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Last fall, I returned to my dorm from a late-night rehearsal for our Fall 2019 production of Pinafore to find a letter slipped under my door. The neatly-addressed envelope contained a card embossed with the HRG&SP logo, inviting me to the organization’s Wine & Cheese celebration. The annual event offers an opportunity for HRG&SP community members to break out their cocktail attire and enjoy an evening of refined revelry with friends from productions past and present.

As a member of the Board and the Wine & Cheese committee this fall, I struggled to imagine how we might capture the spirit of the event in a virtual format. Replicating the energy that comes from sharing the same physical space seemed a daunting task. Yet my wonderful fellow committee members kept the faith, and we began to adapt the event for Zoom. Hand-addressed envelopes were replaced with Paperless Posts, and breakout rooms allowed attendees to move between conversations within the call. Rather than making group grocery store runs to pick up absurd amounts of cheese, we all arrived on Zoom with our own favorite varieties. When all was said and done, a tenacious few remained on the call until well past 3:00 AM.

Virtual Wine & Cheese reminded me of what is most important about the event. While I love putting on a cocktail dress and munching on fresh fruit in the Signet, I have always most enjoyed having an evening dedicated specifically to spending time with other HRG&SP community members. It is an opportunity to reaffirm our bonds and to enjoy each other’s company, putting aside the stress of midterms and the chaos of the semester. While fancy invitations and cheese boards are lovely, Wine & Cheese 2020 has proven that all we need to enjoy the event is each other (although a block of apricot Wensleydale certainly does not hurt).

When anyone has the impertinence to ask why the Met puts on The Magic Flute every
Christmas (with its song, and—note–dialogue sections in English no less for the benefit of
youthful audience members) and yet has never staged a Penzance or Mikado, the stock reply runs something as follows: Gilbert and Sullivan can never join the ranks of serious “opera” because it is too light–too satirical, nonsensical, and altogether frivolous. Feigning temporary ignorance of the comic favorites that regularly rock the famous Lincoln Center stage (The Marriage of Figaro for one), we are faced with an interesting question: is G&S really as frivolously shallow as all that? I think not, and the coronavirus has proved it to me.

I was leading my regiment from behind and dreaming of polishing off batches of political dispatches in a distant island kingdom long before “Armageddon,” as we quickly took to calling it, struck the Harvard world in March. In the ensuing weeks and months, however, as I adjusted to life at home, classes on Zoom, and an entirely unpredictable future, one number from the Gondoliers surged into my consciousness with a unique affective power: the Act One quintet with Don Alhambra, the Duke and Duchess, Casilda, and Luiz. (“Try We Life-long”)

The plot, so to speak, has just thickened, with all the stereotyped ingredients of Victorian melodrama. Don Alhambra, having just revealed to Casilda that he does not know which of two gondolieri is her betrothed, reassures her in a recitative section with a typical touch of Gilbertian humor: “Submit to Fate without unseemly wrangle./ Such complications frequently occur.” Following this ludicrously laissez-faire pronouncement, however, Gilbert suddenly pivots. The following “Try we Life-long” is on an entirely different note, arguably among the most “serious” numbers in the canon. Yet what, you may say, of the truly heartrending numbers, such as Fairfax’s “Is Life a Boon”? There is an intriguing and important irony here. “Is Life a Boon” sets out to be a grand operatic tenor aria, or at least draws heavily from that tradition. And yet, in a Gilbertian world seriousness cannot help sabotaging itself. The emotional weight of Fairfax’s opening lines is subsequently undermined by lyrics such as “What kind of plaint have I,/ Who perish in July?,” which for all Sullivan’s efforts cannot escape the hint of a tongue in the cheek.

