Opera a la Carte (US)

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Opera a la Carte is a Los Angeles-based Gilbert and Sullivan professional touring repertory company. It was founded in 1970 by British Gilbert and Sullivan artist Richard Sheldon (1935–2016), who directed its productions as closely as possible to the style and practice of the original productions of the Savoy operas by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. [1] Sheldon retired from Opera a la Carte in 2014. [2] The company often presents H.M.S. Pinafore , The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado . [3]

Gilbert and Sullivan Victorian-era theatrical partnership

Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900) and to the works they jointly created. The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado are among the best known.

DOyly Carte Opera Company

The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company is a professional light opera company that staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere, from the 1870s until 1982. The company was revived for short seasons and tours from 1988 to 2003, and with Scottish Opera it later co-produced two productions.

<i>H.M.S. Pinafore</i> comic opera

H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical theatre piece up to that time. H.M.S. Pinafore was Gilbert and Sullivan's fourth operatic collaboration and their first international sensation.

As of 2016, Opera a la Carte continues to tour in the United States presenting its "traditional" style Gilbert and Sullivan productions. [1] [4]

Notes

  1. 1 2 "Obituaries: Richard Sheldon", Los Angeles Times , January 14, 2016
  2. "Richard Sheldon", Opera a la Carte, accessed January 14, 2016
  3. "Recent Performances", Opera a la Carte, accessed August 29, 2016
  4. "Opera a la Carte Brings Best of Gilbert and Sullivan Back to Lied Center", University of Nebraska–Lincoln, February 8, 2008; and Listing for the company's Mikado in New York City in April 2009, at Queensborough Performing Arts Center

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