1994, Patience
Rehearsals
In 1993, a decision had finally been made about the 1994 stage production. After the executive toyed with the idea of branching out into Viennese operetta, the final choice was Patience, thus completing the cycle of main-stream Gilbert and Sullivan works. The orchestra expressed reluctance to repeat shows in future years, so it seemed certain that the Diamond Valley Singers would be moving to other musical idioms in the future. A director was advertised for, the general idea being to get someone who could suggest a fresh approach to Patience. At an executive meeting in mid-November, Ruth Richter presented some innovative ideas for Patience, with Bunthorne portrayed as a "Sensitive New Age Guy", Grosvenor as an aerobics instructor and Patience as the proprietor of the local Deli. The executive were so taken with this interpretation that Ruth was appointed Director with Michael Try, who had performed in Patience before and contributed many of the ideas, as assistant.
Auditions were held for the new-look Patience and it was pleasing to see some new faces. Yolande Suffern was singing in the chorus of Figaro and talking to Graham when he suggested she audition. Next night she auditioned and was offered the lead! Diane Morgan, Jane Smolenaers and Gail Grove won their first solo roles as Lady Jane, Lady Ella and Lady Angela respectively, while Judith O'Shea was to be Lady Saphir.
The men's faces were more familiar with Michael Try cast as Bunthorne, David Cox as Grosvenor, Michael Knuckey as the Colonel and Simon Newnham as the Major. The role of the Duke was to be shared by Darren Rosenfeld and newcomer, Matthew Davine. It is indicative of the company at the time that, with most similar companies struggling for tenors, and with only one tenor role, four tenors scored leading roles.
Rehearsals for Patience were different! The learning of lines was a little more complex than usual, as first some had to be re-written! (Not all the time). Rehearsals were anything but mundane as cast members often wrote and rewrote each other's lines as they went. Fortunately this "make it up as you go along" process was (mostly) eradicated by opening night.
New words to Patience
#18 When I go out of door (Bunthorne and Grosvenor, with girls)
B When I go out of door, of damozels a score
I shall with cultured taste, distinguish gems from paste,
And "Hey diddle diddle", will rank as an idyll, if I pronounce it chaste.
B&G A sensitive young man, a soulful-eyed young man,
An ultra-poetical, slightly athletical, Shirley McLane young man.
G Conceive me if you can, an everyday young man,
A commonplace type, with an end to the hype, just a comfortable also-ran,
Who thinks Top 40 pops are much more fun than "ops",
Who's fond of his dinner, and doesn't get thinner on bottled beer and chops.
B&G Conceive me if you can, a matter-of-fact young man,
A steady and stolidly, jolly Bank Holidy, everyday young man.
B A Chappel Street young man, a South Yarrah young man,
A Rumberela's, the Continental or Mario's young man.
G A Templestowe young man, A Diamond Creek young man,
A very delectable, highly respectable, Greensborough young man.
B A Brunswick Street young man, A Lygon Street young man,
A count-the-calorie, National Gallery, culture-vulture young man.
G A Coles New World young man, a Target store young man,
Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonalds or pizza, a Ruddy Red Rooster young man
B&G Conceive me if you can, a matter-of-fact young man,
An alphabetical, arithmetical, everyday young man.
G I'm a David Jones young man, A Henry Bucks young man,
A steady and stolidly, jolly Bank Holidy, everyday young man.
Maidens We're Diamaru young girls, We're Myers too young girls,
We're prettily pattering, cheerily chattering, everyday young girls.
(New words by Ian Lowe)
Patience - performances
Show Program
Patience was finally ready for public viewing, with the Charity Performance running smoothly. Opening night drew a reasonably sized audience, who responded with interest to the updated approach, especially to the substitution of parts of the dialogue with contemporary references. For example, "How Botticellian! How Fra Angelican!" became, in an aerobics setting "How de Castellian! How Schwartzeneg-gian!". About thirty percent of the words, in both songs and dialogue, had been changed to fit in, mainly by Ian Lowe, but Ruth and many others contributed.
Clever costuming turned the ladies into Bunthorne look-alikes, with identical waist-coats over skivvy styles, and appropriately aesthetic scarves and beads. The president of the Babirra Players was so impressed with the update that he was hoping to get the writers to try their hand at Iolanthe for their next production.
Patience did involve some intricate organisational and production challenges: how to lower the pyramid over Michael without knocking him unconscious; how to get Simon through a matinee, off in dinner suit to his grandfather's wedding and back on stage in soldierly mode for the evening performance; how to get the women to concentrate on their singing and not be distracted by David Cox's legs; how to pick up 9063 beads that cascaded in bursts from Lesley's necklace during the Act 1 finale; how to get Diane on and off her exercise bike without having catastrophe descend upon the woodwinds.
Children again had the opportunity to gain stage experience, and performed an impressive aerobics sequence as a prelude to the second act. The ladies were also aerobically challenged in "The Magnet and the Churn". Edna Nelva recalls her difficulties in this area in this poem:
I remember doing Patience, and my thoughts will always turn
To those dancing style aerobics while singing "Magnet and the Churn".
My two left feet would not behave - I clearly needed a lesson
So Pam and Sue took me aside just before our opening session.
They showed me how it should be done until I said "OK".
I'd got it right and with all my might I was ready for the fray.
Too bad, that night I could not show my new aerobic skills.
We had not seen that time had passed (we did feel dags and dills).
We three had missed our entrance cue (was Graham in a rage!).
I had worked in vain to be best of the bunch, and we never got on stage!
The season was declared by cast and viewers as most successful, but perhaps the greatest compliment of all was paid by "Calliope", the critic who writes for Stage Whispers. Often criticised for being too hard on amateur shows, Calliope described it as "one of the funniest shows I've seen in years". Particularly singled out of praise for David Cox as Grosvenor and Ian Lowe and the orchestra for their "fine accompaniment".
The Diamond Valley Singers could now look back with considerable pride on ten years of high quality theatrical productions, choral presentations and a myriad of other contributions to the musical life of the Diamond Valley, and, indeed, of a much broader area. Congratulations, Diamond Valley Singers, on a wonderful ten years of music-making!
These history notes have been kindly provided by our long-term artistic director and co-founder, Graham Ford.