Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company Presents MERRIE ENGLAND Today-17

In a break with tradition, The Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company will step outside the Gilbert & Sullivan canon for the first time to present Merrie England, by Basil Hood and Edward German, at the University of Chicago's Mandel Hall, March 15-17, 2019.

A staple of British musical theatre but rarely performed in the United States, German and Hood's raucously fun operetta relies on the same combination of tuneful music and delightful comedy that characterized the shows of Gilbert and Sullivan in their heyday. Over 500 amateur productions of Merrie England were presented in the year of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation (1953); it experienced another burst of popularity at the time of the queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

Merrie England unfolds against the backdrop of an idyllic, romanticized setting - one that is quickly unraveled by scurrilous love, jealous rivalries, and witchcraft. Two stories of love and rivalry intertwine: one centered on the common folk of Windsor Town, in which two brothers vie for the hands of rival women, and the other focusing on the aristocracy, as a love letter sent by Sir Walter Raleigh to one of Queen Elizabeth's ladies in waiting ends up in the hands of the jealous queen.

Considered the last great Savoy opera written in the G&S tradition, Merrie England will offer much to enjoy for both casual fans and serious devotees of Gilbert and Sullivan. Hood provided the libretto for Arthur Sullivan's final opera before Sullivan's death, after which German stepped in to complete the music. (Later, German would collaborate on another operetta with W.S. Gilbert.) When the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company came calling for a new show to add to the repertoire of Gilbert and Sullivan works, Hood and German were the natural choices.

But Merrie England is no cheap imitation, as director Shane Valenzi explains, "German's music in Merrie England captures - and in some ways, may even exceed - Sullivan's catchy-yet-complex style." And while Hood's libretto may be as delightful as anything written by Gilbert, he says, "Hood's humor is more subtle, featuring intensely creative wordplay and a robust subtext in his dialogue that is generally absent from Gilbert's work."

Director Valenzi returns for a fifth year, as will conductor Matthew Sheppard, Director of the University of Chicago Chamber Orchestra. Assistant Director Ross Matsuda will also return after last year's successful collaboration with Valenzi on Patience. The talented cast includes some of the Company's favorites from past productions as well as several outstanding newcomers. Nancy Levner will produce, aided by associate producers Trip Driscoll and Roger Huff.

2019 marks the 35th consecutive year the proceeds from the annual production will benefit the Department of Music's performance program, whose seventeen ensembles and programs present more than 100 concerts each year.

Performances take place at Mandel Hall, 1131 East 57th Street, March 15, 16, and 17. Friday and Saturday performances begin at 7:30 p.m., with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. Tickets can be ordered online at tickets.uchicago.edu or by calling 773.702.ARTS (2787)