so well.

Rudolph: A great comedy performance, I thought the sneeze and wig”ography” action was great, I have heard since that it wasn’t planned, but you kept it in as the audience loved it, good choice.

The Prince of Monte Carlo and The Princess of Monte Carlo Both strong character roles, which you embraced fully, and you worked so well together.  

The Baroness Von Krakenfeldt: another powerful character role performed with confidence.

The Ensemble and Supporting cast, were all very dynamic with some lovely vocals. I could clearly see your individual characters which is important, but a note for some of you, be careful not to pull focus, it’s a fine balance, but can be quite distracting for the audience.

 A special shout out to the Bridesmaids and the Mourners and the Temporary Assistant Sub-Deputy Vice Chamberlain and The Acting Temporary Assistant Sub-Deputy Vice Chamberlain. Well done all of you really confident performances.

Thank you for another lovely evening, and congratulations to all the cast and crew involved.  

 

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