The Cotswold Savoyards

Excellence in musical theatre in and around Cheltenham

SCROOGE, THE MUSICAL

22nd to 27th Nov 2010
Playhouse Theatre, Cheltenham

by Leslie Bricusse

Stage Director: Daphne Herbert
Musical Director: Karen Gillespie

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.

Cast list...

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, Rod Davis, 58 King William Drive, Charlton Park, Cheltenham GL53 7RP.

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

Cast list for The Yeomen of the Guard

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.

More details here...

THE GONDOLIERS

By Gilbert and Sullivan
9th to 13th June 2009
Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham

Brothers Marco and Giuseppe, both Venetian gondoliers, have only one goal in mind - to marry Gianetta and Tessa, the girls of their choice. However, they are shocked to discover that one of them is the heir to the kingdom of Barataria, and as such was betrothed as an infant to Casilda, the daughter of Duke and Duchess of Plaza Toro. In true Gilbertian style, all they have to do is work out which brother is which.

Gilbert’s pithy commentary on social climbing and misguided notions of equality perfectly complements the exuberant music from Sullivan, in a colourful, energetic show that includes the well-known “Take a Pair of Sparkling Eyes” and “Dance a Cachuca.”

More details here.

THE SORCERER

By Gilbert and Sullivan
24th to 29th Nov 2008
Playhouse Theatre, Cheltenham

Featuring a wealth of captivating musical numbers, The Sorcerer is one of the most light-hearted of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas. John Wellington Wells, “dealer in magic and spells”, has his skills called upon by a well-meaning young couple whose passionate wish is that the rest of their village should share in their idealistic view of love and happiness. Wells wields his magic at the wedding party, but someone will have to pay the price for the unforeseen consequences…

INTO THE WOODS

24 - 28 June 2008
Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book by James Lapine

Into the Woods, the Tony Award-winning musical by Stephen Sondheim, is a magical tale that follows the adventures of a baker and his wife as they try to fulfill their quest for a child. Along the way, there are many comical moments as they cross paths with Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, a wicked witch and a host of other fairytale characters who are all pursuing their own wishes and desires. Their stories become intertwined in unexpected ways, revealing what happens after “happy ever after.”

For more details click here.

THE BEGGAR'S OPERA

26th Nov to 1st Dec 2007
Playhouse Theatre, Cheltenham

By John Gay
In a new version by John Caird and Ilona Secacz

The Beggar’s Opera is a savagely funny musical satire on marriage, money and morals – as relevant and biting today as it was when first written. In this amateur premiere of a new version by John Caird and Ilona Secacz, first performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1992, the old story is given new life as all our favorite characters return, in a play within a play, where beggars and thieves create a world of love, lust, deceit and greed.

IOLANTHE

12th - 16th June 2007
Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham

Twenty years after she was banished for daring to marry a mortal, Iolanthe returns to the fairy fold on the day of the summer solstice. Trouble is, she now has a son Strephon whose heart is set on marrying Phyllis, an Arcadian shepherdess. When the Lord Chancellor vetoes their union, the Queen of the Fairies retaliates by sending Strephon, via a safe seat and an awful lot of spin, into Parliament where he plays havoc with its sacred institutions and privileges. The Law will not surrender meekly, but love is determined to conquer all. A cunning plan is required...

Acknowledged as one of the greatest Savoy operas, Gilbert’s satire on British politics remains as fresh and witty as when it was written, and is masterfully brought to life by Sullivan’s magnificent score.

CANDIDE

Music by Leonard Bernstein
20 - 25 November 2006
Playhouse Theatre, Cheltenham

Candide is a perennially cheerful youth who travels round the world in search of the woman he loves and loses - more than once. He gets into many scrapes, from earthquake to shipwreck, and encounters friends and foes, including a pair of golden sheep, the Spanish inquisition and an old woman with one buttock (don’t ask)! Will they affect his rose-tinted view of life? An extremely improbable, witty musical but with real points to make, the New York Times described Candide as ‘Leonard Bernstein’s masterpiece, musically much finer than his West Side Story’.

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.