22nd, 23rd (schools' matinée), 24th, 25th February 2012
MERRIE ENGLAND by Edward German
Libretto by Basil Hood, revised by Lynn Binstock
2012 is a year of celebration with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics.
It is also the 150th anniversary of composer Edward German’s birth and Opera South is producing MERRIE ENGLAND in celebration of all things English, playfully adapted for today’s audiences.

Merrie england opera 2012

Venue:
Haslemere Hall
Bridge Road
Haslemere
Surrey GU27 2AS

Performance times:
7.30 p.m. on 22nd and 24th
5.30 p.m. on 25th.

Doors open: 45 minutes before curtain up.


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Tickets are available from
Haslemere Hall Box Office
Tel.: 01428 642161
e-mail: boxoffice@haslemerehall.com
on-line: www.haslemerehall.co.uk

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Edward German
Before triumphing as a composer of opera, Edward German earned his living playing violin in theatre orchestras. He also wrote incidental music for Shakespeare’s plays and, at the invitation of Richard D’Oyly Carte, completed the last Gilbert and Sullivan opera after Sir Arthur’s death. It is therefore no surprise that his delightful 1902 opera MERRIE ENGLAND is set in Tudor times, yet includes plenty of G&S-style jollity. But strange mix though it is, MERRIE ENGLAND doesn’t skimp on soulful arias and grand moments.

As a celebration of all things English, MERRIE ENGLAND exhibits a fascination with the past seen in the work of English artists of all kinds. Writers inparticular, including H.G. Wells, Rudyard Kipling, E. Nesbit, Lewis Carroll, C.S Lewis and Philip Pullman, have shared an interest in time travel and alternate universes. Perhaps this is because the past is constantly present in England, in layer after layer around us. In MERRIE ENGLAND (and on certain magical days) - with the help of rabbit holes, a tardis, a wardrobe, plus potent brews and imagination - time becomes porous. The opera also pays homage in many ways to A Midsummer Night's Dream; we might have re-titled our 2012 version A May Day's Dream.

This playful adaptation for modern audiences begins in 1953, with a May Day celebration of our current Queen's coronation. Will the Windsor community welcome Jill, a recent Jamaican immigrant? Will Tom marry her in spite of his family's objections? And what happens when a very odd chap shows up - apparently from late Victorian times - and wants to join in the fun and games?

But the time travel isn't over yet: Sir Walter Raleigh and other famous Elizabethans also stumble into the 20th century on this marvellous day. They have their own problems with love, and a jealous Queen who wants to stretch the boundaries of her power. Can the great Queen Elizabeth I be tamed and our parted lovers be united? Only if we travel back in time and turn to Britain's ancient legends....

Cast Covers
Bessie Throckmorton, an 'English rose' Soprano

Myvanwy Bentall

Lisa Swayne
May Queen, a popular but selfish girl Soprano

Lisa Swayne

Emma Pettemerides
Jill-All-Alone, a clever woman of Afro-Caribbean origin Mezzo-soprano

Samantha Houston

Felicity Buckland
Queen Elizabeth I Contralto

Angela Simkin

Alexandra Tiffin
Sir Walter Raleigh Tenor

Adam Kowalczyk

Edward Lee
Earl of Essex Bass-baritone

Richard Immergluck

Jon Openshaw
Wilkins, an actor Baritone

John Savournin

Tom Bullard
Long Tom, lover Baritone

Tom Kennedy

Matthew Duncan
Big Ben, a tough guy Bass-baritone

James Fisher

Jon Openshaw

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For more information about William Godfree, go to http://www.williamgodfree.co.uk/
For more information about Lynn Binstock click this link: http://www.unexpectedopera.com/#!__lb-biog