The Pittsburgh Savoyards present “The Grand Duke”
March 20 @ 7:30 pm – March 22 @ 8:30 pm
For all ticket inquiries contact Pittsburgh Savoyards at 412-734-8476 or tickets@pittsburghsavoyards.org
March 20-22 & 27-29
Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 PM | Sundays at 2:30 PM
Set in the tiny Grand Duchy of Pfennig‑Halbpfennig in 1750, Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Grand Duke follows a scrappy theatrical troupe led by theatrical manager Ernest Dummkopf, blundering lead comedian Ludwig, his sweetheart Lisa, and the imperious leading lady Julia Jellicoe, as they conspire to topple the miserly, hypochondriacal Grand Duke Rudolph. On the eve of the company’s latest opening night production, Ludwig is to be married to Lisa, but all the parsons in the town are unavailable because they have been summoned by the Grand Duke. Both the company and the people of the town have grown to hate the Grand Duke, so a scheme is concocted to oust him from power. A fantastical plot then unfolds, involving the company’s secret signal (the eating of a sausage roll); an obscure legal oddity (the “statutory duel” of drawing playing cards, which declares the winner take the place of the loser, and the loser legally dead); a spin of the roulette wheel by an unexpected visitor; and not one, not two, not three, but FOUR prospective brides for the Grand Duke! Hijinks, mistaken identities, and Gilbert’s witty dialogue propel the troupe from rehearsal to courtroom‑style machination, while Sullivan’s jaunty, satirical score punctuates every bit of comic absurdity until at last, in true topsy‑turvy fashion, everything is finally and satisfactorily resolved.
The Grand Duke is Gilbert & Sullivan’s final composition as a duo and originally premiered March 7, 1896. Despite favorable reviews on opening night, the opera was not a success, lasting for only a paltry (by G&S standards) 123 performances. Due to the unsuccessful run (the only G&S show that lost money) and the strained relationship between the pair, they never worked together again. Our version has been substantially trimmed down from the original 1896 running time of 3 hours.
For all ticket inquiries contact Pittsburgh Savoyards at 412-734-8476 or tickets@pittsburghsavoyards.org