The irony, then, lies in the realization that if at the end of the day the heartrending cannot escape the funny, artful wit can be more heartrending that the heartrending itself. The intricate alliterating and rhyming verbiage of the quintet mirrors our attitude as we “hop and skip to Fancy’s fiddle.” We must make the best of life, dancing and singing with wild abandon in the face of uncertain Fate and especially of death, a word which Gilbert uses with startling directness at the end of the preceding recitative. (“Death is the only true unraveller.”) Here for once the comic genius is playing the ultimate joke on itself, turning the very fact of its satirical brilliance into something deeply tragic. Satisfied with the verbal veneer of lightheartedness, Gilbert is free to issue his most profound reflection on the human condition, a distinctively Victorian reworking of an age-old sentiment: if there is no resurrection, says Paul in the New Testament, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die”; human life is like the waters of the mighty Yellow River, says the medieval Chinese poet Li Bai, flowing into the sea and never returning. Our only solution is to “never let our golden goblets sit empty as we drink under moonlight.” The most famous incarnation of this in formal “opera” is undoubtedly the Brindisi in La Traviata.

Showing yet another example of the mysterious creative telepathy between two very different men, Sullivan’s music catches the tension perfectly. Playing on the aural idioms and emotional range of the madrigal, it starts off with “try we lifelong, we can never…” on a romping, energetic note. “Life’s a pudding full of plums” begins to introduce more serious strains, “Set aside the dull enigma” burns with renewed determination, before more sober elements take back over for a haunting, elegiac climax with “String the lyre fill the cup/ Lest on sorrow we should sup.” “Hop and skip” is back to the energy and cheer of the opening, while “Life’s perhaps the only riddle” through the end finds the same middle ground as the words: older, wiser, artfully bridging sorrow and optimism.

Countless times over the past seven months I have been indescribably comforted by “Try We Life-long.” Life at Harvard was indeed a pudding full of the richest plums, full of singing and laughter and long, engaged conversation over dining-hall dinners. Care struck with a sudden vengeance. Yet we must keep singing, both literally (ask my parents and brother), and in our hearts. As always, Gilbert says it best:

String the lyre, fill the cup,
Lest on sorrow we should sup.
Hop and skip to Fancy’s fiddle,
Hands across and down the middle —
Life’s perhaps the only riddle
That we shrink from giving up!
Life’s perhaps the only riddle
That we shrink from giving up!
Then take it as it comes,
Take it as it comes.
String the lyre, fill the cup,
Lest on sorrow we should sup.
Take life as it comes!

Hello HRG&SP patrons and community, 

What a wild year! From a devastating pandemic to social uprising, we have seen and continue to see upheaval unparalleled in recent memory. This upheaval includes the continued ban on live theater performances on Harvard’s campus. 

We are as sad as you are that we won’t be able to bring you Ruddigore; or, the Witch’s Curse in a style and form commensurate with its greatness. While we may not be able to put on a full production of Ruddigore, we are still going to do some Gilbert and Sullivan music! By the end of the semester, we will have something to share with all of you! We’re still figuring out how and what, but rest assured, there will be some HRG&SP ~content~ for you to enjoy by the time we break for the semester. 

In addition to this ~content~, we are spending a lot of time developing, cultivating, and loving our membership. Because of the isolating nature of the current moment, we are leaning into our social functions. We are continuing to hold UNOs (Undergraduates Neglecting their Obligations) weekly via Zoom, will still be having Wine and Cheese in a virtual form, and we’re working on other social events that can work online. 

We probably won’t be sending out a patron letter this semester due to the impossibility of the great big envelope stuffing and licking party that we usually throw to prepare it for mailing, but I hope that you don’t feel too separated from us here in Cambridge and around the world. In order to keep you involved, we are working on a new patron engagement initiative that will directly connect you to members of our community! In particular, we will be sending videos of us singing/playing/performing made just for you! If you are interested in receiving one of these videos, email us. We love you and are happy to have your support. We can hope, though it seems unlikely, to see you next semester at Iolanthe; or, the Peer and the Peri. 

Until we see you again, enjoy our blog posts, occasional utterances, and backlog of productions (able to be found here).

If you have any questions, suggestions, messages of encouragement, hate mail, or want to receive the aforementioned personalized videos, feel free to email me at hrgsp.president@gmail.com!

Dutifully yours, 
Ross Simmons
HRG&SP President

Dear HRG&SP patrons and community, 

Earlier this semester, we were forced to cancel our production of Kiss Me, Kate by the COVID-19 pandemic. This sent us reeling, but with more than 100,000 Americans dead from the virus, it makes the cancellation of our one little show seem paltry. 

