Monday, May 20, 2013
Friday, March 1, 2013
A Video Introduction to Gilbert & Sullivan in Austin
A video profile produced by David Little of the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Austin just as auditions begin for the grand summer production of Princess Ida, to be staged June 13 - 23, 2013:
Monday, June 11, 2012
Reviews from Elsewhere: Patience by Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Austin reviewed by "ODoubleGood," Austin Metblogs
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| (Donald Bayne, Meredith Ruduski, Arthur DiBianca) |
by odoublegood
June 11th, 2012 @ 11:07 AM
Patience played to a full house, including all the children who arrived early for a special program and remained for the entire matinee performance yesterday, just as entranced as the rest of us.
H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, and The Mikado seem to be the most frequently performed masterpieces, but, thanks to our very own Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Austin, we are privileged to enjoy every gem and delight in the Gilbert and Sullivan repertory.
Sparkling in the intimate new performance setting of the arts center of Brentwood Christian School (map), which seats 400 and boasts an orchestra pit that conceals the professional-quality 15-piece orchestra, Patience is a complete theatrical experience. The 22-voice chorus (11 men, 11 women) sang with a snappy vigor and the clarity that made the supertitles showcasing the lyrics really unnecessary.
Every principal singer shone, and the audience welcomed the return of comic and musical stalwarts Arthur Di Bianca, Holton Johnson, Jeanette Jones, and Russell Gregory. Meredith Ruduski, as Patience the dairy maid herself, was a fine lyric and comic presence.
Everyone associated with this production should be very proud. A lot of the stage business and choreography was quite demanding. The audience laughed everywhere it was supposed to and nowhere it was not.
Just five performances remain: Thursday, 14 June, at 8 pm; Friday, 15 June, at 8 pm; Saturday, 16 June, at 3 pm and at 8 pm; and Sunday, 17 June, at 3 pm. For ticket information, call 474-5664; advance prices are $20 for adults ($25 at the door), $15 for students over 18 with identification ($20 at the door), and $7 for those 18 and under ($10 at the door).
Do not deprive yourself. If you love music or theater or both, treat yourself to Patience.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Video: Dress Rehearsal for The Mikado, Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Austin, June 9 - 19
An ALTcom glimpse of the company's first dress rehearsal with the orchestra of The Mikado, a four-minute compendium of scenes from Act I:
Apple users: can't see the video? Click to go to YouTube!
presents its summer 2011 grand production
The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu
by Sir W. S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan
directed by Ralph MacPhail, Jr., with musical direction by Jeffrey Jones-Ragona
June 9-19 -- 9 Performances
Evening performances Thursdays, Fridays, & Saturdays at 8 p.m.
Matinees at 3 p.m., June 12, 18 & 19.
Travis High School Performing Arts Center / 1211 E. Oltorf (click for Google map)
For information, visit www.gilbertsullivan.org or call (512) 472-4772
Friday, June 3, 2011
Video: Blocking The Mikado, Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Austin, May 15
ALT watched G&S Artistic Director Ralph MacPhail, Jr. working with the men's and women's choruses three weeks ago, as they were working on the initial blocking for the June 9-19 production of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado. Here's a five-minute video showing some of the proceedings.
presents its summer 2011 grand production
The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu
by Sir W. S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan
directed by Ralph MacPhail, Jr.
musical direction by Jeffrey Jones-Ragona
June 9-19 -- 9 Performances
Evening performances Thursdays, Fridays, & Saturdays at 8 p.m.
Matinees at 3 p.m., June 12, 18 & 19.
Special Children’s Activities Sunday, June 12 at 2 p.m.
Travis High School Performing Arts Center / 1211 E. Oltorf (click for Google map)
For information, visit www.gilbertsullivan.org or call (512) 472-4772
Click here to purchase tickets on-line
For group sales of 10 or more, contact Michael Meigs at(512) 420-0888 or michael@gilbertsullivan.org
The Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Austin is proud to present its Summer 2011 Grand Production of The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu. The Mikado has delighted audiences for more than a century and is perhaps the most popular comic opera ever written. This quintessential satire of human nature represents Gilbert and Sullivan at the height of their creative geniuses. The Mikado is filled with masterful Gilbertian lyrics and magnificent Sullivanian musical “hits,” conveyed with orchestral brilliance. Populated with memorable characters and colorfully exotic costumes and sets, The Mikado is wildly funny. Audiences of all ages will be captivated by its hauntingly beautiful tunes and its colorful pageantry.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Sneak Peek Images: Yeomen of the Guard, Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Austin, June 11 - 20
Austin's Gilbert & Sullivan Society, now in its 34th year, is preparing for the June 11- 20 presentation of The Yeomen of the Guard, directed by Ralph MacPhail, Jr., with musical direction by Jeffrey Jones-Ragona. The show has been cast and musical rehearsals are proceeding.
