The Cotswold Savoyards

Excellence in musical theatre in and around Cheltenham

TITANIC, THE MUSICAL

17th to 21st April 2012
Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham

Music and Lyrics by Maury Yeston
Book by Peter Stone

Stage Director: Paul Scott
Musical Director: Allan Gillespie

Click here for the cast list.

On 10 April 1912, RMS Titanic set sail from Southampton on its maiden voyage to New York. The largest, most luxurious ship ever built, and deemed to be ‘practically unsinkable’, it carried over 2,200 passengers and crew, including some of the wealthiest and most influential people of the time. Four days into its journey, the Titanic struck an iceberg. Within three hours, the great ship had sunk beneath the waves and less than one third of those on board survived.

To commemorate the centenary of the sinking and the society’s own 50th anniversary, The Cotswold Savoyards are proud to present the multi-Tony award winning musical TITANIC. Based on numerous actual characters aboard the great ship, this show focuses on their dreams, hopes and aspirations – as the story of the launching, the collision with the iceberg, and the sinking is played out against the background of the rigid class-distinctions of the Edwardian Age.

“The greatest American musical to have been written in 15 years. A score which soars… A masterpiece!” - Sheridan Morley, The Spectator

UTOPIA, LIMITED

31st Oct to 5th Nov 2011
Playhouse Theatre, Cheltenham

by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan

Stage Director: Deirdre Kincaid
Musical Director: Peter Meason

When a British delegation is brought to the ex-Soviet republic of Utopia by Princess Zara to advise on the transition to capitalism, the sinister Wise Men fear the loss of their power over the hapless King Paramount. In any case, have the citizens really anything to gain by embracing English ways?

Gilbert’s enduring satire on imperialism and corporate skulduggery is updated to the 1990s. The show also features a Public Exploder, a prim governess and her teenage royal charges, Life Guards in magnificent array, and some of Sullivan’s loveliest music.

THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE

26th to 30th April 2011
Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham

by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan

Stage Director: Simon C. Moss
Musical Director: David Manifold

Major-General Stanley leaves Cheltenham for a weekend at his country retreat, but his large family of daughters are a feisty lot, and sparks fly when they stray from Daddy and find themselves alone with a handsome pirate on a Cornish beach. His despicable crew, led by the Pirate King and his butler, are not far away and the local police force will soon find themselves way out of their depth as matters come to a head.

A traditonal production with many new twists, this exciting staging of Gilbert & Sullivan's well-loved musical will be fun for all the family. Packed with familiar tunes, big laughs and a cast of characters including the famous Stanley Sextuplets, this show presented by the Cotswold Savoyards is guaranteed to have you laughing and humming all the way home.

Are you a Stage Director or a Musical Director?

If so, we'd like to hear from you. We perform two shows per year and are always keen to hear from anyone who would like to become a stage or musical director for one of our shows. If you are interested, please contact our Secretary, Elizabeth Organ, at Harcourt, Selkirk Close, Pittville, Cheltenham GL52 2QN.

SCROOGE, THE MUSICAL

22nd to 27th Nov 2010
Playhouse Theatre, Cheltenham

by Leslie Bricusse

Stage Director: Daphne Herbert
Musical Director: Karen Gillespie
Choreographer: Liz Warner

Dickens' well loved tale of A Christmas Carol set to music. It is Christmas 1843 and everyone is getting into the festive spirit except Ebenezer Scrooge. He makes his clerk Bob Cratchit, father of five, work until late on Christmas Eve and grudgingly allows him a day off the following day. During Christmas Eve Scrooge is visited by his deceased partner Jacob Marley, who tells him to mend his miserly ways - or else! Scrooge is then visited in turn by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, which results in a change of heart for Scrooge on Christmas morning and joy for all.

THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD

18th to 22nd May 2010
Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham

by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan

Stage Director: Duncan Hooper, assisted by Helen Hooper
Musical Director: Peter Meason

The Yeomen of the Guard is one of the best and most loved of all the Savoy operas – combining Sullivan’s finest score with the great wit and ingenuity of Gilbert’s plot. The Cotswold Savoyards present a show that ranges through every emotion – from tragedy to comedy, from romance to heartbreak – all within the traditional setting of the Tower of London. The fabulous double choruses, the commanding Yeomen in their scarlet uniforms, the jibing and jesting of the travelling players and a story of dark dealings and intrigue make for a gloriously entertaining evening for all.

HOT MIKADO

23rd to 28th November 2009
The Playhouse, Cheltenham

Book and lyrics by David H. Bell
Music adapted and arranged by Rob Bowman
Based on The Mikado by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan

Stage Director: Sarah Dyer
Musical Director: Allan Gillespie
Additional Choreography: Sara Harwood

The time is 1940’s Japan. The mood is 1940’s America! Gilbert and Sullivan’s classic tale has been updated and reworked into an exciting and vibrant show which reflects the musical styles of jazz, swing, blues, gospel and big band. Come and join us in Ko-Ko’s Jazz Club for a story of love, intrigue, broken promises, a scorned woman and father searching for his lost son. Gangsters, molls invigorating dance routines and steamy couplings ensure this will be a show not to be missed.

For more shows, please visit the Gallery.

TRIAL BY JURY & THE CONTRABANDISTA

Sept 2002

The Contrabandista, the “lost” comic opera by Arthur Sullivan, received its first professional performance since 1880.

This concert performance, sponsored by the Sir Arthur Sullivan Society, brought together soloists from D’Oyly Carte, English National Opera, Glyndebourne Touring Opera and Opera North. The National Concert Orchestra was conducted by Malvern-based David Steadman, with the chorus provided by the Cotswold Savoyards.