I bring this up because, at present, even the tragedy of the global pandemic seems to have taken a back seat to the uprisings against racism and police brutality occurring across the nation. Even as I sit here in Higginsville, Missouri, insulated from the uprisings in cities around the country, it has become clear that the status quo is no longer tenable for anyone, anywhere, especially Black Americans. 

The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless others in the recent past have shown us all the dark foundation of anti-Blackness that pervades policing as an institution and our country as a whole.

We, as the Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert and Sullivan Players, stand in solidarity with the Black members of our community, protesters the nation over, and everyone fighting injustice, racism, and police brutality. 

We are blessed as a group to have many generous donors who habitually support us in our mission of performing extra-curricular theatre at Harvard and promoting appreciation and awareness of the works of Gilbert and Sullivan. We especially thank those donors who were able to give to us in our time of need, our semester without a show. 

Now, we call upon our donors to do what they can to support demonstrators and protesters fighting against racist structures and, increasingly, the slide toward authoritarianism in our government. Please, if you can, donate to any of the charities listed below, recommended to us and to you by BlackCAST, Harvard’s Black student theater group. 

Furthermore, we recognize that some works of Gilbert and Sullivan, while musically beautiful, textually witty, and historically important, existed in and contributed to a racist culture. We, as an organization, wanted to give some of the money that we have made from these shows to organizations fighting that racist culture. While we would love to financially support organizations like Reclaim the Block and Black Visions Collective directly, as a 501(c)(3) we are limited to donating to causes that further our mission of theatre education and awareness. We have therefore decided to donate $1,000 to the Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul, MN, a group which “creates professional productions that are artistically excellent, thought provoking, and relevant and illuminates the human condition through the prism of the African American experience.” (https://penumbratheatre.org/). 

We believe in the power of theatre to change hearts and minds. We believe that art can bring change and be a tool for education. I am glad that we are able to provide support to a fellow theater organization that has also lost performances and revenue from the pandemic and which, through its art, fights the very injustices we see protesters fighting every day.

Once again, please donate to these organizations as you are able! The HRG&SP is unable to donate directly to these worthy causes, so we strongly urge you, our patrons and community, to support them to the greatest extent possible. I personally have done so as have many other members of the community. The time has come for us as human beings to put our money where our mouths are and make the world a better place.

Black Visions Collective — https://www.blackvisionsmn.org/
Reclaim the Block — https://www.reclaimtheblock.org/home
National Bail Fund Network — bit.ly/localbailfunds
Anti-Police Terror Project — antipoliceterrorproject.org
Brooklyn Community Bail Fund — brooklynbailfund.org
Transgender Law Center in Memory of Tony McDade — transgenderlawcenter.org

With love and solidarity on behalf of the whole HRG&SP Board of Directors, 
Ross Simmons
HRG&SP President

I checked Google Maps on my phone. Yes, the little blue dot showed that I was standing outside Agassiz Theatre- I was at the right place. I walked in the dark green double doors and the wooden doors that are perhaps a bit too free-swinging (which I have affectionately nicknamed “the Doors of Death” after a few encounters that were a little too close). I strode down the red carpeted hallway, learned where the Horner Room was from the security guard, and started to trek up the stairs, the first time ever of the Agassiz Theatre stair exercise routine which happened so frequently over the next three and a half years of doing backstage work in the Ag. I leaned back and heaved open the heavy door to the Horner Room, my heart beating loudly. This was my first time going to a production meeting, and having not done any theater in high school, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I was greeted with smiles and a warm welcome, and sat down in an empty chair for a meeting filled with planning for the upcoming HRG&SP show, jokes, a wealth of information, puns, and laughter. Most of the theatre jargon went in one ear and out the other, and I walked away from the meeting feeling like I had tried drinking out of a fire hose, but one thing was for certain- I was hooked.

