NEWPORT — The Goodrich Memorial Library will present Liberated Libretto: A Frolic with Gilbert and Sullivan as the finale performance in their CHAUTAUQUA series in celebration of the Newport Centennial.
The MAC Center for the Arts is bringing this force of talent July 6, at 7 p.m. in the upstairs auditorium at the Goodrich.
Anita Morin, Sally Rivard, Allen Cubit, Ron St John III and Lynn Leimer with Janice Luce on piano showcase the humor and history of the dynamic G&S duo with favorites such as Modern Major General from Pirates of Penzance, Three Little Maids from the MIKADO and When I Got Out of Doors from Patience.
The revue captures the satire as well as the musicality that made the operettas famous.
For those curious about the Chautauqua terminology, it was an adult education movement in the United States highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries which originated on the shores of the Chautauqua Lake, NY.
Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s.
The Chautauqua brought entertainment and culture for the whole community, with speakers, teachers, musicians, entertainers, preachers, and specialists of the day.
Former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt was quoted as saying that Chautauqua is “the most American thing in America.”
Music was important to Chautauqua. Opera became a part of the Chautauqua experience in 1926 when the American Opera Company (AOC), an outgrowth of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, began touring the country.
Under the direction of Russian tenor Vladimir Rosing, the AOC presented five operas in one week at the Chautauqua Amphitheater.
By 1929, a permanent Chautauqua Opera company had been established.
So, in keeping with that genre, Liberated Libretto will affectionately honor the creativity and uniqueness of Gilbert and Sullivan.
This festooned revue, directed and choreographed by Lynn Leimer, showcases not only the vocal talents of the ensemble, but their propensity for comedy.
Join this acclaimed sextet at the Goodrich concluding the week-long Centennial events and enjoy the legendary music of Gilbert and Sullivan.
There will even be a special guest appearance you won’t want to miss.
The performance is free and open to the public, however, seating is limited.
