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Toronto Operetta Theatre’s 24th Season comes to a
close with five performances of Gilbert and Sullivan’s seventh
light opera, IOLANTHE or ‘The Peer and the Peri’.
The performances will be at the St. Lawrence Centre for
the Arts, 27 Front Street East, Toronto on
April 18, 19 (mat), 24, 25, and 26 (mat), 2009.
Robert Cooper leads a stellar cast, chorus and
orchestra with stage direction by TOT General Director,
Guillermo Silva-Marin.
The opening night of IOLANTHE in 1882 at the brand new Savoy
Theatre - the first theatre in the world to be wired for
electricity - had a glittering crowd in attendance including
the Prime Minister, The Prince of Wales and even Captain Shaw of
the Metropolitan Fire Brigade. The work caught both Gilbert and
Sullivan at the height of their creative powers. Sullivan
parodied Mendelssohn and Wagner in particular; there is even a
leitmotif for the Fairy Queen and her music has obvious echoes
of Wagnerian heroines like Brünnhilde. For his part, Gilbert
takes customary potshots at the aristocracy, politics and the
military, introducing males into a blissful female world where
contact with ‘mortal love’ wreaks havoc with the status quo.
"Gilbert and Sullivan’s world of music and text needs
singer/actors of extraordinary talent and I’m pleased we’ve been
able to assemble a cast with a talent for both" said
Silva-Marin. Elizabeth DeGrazia (PHANTOM OF
THE OPERA and TOT’s PATIENCE and GONDOLIERS) will be Phyllis,
the Lord Chancellor’s ward and beloved of Strephon,
the Arcadian shepherd sung by debuting baritone Corey
O’Brien, who was featured in the Stratford Festival’s
CABARET, MY FAIR LADY and THE SOUND OF MUSIC. David Ludwig – a
triumph in TOT’s recent KNICKERBOCKER HOLIDAY – will be the
Lord Chancellor and chief fly in the ointment of
Phyllis and Strephon’s happiness. Wendy
Hatala Foley sings the role of the Fairy Queen
who finds herself madly infatuated by Private Willis of
the Grenadier Guards, sung by Andrew Tees whose
recent credits include Opera Hamilton, plus the Cleveland and
Manitoba Operas. Rounding out the cast are Mia Harris, Lawrence Cotton and Patrick Jang,
all making their TOT debuts.
Call the TOT office for tickets 416-922-2912
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IOLANTHE
