"and many of the members are second and third-generation members. Each season, Savoy sponsors a series of social events open to members and their friends. The Savoy season culminates with the traditional June Fatal, a formal black-tie dinner held in mid-June. Savoy Company Founded in 1901, The Savoy Company is the oldest amateur theater company in the world dedicated solely to the production of the 13 surviving operas of Gilbert and Sullivan. Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Savoy Company has performed at the spacious Academy of Music (since 1926, where it is the oldest tenant) and Longwood Gardens, where it"
"in English"". François Cellier François Arsène Cellier (14 December 1849–5 January 1914), often called Frank, was an English conductor and composer. He is known for his tenure as musical director and conductor of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company during the original runs and early revivals of the Savoy operas. Succeeding his elder brother Alfred as the company's chief conductor in 1878, Cellier devoted almost all the rest of his life to comic opera. He was musical director for the original runs of nine Gilbert and Sullivan operas and fourteen full-length pieces by other writers at the Savoy Theatre between 1881"
"the Savoy audiences' tastes. It was a critical failure and ran for only seven weeks. In 1899, to benefit ""the wives and children of soldiers and sailors"" on active service in the Boer War, Sullivan composed the music of a song, ""The Absent-Minded Beggar"", to a text by Rudyard Kipling, which became an instant sensation and raised an unprecedented £300,000 () for the fund from performances and the sale of sheet music and related merchandise. In ""The Rose of Persia"" (1899), Sullivan returned to his comic roots, writing to a libretto by Basil Hood that combined an exotic ""Arabian Nights"""
"series of Gilbert and Sullivan operas, and during his years away, he had become the most popular solo piano entertainer in the country. The Savoy audience was eager to see him perform together on stage with his successor in the Savoy opera roles, Walter Passmore. Rehearsals began in December 1896, an unusually long rehearsal period for the Savoy, but Mackenzie later recalled that even the company felt that the work was not wanted. London's leading stage director, Charles Harris, was engaged, but he died a few days before the opera premiered, leaving the Cartes to finish his work. Richard D'Oyly"
"in ""Patience"" (role sung briefly by Osborn and taken over by Neville Griffiths) (1952), and Cyril in ""Princess Ida"" (1955). Leonard Osborn Leonard Osborn (11 November 1914 – 28 September 1994) was an English opera singer and actor, best known for his portrayal of the tenor roles in the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. An accomplished actor and dancer, he later became a stage director for the company. Leonard Alfred George Osborn was born in Tooting, London, England. He performed in amateur Gilbert and Sullivan productions and worked as a chemist before joining D'Oyly Carte as a"
"noblemen who have gone astray. Sullivan, six years Gilbert's junior, composed the music, contributing memorable melodies that could convey both humour and pathos. Their operas have enjoyed broad and enduring international success and are still performed frequently throughout the English-speaking world. Gilbert and Sullivan introduced innovations in content and form that directly influenced the development of musical theatre through the 20th century. The operas have also influenced political discourse, literature, film and television and have been widely parodied and pastiched by humorists. Producer Richard D'Oyly Carte brought Gilbert and Sullivan together and nurtured their collaboration. He built the Savoy Theatre"
"François Cellier François Arsène Cellier (14 December 1849–5 January 1914), often called Frank, was an English conductor and composer. He is known for his tenure as musical director and conductor of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company during the original runs and early revivals of the Savoy operas. Succeeding his elder brother Alfred as the company's chief conductor in 1878, Cellier devoted almost all the rest of his life to comic opera. He was musical director for the original runs of nine Gilbert and Sullivan operas and fourteen full-length pieces by other writers at the Savoy Theatre between 1881 and 1902."
"The Yeomen of the Guard The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid, is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888, and ran for 423 performances. This was the eleventh collaboration of fourteen between Gilbert and Sullivan. The opera is set in the Tower of London, during the 16th century, and is the darkest, and perhaps most emotionally engaging, of the Savoy Operas, ending with a broken-hearted main character and two very reluctant engagements, rather than the usual numerous marriages."