This was my first introduction to HRG&SP on Harvard’s campus, and the start to a fun-filled and extremely rewarding four years of involvement in the organization. One thing that struck me at my first production meeting was how welcoming the community was, even to someone who knew no one in the Harvard theater community and had never done theater before. I had absolutely no intention of joining any sort of executive board of an organization when I stepped on campus, but after being involved for three semesters and having such great experiences with HRG&SP, I decided to join board as a way to give back to the community and help perpetuate the welcoming, inclusive environment for the next generation of Harvard students. By the time I joined board my sophomore year, I had done quite a bit of technical theater work in different spaces on campus, and working with HRG&SP in the Ag were by far the most rewarding shows I had been involved in- it was the first place I really felt at home on campus, the HRG&SP shows were the ones in which I felt the most supported and appreciated in my roles as set designer and paint charge, and the socials kept the community thriving in-between the shows. I also found HRG&SP to be a really special place where seasoned theater experts and novices alike worked together to support, help, and learn from each other to help bring a fun and entertaining show to life.

I grew so much and learned so much through my time in HRG&SP. There were so many upperclassmen and more experienced people who were willing to put aside their time to help me learn things I didn’t know and answer any and all questions I had, and the environment was positive and supportive, so I didn’t feel too scared of stretching myself and trying new things that were out of my comfort zone, from producing to being president of the organization. So, as my time as an undergraduate at Harvard draws to a close and as HRG&SP welcomes its newest board class, there are just a few things I want to say: First of all, thank you to all the mentors and supportive people who have taken time out of their schedules to help touch the lives of others- you are extremely important and so very much appreciated. Second, welcome to all of the beginners and newcomers- don’t be afraid to try something new, always ask questions, and I’m so excited to see where you take the organization from here!!

When recruiting first-years to get involved with the HRG&SP, we emphasize that we are the oldest co-ed theatre group on campus, having been formed in 1956. One consequence of this longevity is that the HRG&SP has accumulated a lot of stuff over the years. Due to this massive accumulation of stuff and the general disarray that characterized the office we share with many other performing arts organizations at Harvard, one of our new board members, Mary Reynolds, took the initiative to organize the office earlier this semester on Presidents’ Day.  

As we began sorting through decades of materials, the task at hand seemed a bit overwhelming. However, we managed to go through everything in one day and in the process we found a number of interesting items and documents. We found boxes full of old media, including vinyl record recordings of old shows, cassettes, and even a performance that had been recorded on dictation tape. Mary is currently working on digitizing this media for us to post on our website and other social media. 

We also were not lacking in strange and interesting items to look at and excitedly show each other. Perhaps the strangest was an old rusty hand saw that had been labelled Goldilocks. Why? I wish I knew, and please let us know if you know anything about it! Additionally, we found a couple of old champagne bottles. What, you may ask, are we doing with a couple of old champagne bottles? Did one of our members leave them hanging around after one of our parties? Surprisingly enough, no. A closer inspection of the labels on them yielded the surprising discovery that they were in fact from the first cast party thrown by the HRG&SP in 1956 after a successful performance of Ruddigore.     

I am optimistic that years in the future a completely different board of the HRG&SP will have to perform a similar exercise, and in the process find all of the items we left behind. I just hope they can have as much fun as we had looking back at the previous 64 years. 

As the stage manager for the past two HRG&SP shows, I have seen my fair share of opening nights. From my post at the lightboard, I watch the beaming smiles of the actors as they proudly present their work to an audience for the first time. I listen as the Agassiz Theater rings with applause from the crowd, letting the cast members know that their efforts are seen and appreciated. I think of my peers, both onstage and offstage, who have brought their commitment, expertise, and passion to the project over the many months of preparatory work leading up to opening night. All of the time, energy, and love coalesces and is condensed into those two short hours. I am always grateful for the relative privacy of my position at the back of the balcony level, because it is often quite an emotional experience for me.

I love opening night not only for what it is, but what it represents. As a stage manager, I have the privilege of witnessing the life cycle of a production. From the first note sung in the rehearsal room to the first peal of applause on opening night, I watch the show grow and develop into the production that we ultimately present to our audience. Until the last stock flat is returned to the scenic shop after our closing performance, I am locating actors, sweeping stages, and calling cues. As I believe many do, I feel a sense of parental responsibility to and pride in the show. Opening night is the first chance to share with others what I have seen all along: the extraordinary work of my friends and colleagues in bringing Gilbert and Sullivan’s timeless operettas to life. The evening is a testament to the strength of our community and the talent of its members.

