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Fun and Fairies in Simsbury
After a winter of Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings, it’s time to get a taste of Victorian fantasy—a story that involves Fairies and the Peers of the British House of Lords. This flight of fantasy was first performed in 1882—so, you see, there isn’t much that’s new!
And what is that fantasy? Iolanthe by Gilbert and Sullivan, as brought to you by the Simsbury Light Opera Company. Some say that the "G" in "G&S" stands for "general audience," and certainly that is true of this light opera. This will be the first performance of this work in the area in 16 years, and although it may not have the familiar ring of a Pirates or Mikado, it is surely their equal in music, merriment and mirth.
Gilbert delighted in poking fun at Victorian society with all its pomp, ritual and façade. Iolanthe is no exception to his tongue in cheek commentary on the social mores of the day.
The House of Lords was then, and for many years afterwards, populated by the aristocracy of the landed and lorded British gentry. No matter how inept, incompetent or unsuitable the incumbent, rank, riches and title guaranteed you a place in the British equivalent of the U.S. Senate.
Gilbert decides to pit the Peers against a Victorian favorite fantasy—a "brood" of fairies and their Queen. Central characters include a young shepherd boy, Strephon, half fairy and half human, and his mother, Iolanthe, long banished from the fairy horde because of her dalliance with a mortal. We also meet the Lord Chancellor, a powerful member of the House of Lords, and chancery of several young lady wards (for whom he cares and assures they find good husbands). He is falling in love with one of his wards, Phyllis, who is much younger than he. He cannot decide whether it is proper to love Phyllis, or whether he can grant himself permission to marry her, and this causes him many sleepless nights.
Other characters of note are two Lords—Tolloller and Mountararat. Gilbert portrays them as empty-headed buffoons, another dig at the British aristocracy. The aristocrats were not generally known for their brilliant minds. They were also out of touch with any kind of reality.
The combination of Gilbert’s words, Sullivan’s music and SLOCO’s unrivaled mastery of this genre provides the ideal opportunity for area families to spend very few dollars for a lot of good, clean entertainment. Just to make the opportunity more attractive, SLOCO is declaring the Sunday, April 7 matinee as a family show with deeply discounted prices for accompanied children under 18.
SLOCO has many strengths. One of them is the quality of the principals, and 2002 is no exception. Longtime supporters will recognize a few of the following names, and our debuting performers complement the strong SLOCO alumni. Here’s a rundown of the 2002 cast: Iolanthe—a SLOCO debut for Rebecca Barko of Hamden; Phyllis—this will be Julie Poole of Enfield’s eighth principal role with SLOCO; Queen of the Fairies—Cynthia Mellon of Farmington returns for her third role with SLOCO; Celia—April Ackroyd of East Haven, a chorus member in past shows, debuts as a principal; Leila—Patti Colburn of Simsbury will appear in her sixth principal role; The Lord Chancellor—Thom Griffin of Colrain, MA has had a 20-year career with SLOCO; Mountararat—Michael Ersevim of Plainville makes his SLOCO debut; Tolloller—John Craft of Waterbury joins Michael in a SLOCO debut; Strephon—Bryan Lynch of Purdys, NY performs for the first time with SLOCO; and Private Willis—Davis Schancupp of Guilford returns to SLOCO for his third season.
No musical is complete without a superb orchestra, and SLOCO maintains its dedication to excellence by hiring professional orchestral players from the ranks of the local musician’s union.
Assembling the ingredients is usually not enough to make a perfect meal, and theatre is no less a challenge. SLOCO meets that challenge under the musical guidance of John Eells of Simsbury and the stage direction of Ron Luchsinger of Enfield, NH. John returns for his fourth season with SLOCO, Ron for his 16th.
SLOCO cannot be featured without mentioning its chorus—a unique blend of old, young and in between, all with a dedication to the art, and a day job that interferes with the important stuff! Their talents round out those of the principals and orchestra to provide the complete G&S experience—something they have been doing for 57 years. So, grab the family, and head out to Simsbury for some fantasy and fairy dust. You’ll be eternally grateful that you did!
Iolanthe will be performed at the Simsbury High School, with performances on Saturdays, April 6 and April 13 at 8 p.m.; Sundays, April 7 and April 14 at 2:15 p.m.; and Saturday, April 20 at 2:15 and 8 p.m. Tickets are $22 general admission, $17 senior matinees, $5 children at the family matinee on April 7, and can be purchased by calling 860-521-8076, or by visiting <www.sloco.org>.
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