Eastbourne Gilbert and Sullivan Society is fifty years old this year. It was on the 13th February1968 their inauguration took place and fifty persons attended. There are a few founder members still alive but are not active with the Society, all but one who will be gracing the Devonshire Park Theatre stage this coming May for the production of “The Yeomen of the Guard.”
Between the inauguration date and the Society’s first major production, they were building up their assets by performing concerts at the Congress Theatre with their own version of “G & S for All” and had repeated the same concert at other venues. There were other social events and concerts which were successful enabling the Society to plan for their forthcoming production.
The Society’s first production was “The Pirates of Penzance” at the Royal Hippodrome Theatre in 1970. This production was to be at Eastbourne’s Pier Theatre, but unfortunately someone set light to it and it was completely destroyed and the Royal Hippodrome management stepped in and saved the day. A further eighteen productions were to follow up to 1988 when the Society received an invitation from the management of the Devonshire Park Theatre and their first production was “The Yeomen of the Guard.” So it seems a full cycle of events and thirty one operas later they are once again performing “The Yeomen of the Guard” – a fitting tribute to the Society’s history of keeping Gilbert and Sullivan Alive!
It was on the 20th June 1978 that yours truly became the fifth Secretary of the G & S Society and after much dabbling at various positions on the committee, I resigned after 38 years, but volunteered to be their Vice-Chairman once more. It was and still is a privilege and honour to serve the society in whatever they wish me to do.
The culmination of Sullivan’s magical music and Gilbert’s brilliant words were somehow made for each other – they were matched perfect as a performing duo and singularly they were equally excellent.
The Yeomen of the Guard may be seen as the second operetta that could be classed as a grand opera as it is a little more serious until we get to the duo Shadbolt and Jack Point – a classic slap-stick farce of words and actions! Like all G & S although serious it has its funny moments and is worth a viewing and performances start on Thursday 10th to Sunday 13th May 2018. Evenings at 7:45pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and Matinees at 2:30pm Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Theatre Box Office Telephone 01323 412000. Concessions available.
The Yeomen of the Guard is a story of romance and dastardly deeds set in the Tower of London in the sixteenth century with the usual twists and turns of a topsy turvy world that both Gilbert and Sullivan were adept at producing.