"Basil Hood Basil Willett Charles Hood (5 April 1864 – 7 August 1917) was a British dramatist and lyricist, perhaps best known for writing the libretti of half a dozen Savoy Operas and for his English adaptations of operettas, including ""The Merry Widow"". He embarked on a career in the British Army, rising to the rank of captain, while writing theatrical pieces in his spare time. After some modest success, Hood and his collaborator, the composer Walter Slaughter, had a major hit with their long-running show, ""Gentleman Joe"", in 1895. Another long-running success was ""The French Maid"" (1896). Hood then"
"The Gondoliers The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances (at that time the fifth longest-running piece of musical theatre in history), closing on 30 June 1891. This was the twelfth comic opera collaboration of fourteen between Gilbert and Sullivan. The story of the opera concerns the young bride of the heir to the throne of the fictional kingdom of Barataria who arrives in Venice to join her"
"work) and, in her last years, at Gillingham, Dorset, in a retirement home where her two sisters lived. She died at The Malthouse, Gillingham, in December 2010, aged 98. Her remains were cremated at Salisbury Crematorium. Helen Roberts Helen Florence Roberts (15 July 1912 – 12 December 2010), later known as Betty Roberts and by her married name, Betty Walker, was an English singer and actress, best known for her performances in soprano roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. After beginning her career touring in Italy and then England in grand opera, Roberts joined the"
"Doris Armine Ashworth; she died about 1958. Hood died suddenly in his flat in St. James's Street, London, at the age of 53, from the effects of overwork and neglecting to eat. After his death, his children's book, ""Saint George of England"", was published in 1919 by George G. Harrap & Co., London. Basil Hood Basil Willett Charles Hood (5 April 1864 – 7 August 1917) was a British dramatist and lyricist, perhaps best known for writing the libretti of half a dozen Savoy Operas and for his English adaptations of operettas, including ""The Merry Widow"". He embarked on a"
"Fritz Spiegl wrote in 1980, ""Without Offenbach there would have been no Savoy Opera … no ""Die Fledermaus"" or ""Merry Widow"". The two creators of the Savoy operas, the librettist, Gilbert, and the composer, Sullivan, were both indebted to Offenbach and his partners for their satiric and musical styles, even borrowing plot components. For example, Faris argues that the mock-oriental ""Ba-ta-clan"" influenced ""The Mikado"", including its character names: Offenbach's Ko-ko-ri-ko and Gilbert's Ko-Ko; Faris also compares ""Le pont des soupirs"" (1861) and ""The Gondoliers"" (1889): ""in both works there are choruses ""à la barcarolle"" for gondoliers and ""contadini"" [in] thirds"
"for all London cabs. Savoy Hotel The Savoy is a luxury hotel located in the Strand in the City of Westminster in central London, England. Built by the impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan opera productions, it opened on 6 August 1889. It was the first in the Savoy group of hotels and restaurants owned by Carte's family for over a century. The Savoy was the first luxury hotel in Britain, introducing electric lights throughout the building, electric lifts, bathrooms in most of the lavishly furnished rooms, constant hot and cold running water and many"
"Savoy Hotel The Savoy is a luxury hotel located in the Strand in the City of Westminster in central London, England. Built by the impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan opera productions, it opened on 6 August 1889. It was the first in the Savoy group of hotels and restaurants owned by Carte's family for over a century. The Savoy was the first luxury hotel in Britain, introducing electric lights throughout the building, electric lifts, bathrooms in most of the lavishly furnished rooms, constant hot and cold running water and many other innovations. Carte hired"
"world and beyond. By keeping the Savoy operas popular throughout the mid-20th century, Carte continued to influence the course of the development of modern musical theatre. Rupert D'Oyly Carte Rupert D'Oyly Carte (3 November 1876 – 12 September 1948) was an English hotelier, theatre owner and impresario, best known as proprietor of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and Savoy Hotel from 1913 to 1948. Son of the impresario and hotelier Richard D'Oyly Carte, Rupert inherited the family businesses from his stepmother Helen. After serving in World War I, he took steps to revitalise the opera company, which had not appeared"
"minutes; and when at length the piece was taken on tour, she absolutely refused to go with it."" Savoy Opera Jane Annie Jane Annie, or The Good Conduct Prize is a comic opera written in 1893 by J. M. Barrie and Arthur Conan Doyle, with music by Ernest Ford, a conductor and occasional composer. When the Gilbert and Sullivan partnership disbanded after the production of ""The Gondoliers"" in 1889, impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte was forced to find new works to present at the Savoy Theatre. Barrie was then a journalist and a novelist with a few popular books to his"
