Welcome to GanderS
This is our online journal with fun facts, G&S history and even Gilbert and Sullivan themed recipes
Calamity Jane Cartoons Charity G&S Gilbert and Sullivan Gondoliers HMS Pinafore Iolanthe I olanthe Llewellyn Cadwaladr Our other shows Patience Poetry Recipes Royal Bijou Showblitz Shows stories The pandemic The Sorcerer
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Hebe in HMS Pinafore
The Name is Bond – Jessie Bond By the 1890s, Jessie Charlotte Bond was at the peak of her G&S career. She was the leading mezzo-soprano in all of Gilbert and Sullivan’s most famous Savoy operas. She had starred in shows from HMS Pinafore to The Gondoliers, each time creating new roles with more and…
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The first Frederic – Llewellyn Cadwaladr
Piracy in Paignton? How the Pirates of Penzance came to Devon. Allow me to introduce you to Arthur Dendy. No, not the towel-toting galactic traveller. That was Arthur Dent. Arthur Hyde Dendy was the upright, uptight Birmingham barrister who transformed Paignton from a place famous for little more than growing cabbages into a flourishing seaside…
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Sullivan’s Kippers
Both Arthur Sullivan and William Gilbert enjoyed being wealthy and living well but Gilbert thought Sullivan profligate…
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Singing for the Brain
Our Ruth Helps People with Fading Memories – and so can you! Ruth is joined by her fellow singing for the brain leader Sue Binnie, with Pete Simpson on keyboard. So how does singing help? Singing is not only an enjoyable activity, it can also provide a way for people with dementia, along with their…
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A Queenly Pudding
A Queenly Pudding for the Fairy Queen Our 2019 production of Iolanthe set us thinking about fairies. Queen Mab is, of course, the mid-wife to the fairies in Midsummer Night’s Dream. So what better recipe to have to celebrate our production of Iolanthe than this queenly treat, Queen Mab’s pudding? Queen Mab’s Pudding 4 oz…
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Sally Lunn
Hippies and buns The Sorcerer and Sally Lunn, a legendary connection. Our 2013 production of The Sorcerer saw us dressing up as hippies and singing about buns. Specifically gay Sally Lunns. There are several stories about how the famous bun got its name. This is one. The Sally Lunn Legend Solange Luyon, a young Huguenot…
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Child minding
Alhambra enrols the infant prince into Baptisto’s childminding service. To paraphrase Don Alhambra: “I stole the Prince and left him gaily prattling, with a highly respectable gondolier…”
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Cachucha
Apparently “Cachucha” sounds a bit like something rude in Spanish speaking countries. We sought to uphold that tradition in our 2018 production of The Gondoliers
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South Pacific Squeeze
Blitz yourself a fruity squeeze from Wolverton G&S Songs from Richard Rodgers’ and Oscar Hammerstein’s “South Pacific” brought a touch of tropical romance to Showblitz! in 2018. Here’s a gentle reminder from a delicious recipe for South Pacific Squeeze. Take: 300ml orange juice 100ml pineapple juice 1 banana 6 strawberries 170g pineapple sorbet – see…
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We do not care a fig
Young Strephon is the kind of lout we do not care a fig about! Our 2019 production of Iolanthe included that immortal line. Their lordships may have not cared for Strephon, but figgy pudding on the other hand. That’s quite a different matter. Get in the mood with this BBC recipe. Figgy Pudding 250g pack…
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Boston Beans
Baked beans and the Wild West Our ultimately doomed production of Calamity Jane turned our thoughts to the blazing saddles of the wild west and – well. Baked beans and cowboys are sort of linked in the popular imagination. And we all know who to blame for that… In fact beans were a real staple…
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Ring a ring of roses
During the dark days of the pandemic, a bit of light relief in the post by our Publicity Officer, Ruth. A plague on your roses? “Ring a Ring o’ Roses” or “Ring a Ring o’ Rosie” is an English nursery rhyme or folksong and playground singing game. It first appeared in print in 1881, but it is reported that a version…
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Patience
Four Patiences The first production Wolverton G&S have performed Patience 4 times. We first performed Patience back in 1981. It was directed by Phill Street and Arnold Jones was the musical director. Patience herself was played by Tricia Goldsmith and Syd Pearson and Leigh Harris were the battling poets. Our photograph shows Syd and Leigh…
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