Whats it like to produce an Edwardian Musical Comedy?
I was most fortunate, after joining my present society, to find a musical director who shared my enthusiasm for this genre. Since 1998, we have produced three Edwardian Musical Comedies (‘The Arcadians’, ‘The Geisha’ and ‘The Quaker Girl’). It is no coincidence that these shows are the easiest ones to hire band parts for (from Samuel French)! With this unusual degree of experience, I can confidently say that these shows are loved by both performers and audiences. The process starts with my getting hold of the libretto and carefully editing it (those for the above shows are available to download from my website). My aims are severalfold: • To reduce the number of minor principal characters by merging them into fewer, more substantial parts. • To trim the dialogue, cutting scenes and speeches that don’t advance the plot, while retaining as much humour possible (especially puns – audiences love puns!). • To simplify entrances and exits, by keeping the chorus on more often and by re-arrang
