Patience (1993)

Gilbert & Sullivan's
Patience
(or Bunthorne's Bride)

April 23, 24, 30 & May 1, 1993 at 8 pm
April 24 & May 1 & 2, 1993 at 2 pm

Directed by Kai Cofer
Music Directed by Larry Gavin

Cast

Patience - Sheryl Ruppert
Lady Jane - Roberta Mosier
Lady Angela - Diana Fortuna
Lady Saphir - Shirley Friedman
Lady Ella - Xina Lowe
Reginald Bunthorne, a fleshy poet - John Perine
Archibald Grosvenor, an aesthetic poet - Gordon Brigham
Colonel Calverley - Roger Thiel
Major Murgatroyd - Lyle Jaffe
Lieutenant, The Duke of Dunstable - Greg Robertson

Chorus of Dragoon Guards & Love-sick Maidens - Peter Beach, Don Benson, Tim Briceland-Betts, Stephanie Brigham, William G.S. Brown, Lynne Claflin, Eva Esparza, Joy Foust, Virginia Garber, Jack Goldklang, Tom Goode, Leta Hall, Bob Jacobson, Donna Jaffe, Velissarios Karacostas, Kate Lawniczak, Edith Livingstone, Malinda Lloyd, Ron Lloyd, Gina Nowacki, Grant Schmick, Kathryn Scott, Sharon Stewart, Kari Stiles, Rusty Suter, Lou Wiot, Kent Woods

Orchestra

Violin - Bonnie Barrows (CM), Alla Bobrow, Louise Hyde, Allie Laban, Carolyn Larson, Catherine Thompson
Viola - Laura L. Kinkead, Amanda Laudwein, Sylvia Kniel
Cello - Katie Coolbaugh, Barbara Lorton, Liz Luck
Bass - Sue Lyon, Dave Ross
Flute - Pauline Summers, Louise Hill
Oboe - Mary Ann Ruehling
Clarinet - Gene Sober, Jacqueline Grenning
Bassoon - Bill Sniffin
Horn - Lorin Krusberg, Don Hunter
Cornet - Bernie Rappaport, Tom Gleason
Trombone - Earl Zastrow, Michael Steadman
Percussion - Tom Christy, Bonnie Hilditch

Production Staff

Producers - Gaye Freese & Lyle Jaffe
Artistic Director - Rosalie Santilhano
Stage Manager - Pamela Hodges
Assistant Stage Manager - Chris Beach, Gaye Freese
Lighting Designer - Scott Lord
Set Designer - Kai Cofer
Costume Design - Kai Cofer
Costume Construction - Edith Livingstone, Leta Hall, Sharon Stewart,
                                     Lori Wasserman
Technical Director (Rockville Civic Center) - Lewis Dronenburg
Technical Crew - Chris Beach, Gaye Freese, Pamela Hodges,
                            David Kaysen, Scott Lord
Master Carpenter - Tim Briceland-Betts
Set Construction & Painting - John Austen, Tim Briceland-Betts,
                           Bill Brown, Tony Dwyer, Gaye Freese, Pam Hodges,
                           Donna Jaffe, Lyle Jaffe, Bob Jacobson, Jared Jacobson,
                           Judith Rubinstein
Dance Captains - Bob Jacobson, Kate Lawniczak
Orchestra Managers - Bernie Rappaport, Gene Sober
Rehearsal Pianists - Jenny Craley Bland, Judy Gardner
Make-Up - Malinda Lloyd, Rusty Suter
Tickets - Gaye Freese
Program - Leta Hall, Pamela Hodges
Additional Word Processing - Leta Hall, Pamela Hodges
House Manager - Susan Canaday, Georgia Townsend
Videotaping - Falls Church Cable Television
Photography - Joel Hoffman, Sarah & Sam Stulberg
Refreshments - The Wooden Shoe Pastry Shoppe
Costume Storage - Donna & Lyle Jaffe
Set Storage - Gordon & Stephanie Brigham, Harry Leet,
                      Rockville Civic Center

Special Thanks - Illustrations from Victorian Pictorial Borders, Carole Belanger, ed. Dover, Publications, Inc. NY; Music stands and lights courtesy of Rockville Musical Theatre and Christ Congregational Church; Bass drum courtesy of the Naval Surface Warfare Center; Tympani courtesy of the Earle B. Wood Middle School.