"in 1881 to present their joint works (which came to be known as the Savoy Operas) and founded the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, which performed and promoted Gilbert and Sullivan's works for over a century. Gilbert was born in London on 18 November 1836. His father, William, was a naval surgeon who later wrote novels and short stories, some of which included illustrations by his son. In 1861, to supplement his income, the younger Gilbert began writing illustrated stories, poems and articles of his own, many of which would later be mined as inspiration for his plays and operas, particularly"
"productions typically reach an annual audience of approximately 8,000 people through two performances at the Academy of Music, one of the oldest grand opera houses in the country, and two performances at the outdoor theater within Longwood Gardens, located in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Since 1901, The Savoy Company has been an important part of Philadelphia's cultural, philanthropic, and social arenas. The Company donates the net proceeds from its performances to local charitable organizations. In the past fifteen years, The Savoy Company has donated over $150,000 to local charitable organizations. Founded by Gilbert and Sullivan enthusiast and physician Alfred Reginald Allen"
"at the theatre. Sullivan died in 1900, and Richard D'Oyly Carte died in 1901. The Savoy Theatre closed in 1903, and was reopened under the management of John Leigh and Edward Laurillard from February 1904 (beginning with a musical, ""The Love Birds"") to December 1906. The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company returned to the Savoy for repertory seasons between 1906 and 1909, in which year C. H. Workman took over the management of the theatre. He produced, among other works, Gilbert's final opera, with music by German, ""Fallen Fairies"" in 1909–10, which ran for only 51 performances. He also produced ""Two"
"was a Vice-President of the Gilbert & Sullivan Society in London. Eyre died in Brighton. Her recordings with D'Oyly Carte included only Lady Saphir in ""Patience"" (1930) and Pitti-Sing in ""The Mikado"" (1936). Marjorie Eyre Marjorie Eyre (1897 – 3 December 1987) was an English singer and actress, best known for her performances in the soprano and mezzo-soprano roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. She married another D'Oyly Carte performer, Leslie Rands, in 1926. Marjorie Eyre-Parker was born in Derby, England and studied at the Royal College of Music. She joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera"
"Melbourne General Cemetery on 5 March 1888. The Federici Bistro in Melbourne is named after him. His wife and children returned to England in June 1888 and moved in with her father, Luigi Finili, a plaster-figures-maker from Lucca. In 1894, she remarried. Frederick Federici Frederick Federici (22 April 1850 – 3 March 1888) was an Italian-born British opera singer known for his work in the bass-baritone roles of the Savoy Operas written by Gilbert and Sullivan. He is also remembered as a reputed theatre ghost in Australia Early in his career, Federici worked as a talent agent before becoming a"
"Richard D'Oyly Carte brought together librettist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan, and nurtured their collaboration. Among Gilbert and Sullivan's best known comic operas are ""H.M.S. Pinafore"", ""The Pirates of Penzance"" and ""The Mikado"". Carte built the Savoy Theatre in 1881 to present their joint works, and through the inventor of electric light Sir Joseph Swan, the Savoy was the first theatre, and the first public building in the world, to be lit entirely by electricity. The success of Gilbert and Sullivan greatly expanded the audience for musical theatre. This, together with much improved street lighting and transportation in"
"the partnership to build the Savoy Theatre in 1881, and their joint works became known as the Savoy operas. Among the best known of the later operas are ""The Mikado"" (1885) and ""The Gondoliers"" (1889). Gilbert broke from Sullivan and Carte in 1890, after a quarrel over expenses at the Savoy. They reunited in the 1890s for two more operas, but these did not achieve the popularity of their earlier works. Sullivan's infrequent serious pieces during the 1880s included two cantatas, ""The Martyr of Antioch"" (1880) and ""The Golden Legend"" (1886), his most popular choral work. He also wrote incidental"
"Rupert D'Oyly Carte Rupert D'Oyly Carte (3 November 1876 – 12 September 1948) was an English hotelier, theatre owner and impresario, best known as proprietor of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and Savoy Hotel from 1913 to 1948. Son of the impresario and hotelier Richard D'Oyly Carte, Rupert inherited the family businesses from his stepmother Helen. After serving in World War I, he took steps to revitalise the opera company, which had not appeared in Central London since 1909, hiring new designers and conductors to present fresh productions of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas in seasons in the West End."
