HMS Pinafore
(in double bill with Trial By Jury )

• Chairman's Chat
• The Story
• Reviews
• Cast
• Production Crew

Chairman's Chat
by Ray Fisher

It is 5 and a half years since we last did a G&S show – The Mikado – so we thought it was time we did another!

Once again we have many new Haodians on the stage and I am pleased to report that our membership is still growing. This show has the Producer and Musical Director new to the Capitol Theatre and both from within the Society; I know they have both had a few challenging moments but I also know that they will bring you a show to enjoy.

This is HAODS first double bill and has produced some unique problems, all of which will have been overcome by the time you read this! We believe that this show will bring new people to se HAODS – if you have not seen one of our shows before, I hope you will enjoy your HAODS experience and that it will be the first of many!

As you will see elsewhere in this programme, our next show in the autumn is Jesus Christ Superstar. We were delighted to be given the opportunity to do this exceptional musical and once again it will be something very different for HAODS.

If the wide range of our productions appeals to you and you would like to e involved with us in some way or other please have a look at our website www.haods.co.uk, or contact Howard Collis, our Membership Secretary, on 01403 241240. You will find us a very happy group.

I look forward to seeing you here again in November.

Ray Fisher
HAODS Chairman

The Story

The sailors are on deck, singing as they work, when Little Buttercup, a poor bumboat woman, arrives. She tries to sell them an array of goods, but under her happy exterior Buttercup hides a secret worry. This is connected to a handsome (but common) sailor on board, named Ralph Rackstraw. He is in love with Josephine, the lovely daughter of the very gentlemanly Captain of the Pinafore, but class pride prevents her from outwardly reciprocating Ralph’s affections. Meanwhile Captain Corcoran is arranging for Josephine to marry the First Lord of the Admiralty, Sir Joseph Porter, who has risen from humble beginnings despite having never been to sea. And the Captain himself secretly fancies Little Buttercup! When Sir Joseph, attended by a train of female relatives, arrives to inspect the crew, Josephine finds his patronising attitude unbearable; and when Ralph pleads his suit and then threatens suicide, she agrees to elope.

Sir Joseph, discouraged by Josephine’s coldness, threatens to call off the match. Captain Corcoran advises that probably his exalted rank has dazzled her and urges him to assure her that ‘love levels all ranks’. This Sir Joseph does, and mistakenly thinks that Josephine has accepted him, when actually she is affirming her acceptance of Ralph. Meanwhile, the villainous Dick Deadeye informs Captain Corcoran of the planned elopement. The Captain stops the escape, Sir Joseph orders Ralph to be put in irons and confusion reigns. This is only resolved when Little Buttercup reveals her secret, which allows Josephine to marry Ralph, frees Captain Corcoran to declare his love for Buttercup… and leaves Sir Joseph resigned to marrying his cousin, Hebe

Reviews

West Sussex County Times

Tackling one opera proves challenging for most amateur dramatic groups, so bringing two to the stage could be seen as impossible. Not so for Horsham Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society (HAODS). This week (including today and tomorrow) HAODS is performing a double bill of Gilbert and Sullivan operas – Trial By Jury and HMS Pinafore.

Trial by Jury is a 30-minute opera, which doesn’t give the actors much chance to flesh out their characters. But with the help of the wardrobe mistresses and set designers the opera came to life very quickly.

A cast of around 30 are on stage the majority of the time and the ensemble pieces showed the strengths of the group as a whole. Siobhan McMahon who plays Angelina has an incredible voice and belongs on the stage.

Unfortunately, maybe because of how it was originally written, the story was lost on me quite quickly. After a 15-minute interval, the curtains came up to reveal a totally changed set, where it seemed not one detail had been overlooked. Huge choral pieces, dancing – and some more very talented singers – made for a fairly enjoyable performance.

From the comments made after the show (and during by a few members of the audience) it seemed everyone had given HAODS a thumbs up once again.

However, I’m not entirely convinced G&S has a place in 21st century theatre – but I’m ready to be proved wrong.

Lisa Merry – West Sussex County Times

NODA Review

I must be softening in my old age as once again, despite not being a fan of G&S in general, I find myself strangely enjoying it when it is done well. So HAODS must have got something right with Stephen Gadd’s take on ‘Trial by Jury’ as it had me chuckling aloud throughout. There were some particularly strong performances from Kevin Summers (Edwin), Siobhan McMahon (Angelina) and Howard Collis, the hilarious court usher. Equally enjoyable, Juliet Sumner’s ‘HMS Pinafore’ used many of the same cast to great effect and produced wonderfully funny performances from Philip Chadwell (Sir Joseph) and Stephen Gadd (Captain Corchoran – my goodness he gets around!). The orchestra for both shows was Mags Fisher who injected new life and energy into the very tired and tested scores to give a lift to and complement the energy and gusto of those on stage. It is nice to see an operatic society play to their strengths and choose a show which uses the very strong and numerous vocal talents of their membership, rather than tackling the kind of contemporary rock operas which could alienate their target audience. The large chorus complemented the principal players valiantly and added that special spark which only seems to come when G&S is done justice.

Lance Milton – Noda

Cast - In Order of Appearance

Production Crew