Synopsis

Bunthorne Castle is besieged by lovesick maidens weeping despondently for the love of Reginald Bunthorne, an aesthetic poet. But they love in vain for - as Lady Jane, and elderly spinster, explains - Bunthorne is already in love with Patience, the village milkmaid. Patience, naive in the ways of love, cannot understand why the maidens are unhappy. But she feels sure that the news she brings will restore their spirits, for the 35th Dragoon Guards, to whom the maidens were all engaged, have just returned to the village. To Patience's astonishment, the maidens are unmoved at this news and the Dragoons are equally shocked to discover the maidens' obsession, especially when they see Bunthorne, and the Dragoons leave in disgust.

Once he is alone, Bunthorne is revealed as a sham - he is acting as an aesthetic merely for the attention it creates. His love for Patience is not returned and she is perplexed by the poet. Feeling concerned at her lack of knowledge in love, Patience seeks guidance from Lady Angela, who explains that love is the only genuine feeling that is unselfish. So Patience decides that it would be selfish to deny her love and, rushing off, she encounters Archibald Grosvenor, who proceeds to woo her. when she finds that this poet is her old childhood friend, Patience gives him her heart, but Grosvenor is loved by all women because of his great beauty. Patience realizes that to love him would be selfish, and the two part.

Patience then informs Burnthorne that, since loving him would not be selfish, she has decided to accept him. Bunthorne is overjoyed and leaves the other maidens who return to their old loves - the Dragoons - only to be confronted with Grosvenor with whom they all instantly fall in love, much to that poet's horror and the annoyance of the Dragoons.

Lady Jane remains devoted to Bunthorn, expecting him at any time to lose interest in Patience and return her true devotion. Meanwhile, Grosvenor is desperately unhappy. He dreams of Patience, but is pestered by the adoring maidens. Bunthorne, shocked a the maidens' betrayal and Patience's obvious regard for Grosvenor, decides to confront his rival. The Dragoons, also bewildered at the turn of events, attempt to win back their loves; their officers dress as poets, assuming, with some difficulty, the aesthetic posture, much to the maidens' amazement. They win a promise that the maidens will return to them should Grosvenor fail to choose one of their number.

Bunthorne and Grosvenor meet and bicker. The former, arguing that the village is too small for two poets, threatens the other with a curse unless he renounces aestheticism and dresses in ordinary clothes. Grosvenor relents and agrees to do this and is relieved that he now has the excuse he has been looking for to effect a change in his demeanor. Bunthorne is overjoyed and also decides to change by becoming more amiable and cheerful. This renders him perfect.

Patience decides that, because of this perfection, she cannot love him and Grosvenor, who is now commonplace, claims her. Bunthorne is left with faithful Jane, but, as the Dragoons reclaim their loves, one of them - the Duke of Dunstable - decides out of fairness to take a plain wife, and calls on Jane. The spinster deserts Bunthorne, who remains the only single person in the plot.

Musical Selections

Act I

Twenty love-sick maidens we (Maidens, Angela, Ella)
Still brooding on their mad infatuation (Patience, Saphir, Angela, Maidens)
I cannot tell what this love may be (Patience)
The soldiers of our Queen (Dragoons & Colonel)
In a doleful train (Maidens, Ella, Angela, Saphir, Dragoons & Bunthorne)
Twenty love-sick maidens we (Maidens)
When I first put this uniform on (Colonel & Dragoons)
Am I alone and unobserved? (Bunthorne)
Long years ago, fourteen maybe? (Patience & Angela)
Prithee, pretty maiden (Patience & Grosvenor)
Though to marry you would very selfish be (Patience & Grosvenor)
Let the merry cymbals sound (Ensemble)

Act II

On such eyes as maidens cherish (Maidens)
Sad is that woman’s lot (Jane)
Turn, oh, turn in this direction (Maidens)
A magnet hung in a hardware shop (Grosvenor & Maidens)
Love is a plaintive song (Patience)
So go to him and say to him (Jane & Bunthorne)
It’s clear that medieval art (Duke, Major, Colonel)
If Saphir I choose to marry (Duke, Colonel, Major, Angela, Saphir)
When I go out of door (Bunthorne & Grosvenor)
I’m a Waterloo House young man (Grosvenor & Maidens)
After much debate internal (Ensemble)