"The Lucky Star The Lucky Star is an English comic opera, in three acts, composed by Ivan Caryll, with dialogue by Charles H. Brookfield (revised by Helen Lenoir) and lyrics by Adrian Ross and Aubrey Hopwood. It was produced by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and opened at the Savoy Theatre on 7 January 1899 for a run of 143 performances. The opera starred the usual Savoy Theatre cast from that period, including Walter Passmore, Henry Lytton, Robert Evett, Ruth Vincent, Emmie Owen and Isabel Jay. Direction was by Richard Barker, choreography was by Willie Warde, and costumes were designed"
"Les deux petits savoyards Les deux petits savoyards (""The Two Little Savoyards"") is a comic opera in one act by the French composer Nicolas Dalayrac. It was first performed by the Comédie-Italienne at the first Salle Favart in Paris on January 14, 1789. The libretto is by Benoît-Joseph Marsollier des Vivetières. The opera was a great success; according to the records of the Comédie-Italienne, 104,000 spectators had seen it by 1793. The theme of reconciliation between the social classes appealed to audiences at the beginning of the French Revolution. ""Les deux petits savoyards"" received its British premiere at Sadler's Wells"
"term ""Savoy Opera"" referred to any opera that appeared at that theatre, regardless of who wrote it. Aside from curtain raisers (which are listed in the second table below), the G&S operas were the only works produced at the Savoy Theatre from the date it opened (10 October 1881) until ""The Gondoliers"" closed on 20 June 1891. Over the next decade, there were only two new G&S pieces (""Utopia Limited"" and ""The Grand Duke""), both of which had comparatively brief runs. To fill the gap, Carte mounted G&S revivals, Sullivan operas with different librettists, and works by other composer–librettist teams."
"and ""Hot Mikado"" (1986), ""Hollywood Pinafore"" and ""Memphis Bound"" (both 1945), ""The Black Mikado"" (1975), etc.). His operas are frequently performed, and also parodied, pastiched, quoted and imitated in comedy routines, advertising, law, film, television, and other popular media. He has been portrayed on screen in ""The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan"" (1953) and ""Topsy-Turvy"" (2000). He is celebrated not only for writing the Savoy operas and his other works, but also for his influence on the development of modern American and British musical theatre. Sullivan never married, but he had serious love affairs with several women. The first was"
"October, ""Patience"" transferred to the new, larger, state-of-the-art Savoy Theatre, built with the profits of the previous Gilbert and Sullivan works. The rest of the partnership's collaborations were produced at the Savoy, and are widely known as the ""Savoy operas"". ""Iolanthe"" (1882), the first new opera to open at the Savoy, was Gilbert and Sullivan's fourth hit in a row. Sullivan, despite the financial security of writing for the Savoy, increasingly viewed the composition of comic operas as unimportant, beneath his skills, and also repetitious. After ""Iolanthe"", Sullivan had not intended to write a new work with Gilbert, but he"
"music, but he soon turned to promoting the entertainment careers of others through his management agency. Carte believed that a school of wholesome, well-crafted, family-friendly, English comic opera could be as popular as the risqué French works dominating the London musical stage in the 1870s. To that end, he brought together the dramatist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan and, together with his wife Helen Carte, he nurtured their collaboration on a series of thirteen Savoy operas. He founded the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and built the state-of-the-art Savoy Theatre to host the Gilbert and Sullivan operas. Carte also"
"There continue to be hundreds of amateur companies performing the Gilbert and Sullivan works worldwide. The first commercial recordings of individual numbers from the Savoy operas began in 1898. In 1917 the Gramophone Company (HMV) produced the first album of a complete Gilbert and Sullivan opera, ""The Mikado"", followed by recordings of eight more. Electrical recordings of most of the operas were then issued by HMV and Victor, beginning in the late 1920s, supervised by Rupert D'Oyly Carte. The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company continued to produce well-regarded recordings until 1979, helping to keep the operas popular through the decades. Many"
"first with electric lifts. In the 1890s, under its famous manager, César Ritz, and chef Auguste Escoffier, it became a well-known luxury hotel and would generate more income and contribute more to the D'Oyly Carte fortunes than any other enterprise, including the opera companies. Carte later acquired and refurbished Claridge's (1893), The Grand Hotel in Rome (1896), Simpson's-in-the-Strand (1898) and The Berkeley (1900). During the years when the Gilbert and Sullivan operas were being written, Richard D'Oyly Carte also produced operas and plays by other writing teams, as well as other works to fill the Savoy Theatre in between new"