This semester, I was excited to experience opening night as an audience member. I thought that last Friday, I would be sitting in the familiar red velvet seats of the Ag, adding my own cheers to the thunderous applause after the final chord. As a prospective viewer, I am disappointed not to see what I am sure would have been a tremendous production. As a frequent member of HRG&SP production staffs, I am heartbroken. I feel tremendous sympathy for the cast, staff, and orchestra members who will never see their opening night. The weight of the cancellation of Kiss Me, Kate! is felt by the entire community. I find myself thinking often of the production’s wonderful stage manager, who will miss the experience of sitting in the back of the theater, overwhelmed by the force of her gratitude towards the show’s team and her pride in the product that they have created.

During the past few weeks, however, I have witnessed something as powerful as the opening night experience, if not more so. Current students and alumni alike join weekly social events over Zoom, sharing updates from their homes around the world through the videoconferencing platform. Staff members busily recruit for Ruddigore; or, the Witch’s Curse and make all necessary arrangements to hit the ground running in the fall. The Board looks to the future, preparing our group for the many opening nights that lie ahead. Despite frightening and disruptive global circumstances, the strength of the HRG&SP community has not wavered; rather, I find myself in awe of the resilience of this organization and its members. Since returning home, I have drawn comfort and support from my HRG&SP connections more than ever before.

In my recently gained free time, I have been reflecting on why I am always so deeply affected by the first performance of a show. For me, opening night is not special primarily because of the date or the venue. I treasure those moments because they encapsulate the passion and effort of people that I love. While we have lost one of the best opportunities to acknowledge and celebrate our organization and the work of its members, the HRG&SP community stands strong. That knowledge gives me more joy than all of the opening nights combined.

Some of the biggest changes to take place on Broadway in the 20th century involved orchestration, or the choices about how many and which instruments would be used in the musical theater pit orchestra. Prior to the early 1900s, composers would write down each note themselves to be reproduced by a copyist. As composers began to churn out more material at a higher speed to keep up with demand and changing technology, the role of orchestrator became essential to the production of new Broadway shows like Kiss Me, Kate!, The Sound of Music, and other “Golden Age” shows. Max Dreyfus, who later became the president of Chappell & Co, Inc. (a company that produces one of two standard editions of G&S libretti and materials), was one of the first “orchestrators.” Most Broadway shows today have an orchestrator separate from the composer who makes artistic choices about the instrumental color they would like to hear on a particular line, writes incidental music, and generally brings the score to life. 

Robert Russell Bennett, orchestrator of the 1949 production of Kiss Me, Kate!, was the hot orchestrational commodity of the time. Employed by Chappell & Co., Inc., he worked on many shows written by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner & Loewe, etc. with other Chappell & Co. collaborators. You may be wondering why this matters. What makes Sullivan’s orchestration of his operettas different from Bennett’s orchestration of Kiss Me, Kate!? Two big things.

First, Kiss Me, Kate! and other shows of this era and style used a piano in performance. This isn’t unheard of in opera, especially for recitatives, but by and large the use of a piano as part of the orchestra pit is a musical theater phenomenon incited by shrinking pits and shrinking budgets–a piano can cover far more lines than, say, a trombone, and you only have to pay one person. 

The biggest change in Broadway orchestration was also a response to cuts in pit size and budget–reed doubling. Reed or woodwind doubling refers to the now-common practice of requiring a musician to play more than one, and sometimes up to seven or eight different instruments in the same performance. Like the use of piano, it was not a completely novel development, but was taken to the extreme. 

The impetus for woodwind doublers came from the invention of the saxophone and jazz bands that required saxophonists to double on clarinet. Before the 1920s, Broadway merely required the standard orchestral doublings (e.g., flute and piccolo, oboe and English horn), but composers and orchestrators started asking for extensive doubling to obtain a wide variety of orchestral colors without costing the producers too much money or writing for an orchestra that wouldn’t fit in a Broadway pit. 