ALT offers some of the publicity images taken by Brenda Ladd photography of three of the principals -- Russell Gregory as Sergeant Meryll of the Yeomen of the Guard, Arthur DiBianca as Jack Point and Michelle Hache as Elsie.
(all images © 2010 Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Austin)
View more images at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .
Thursday, December 10, 2009
The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge, Gaslight Baker Theatre, Lockhart, December 4 - 19
Ebenezer Scrooge is everywhere around Austin this Christmastide.
At his fictional debut in London in 1843 the fictional old curmudgeon endured a long, long Christmas Eve but came through transformed and redeemed, much to the reading public early in Victoria's reign. Dickens intended the novella as an uplifting scold and a humanitarian lesson --and a money-maker. He didn't make much from it, particularly once unscrupulous publishers started churning out unauthorized editions. Within a year there were eight theatrical versions of the Christmas Carol in London, only one of them authorized, with another two in New York.
Dickens did establish an enduring set of characters and he was influential in shaping Anglo-Saxon celebration of the holiday. Some assert that the greeting "Merry Christmas" stems from the mouth of Scrooge's nephew Fred and others maintain that our celebratory, family-oriented rituals of the holiday are urbanized versions of 18th-century manorial customs admired by Dickens and emulated in this story.
Scrooge lives again for us this year in Austin and nearby, with -- count 'em -- seven straightforward versions (two conventional theatre pieces, two one-actor presentations, a version for children and a version by children, and a musical) and five spoofs (including Inspecting Carol, now underway both in Wimberley and in San Antonio). Pretty good for a 166-year-old.
Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .
Friday, November 20, 2009
Upcoming: The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge, Gasllight Baker Theatre, Lockhart, December 4-
UPDATE: Click for ALT review, December 10
UPDATE: GACA "A-Team" review by (uncredited), December 7
UPDATE: Click for additional images provided by Gaslight Baker TheatreReceived directly:
The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge
In December, The Gaslight Baker Theatre in downtown Lockhart Texas will treat the community to a festive comedic twist on a holiday classic: The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge. This family-friendly holiday play by American playwright Mark Brown will run from December 4 to 19 for a total of 8 performances.
Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., with 2 p.m. Saturday matinees on December 12 and 19
A year after his miraculous transformation, Ebenezer Scrooge is back to his old ways, suing Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas for breaking and entering, kidnapping, slander, pain and suffering, attempted murder, and the intentional infliction of emotional distress. As the trial of the century progresses, hilarity ensues.
The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge features the great acting talents of Jennifer Davis, Arthur DiBianca, Jason Foreman, Carl Galante, Angela Irving, Lydia Kettle, Dana Peschke, Perry Redden, Derek Smootz, Katherine Wiggins, Jay Young and Gary Yowell. Directed by Stephen Reynolds, assisted by Beverly Galante, this holiday romp is sure to be fun for the whole family!
Be sure to check out our schedule and reserve your tickets today at www.gaslightbakertheatre.org or call (512) 376-5653. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for students and seniors. Discounts are available for groups of ten or more.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Upcoming: Love, Labour and Loss, a holiday musicale, Gilbert and Sullivan Society at Genesis Presybterian Church, December 6
Received directly:
The Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Austin proudly presents a holiday musical look at relationships.
Love Labour, and Loss
It's an evening of performances of Gilbert & Sullivan favorites along with operatic classics and Broadway musical theatre hits - all concerning love and the travails of romance.
Several selections from The Yeomen of the Guard will be performed, along with other Gilbert & Sullivan tunes from Patience and The Grand Duke. The program also includes grand opera selections by Mozart, Pablo Sorozabal, and Federico Moreno Torroba along with Broadway hits from Guys and Dolls and The Fantasticks.
The program will include performances by audience favorites from past G&S shows - Meredith Ruduski, Arthur DiBianca, Rebecca Stokinger, Andy Fleming, Ariel Rios, Katherine Wiggins and Derek Smootz. Martha Dudgeon's pianistic stylings will accompany the singers.
Genesis Presbyterian Church
1507 Wilshire Blvd Map
FREE ! Please Bring Munchies !
SEE YOU THERE!
