A FEW WORDS FROM OUR DIRECTOR, LEON BERGER.
Gilbert sets The Gondoliers in 1750 he intended a historical piece of frills, embroidery and periwigs. But wait a minute, what are those references to Methodist Ministers (not so-called until over a 100 years later1858) and the Public Liabilities Act (1855)? What would a Catholic Grand Inquisitor be doing in Venice anyway - a staunchly Republican country? In fact the closer one looks at the very elements in the plot that might seem to tie the show down to a specific time frame, the less they do so. Gilbert is actually playing fast and loose with his dating.
The Plaza-Toros, the central comic characters, are self-confessed, money-grabbing social climbers – and are headed by the Duke himself, who is not entirely sure about his title. Their emphasis on manners & decorum,which they can barely sustain themselves, reveal them as vulgar snobs. Their daughter Casilda is their Essex-girl type daughter who can’t wait to get her hands on the Prince she’s been promised.
Gilbert’s characters are so well-delineated that they have counterparts in any era –in order to bring the elements of social snobbery and class consciousness a little closer home I have chosen to update the action to the 1950s, with only the most minimal changes to Gilbert’s text. Any anachronisms to be found were equally anachronistic in Gilbert’s 1750 setting too. For the ‘look’ of the piece I have been more than influenced by some of my favourite Italianate films like Roman Holiday, Three Coins in the Fountain and La Dolce Vita. Having said that, those of you familiar with more traditional performances will still find many familiar and congenial elements onstage. Sometimes a ‘traditional’ approach, or bit of business, is simply the most elegant solution to handling a scene. I like to think of my productions as ‘Traditional with a Twist’.
The Gondoliers makes fun of some of the most sensitive parts of society; namely, class, politics and religion highly controversial subjects for comedy. Gilbert’s satire was as hard hitting in 1889 when it was written as in the early 1950s when this production is set -it is still pretty unsettling today.