Patience

As much as I do love Gilbert and Sullivan, I have found the 1982-3 D'Oyly Carte productions rather hit-and-miss, with some greats like the Sorcerer, Cox and Box and Iolanthe and some disappointments like Pirates of Penzanze, Yeomen and HMS Pinafore. This performance of Patience is one of the better ones of the series, even if it pales to the Australia Opera performance which had more of a sense of atmosphere and the performers of roles like Grosvenor especially more aesthetically suited. It is all very colourful visually, with handsome costumes and sets, that is enhanced by some good video directing and picture quality(the productions of the series I named as disappointments didn't have these). The sound is not mind-blowing but again better than Pinafore or Penzanze, while the orchestral playing and conducting are outstanding, the choreography witty and the chorus well blended, animated and photogenic. The performances are generally fine with some good delivery of the dialogue, though as Grosvenor I did think John Fryatt was rather long-in-the-tooth for the part. However, Sandra Dugdale is a very funny and suitably delectable Patience, and Donald Adams with his star power and sense of comic timing manages to be even better than his Australia Opera counterpart. Derek Hammond-Stroud is very good as Bunthorne, and Anne Collins' Lady Jane as always is great value. Overall, while not my first choice I still enjoyed it. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I discussed one of this series a few days back: RUDDIGORE with Vincent Price and Keith Mitchell. This series which came out in 1982 did all of the "Savoy" or "Gilbert & Sullivan" Operas that were 1)totally extant, 2) successful from the first day, and 3) were mostly produced by Richard D'Oyly Carte. This meant that they included TRIAL BY JURY and THE SORCEROR (both not produced at the Savoy but produced with D'Oyly Carte's assistance), but did not include THESPIS (produced by one John Hollingsworth in 1871, and now lacking most of the music), UTOPIA LIMITED (produced in 1893, but not considered very successful), and THE GRAND DUKE (produced in 1896, but usually dismissed as the weakest of the Gilbert & Sullivan works). At the time of their production a book (with illustration from the twelve productions) was published.

The casts were usually full of professional singers who had been in G & S operettas for years, but rarely in film or on television. Occasionally somebody like Clive Revill or Price would have a role in the shows. That was not the case here, where only Donald Adams (a prominent "Savoyard") appeared in the supporting part of Colonel Calverly. Unfortunately the leads were not as well known outside of circles who appreciate opera - operetta - and concert singers.

The production was a fair one, given that there were cuts (all of the productions were reduced to about 90 minutes, so much of the dialog and part of the music was always cut). It was in the right costumes, and the singing was fine. From what I recall of the delivery of the dialog it was fair. But nothing spectacular. That's too bad.

Gilbert's PATIENCE was a send-up of the current "aestheticism" craze, that was spreading in England and the United States. It's initial champion had been the writer/critic Walter Pater, but it's greatest spokesperson was Oscar Wilde, just beginning his remarkable (but ultimately tragic) career in writing. Gilbert spoofed Wilde as the poet, "Reginald Bunthorne" (ironically, Reginald is constantly pursued by a bevy of woman - the woman's chorus - who are as pretentiously aesthetic and lovers of "art for art sake" as Reginald is). Bunthorne keeps spurning these women, and their leader, Lady Jane, and wants to be loved by the woman in his heart, the simple dairymaid Patience. Sometimes it becomes hard to get the dense dairymaid to understand him. Bunthorne tries to get her to understand how he yearns for her, and asks if she understands the word "yearn". Confused, but straightforward, Patience thinks for a moment and says, "I yearn my living?".

Gilbert had his feelings that the "art for art" business was a hoax. He sees Reginald as a fake, and has him recite a wonderful spoof of the Wildean type of poetry (or what Gilbert thought it was in 1880) in a poem, "Oh Hollow, Hollow, Hollow." Soon though Reginald admits (in the song whose opening is in the "Summary" line) that he is a poseur. But soon he has a rival, one Archibald Grosevenor*, another poet (who was to represent Algernon Swinburne), for the love of Patience and for the adoration of the other females (except the faithful Lady Jane).

*I am not sure about whether this is connected or not by imitation, but in the popular "Archie" comic books, Archie Andrews rival for Veronica Lodge is "Reggie".

To add to the problems is the male chorus led by Colonel Calverly and the Duke of Dunstable, who are dragoons. Manly and heroic, none of them can understand why the woman are not impressed by their martial appearance, "When" they "first put their uniforms on". Eventually, as a matter of desperation, they go native so to speak - they try pretending they are aesthetic too!

PATIENCE is regarded as the most literate of the Savoy operas in terms of spoofing literature. It usually is considered one of the top tier Savoy Operettas, although not revived as much as say THE MIKADO or THE GONDOLIERS. As an introduction to the operetta this production will do well.

This is a production which was very familiar to me in the past. I saw it in person years ago but I don't remember where or even if it was in the US or UK. (Probably the US at City Center.)

I think it's, no doubt, unfair of me to expect the actors to really look like the characters they are playing so I won't mention it (;-)) but I liked Sandra Dugdale in the title role and thought the dragoon guards were also good if rather elderly. In the song "Silvered is the ravened hair", Anne Collins both sings well and plays the cello fairly well. (In most productions, a string ensemble suffices. G and S, incidentally, were always quite cruel to old people.)

I enjoyed the sets (Having the resources of the Shepperton Studios at the producers' disposal allowed this production to go way beyond the expected stage sets.) and the pre-Raphaelite costumes and I thought the cymbals didn't obtrude too much. Derek Hammond-Stroud and John Fryatt as Archie were okay but since Bunthorne was, mostly, the young Oscar Wilde (who actually toured the US with this operetta.) I found Derek a bit of a stretch (or actually the opposite). But he carried the part off all right and Archie's appearance wasn't off the mark since the time of "Patience" was marked by "the Return to Camelot" (the title of a book I once read.) and many at the time dressed up in medieval costumes.

Fairbanks Jr. as usual read the introductions and his chuckling was annoying as ever.

Not ideal but one of the better of the series.

I am not an opera aficionado, but I do enjoy the Gilbert and Sullivan English comedy operas. Some family and friends are in the same boat. So, for others of like ilk who may be considering whether to watch a G&S opera, I offer this bit of encouragement. This performance of "Patience" is quite good. I can't compare individual performers to other opera actor-singers, but think that all in this cast did quite well. I agree with another review that some of the men seemed quite old for the parts of single cavalry lancers pursuing fiancés.

Donald Adams was quite good as Col. Calverly (was that a Gilbert malapropism for cavalry?), and I thought Terry Jenkins was a riot as Lt. The Duke of Dunstable (might he be a little unstable?). Sandra Dugdale was very good as Patience, and John Fryatt as Archibald Grosvenor was another riot. I think his long in the tooth interpretation of the arrogant poet was just right to bring on the laughs. He surely did with me. I wasn't as elated as some reviews are of Derek Stroud as Reginald Bunthorne. If Bunthorne was supposed to be a pan of Oscar Wilde, he should have been an actor of some physical stature. Wilde was huge and 6-foot-3-inches tall. Stroud was shorter than most of the women, so I found that to be a distraction in his mimicking or panning of Wilde's character.

Others noted the set for this production, and I agree. It's far beyond what one would see on stage, and excellently done. I think it adds something to the production – it allows for more fluidity between numbers and scenes. Overall, a very good production of "Patience," and one I think Messrs. Gilbert and Sullivan would heartily endorse.