A prime example can be found in the orchestrations of the version of Kiss Me, Kate! that HRG&SP intended to perform this semester. We licensed the 1999 revival orchestrations of the show, which were done by Don Sebesky and called for the following woodwind players:

Reed 1: Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet, Soprano & Alto Saxophone

Reed 2: Flute II, Clarinet I & Alto Saxophone

Reed 3: Flute III (or Oboe), Oboe, English Horn, Clarinet II, Soprano Saxophone (or Clarinet) & Tenor Saxophone

Reed 4: Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Bassoon & Baritone Saxophone

Despite the logistical challenges of getting one musician to play all of those instruments well, doubling on Broadway has led to a wider variety of sounds in each production. Orchestrators in the 1920s and 30s demonstrated their ability to think outside of the box, and in a time when arts industries struggle to make a profit, doubling has ensured that shows keep the timbral palette interesting. 

However, the increased prevalence of doubling does raise questions about the importance of music and musicians on Broadway. Sir Arther Sullivan wasn’t worried about the number of musicians in his pit–he used around 30 musicians for each show. The average Broadway orchestra is nowhere near that number, and they wouldn’t fit in the pit if they were. My question for you all is: when budget cuts need to be made in the musical theater industry, should the music be the aspect that gets cut? 

For more information check out:

https://www.local802afm.org/allegro/articles/the-evolution-of-doubling/Suskin, Steven. The Sound of Broadway Music: A Book of Orchestrators and Orchestrations.  2009.

Dear HRG&SP patrons,
 
Thank you to everyone who has emailed me about refunds for Kiss Me, Kate. After speaking with our contact at the Harvard Box Office, I have more information about those refunds. Because of the quickly developing situation, the Harvard Box office has already refunded your ticket purchases and donations. Here’s how:

• If you ordered your tickets online through the Harvard Box Office, your refund occurred automatically. 
• If you mailed in your donation via the order form we sent you, your check is being returned directly to you by the Harvard Box Office. 
• If you purchased your tickets in person at the Smith Campus Center or via phone, you will need to be in touch with the Harvard Box Office for a refund.

This means that all refunds are being handled by the Harvard Box Office itself, and we, the HRG&SP, have not received any of your money from them. 

Thank you to everyone who asked for us to keep their donation. Unfortunately, because these refunds were automatic, we were not able to do that. If you would still like to make a donation this semester, please do so through our website. Click the “donate” button on our Patrons page. Here is a link. 

Once again, we are extremely grateful for you, our patron base, as it is your support that keeps us going from semester to semester. If you would be able to donate to help us make it through this difficult semester without a show and without ticket income, we would greatly appreciate it. 

Dutifully yours,
Ross Simmons
HRG&SP President

Hello HRG&SP Patrons,

Firstly, I would like to thank you for your dedicated support to our organization. We love, trust, and rely upon our patrons to keep the organization vibrant, strong, and active. Thank you all for responding positively to our decision to do Kiss Me, Kate and for supporting our organization as we expand the canon. 

That being said, circumstances outside of our control are forcing us to cancel this semester’s production of Kiss Me, Kate.

As you may have heard, Harvard has taken definitive action to curb the spread of COVID19. In response to the ongoing global outbreak of the virus, Harvard has cancelled in person classes and is asking everyone to leave campus. They are limiting all gatherings to no more than 25 people and are clearing out the residential Houses. The cast, staff, and orchestra already exceed 25, so there is no way to have the show.

Other theatrical productions, including the Hasty Pudding, the Lowell House Opera, and various other projects have also been cancelled in recent days over concerns about spreading COVID19.

The HRG&SP regrets having to share this sad news, but we have no choice but to cancel the production. We would have preferred a fully budgeted, fully attended, fully fantastic production. We would have loved to see all of you this semester. Unfortunately, that is no longer possible. 

We want to let you all know that we are extremely grateful for you and your patronage. If you have already donated or purchased tickets, please email me at hrgsp.president@gmail.com and I can help get you a refund. 

If you would like to lend extra financial help to the HRG&SP in this trying time, please feel free to donate on the “patrons” page of our website. Here is a link. 

The HRG&SP will be back at it in Fall 2020 with a glorious production of Ruddigore; or the Witch’s Curse! I hope to see you all there, happy, healthy and excited.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, thank you all so very much. We depend upon your support and patronage to keep the organization thriving. 

With a heavy but grateful heart, 
Ross Simmons
HRG&SP President