Désirée (2007)

John Philip Sousa's
Désirée
(a semi-staged concert)

September 14, 2007 at 8pm
September 16, 2007 at 2pm

Music Directed by Joseph Sorge
Directed by Guillaume Tourniaire

Cast

Marquis de Lavarre, Col. of the King's Muskateers - Ted Kerrick
Count de Courville, Lt. of the Muskateers - Sean Pflueger
Pomaret, a Mercer - Gary Sullivan
Dumont, Sgt. of the Muskateers - Blair Eig
Antoine, Cpl, of the Muskateers - Tom Goode
Désirée, Pomaret's daughter - Laura Wehrmeyer
Marie, Pomaret's niece - Monica Szabo
Laurie, a Schoolmistress - Andrea Schewe
Gertrude, a Schoolgirl - Carla Rountree
Rose, a Schoolgirl - Felicity Ann Brown

Chorus - David Bradley, Katie Caughlin, Stephanie Desjardins, Rick DuPuy, Fran Fleming, Tara Hockensmith, Rand Huntzinger, Donna Jaffe, Lyle Jaffe, Elaine Kass, Carlton Maryott, Jane Maryott, Lisa Orr, Debbie Peetz, Rusty Suter, Mary Stokes, Carole Wilkenson, Kent Woods, Denise Young

Orchestra

Violin 1 - Steve Natrella (CM), David Friedlander, Carolyn Larson, Irv Berner
Violin 2 - Bonnie Barrows, Martin Brown, Edwin Schneider, Alexandra Morton
Viola - Amanda Laudwein, Victor Ontiveros
Cello - Michael Stein, Sheryl Friedlander, Laurie Brown
Bass - Alice Mignerey, Rita Isenberg
Flute - Jackie Miller, Louise Hill
Oboe - Laurie Guess, Mary Haaser
Clarinet - Laura Langbein, Laura Bornhoeft, James Bensinger
Bassoon - Richard Sargeant, Susan Reynolds
Horn - Lora Katz, Ben Diedrich, Kathleen Bartolomeo
Trumpet - Curt Anstine, Bernie Rappaport, Les Elkins
Trombone - Steve Ward, Al Potter, Frank Eliot
Percussion - George Huttlin, Jim Henricksen

Production Staff

Producer - Denise Young
Stage Manager - Madeleine Smith
Assistant Stage Manager - Tony Dwyer
Lighting Designer - Joseph Palamara
Rehearsal Pianists - Jenifer Craley Bland, Judy Gardner
Program - Denise Young
Graphic Design - Patricia Portillo
Surtitles - Douglas Maryott
Technical Director (Rockville Civic Center) - Kim Haug
Theatre Specialist - Joseph Palamara
House Management - Merle Haber
Set Storage - Rockville Civic Center

Directors' Notes

Upon first hearing Sousa’s Désirée, you may think that it is some long lost, early operetta by Sir Arthur Sullivan. The tip-off, of course, would be the numerous march themes that Sousa incorporated in his operetta. In addition to Sullivan, it’s hard not to imagine that Sousa was influenced by other great composers of the late 19th century, such as Offenbach and Verdi ... and throw in a little Rossini for good measure (listen for the storm scene in Act II).

The following background is excerpted from the chorus libretto of one of the restorers of Désirée, Mr. William Martin:

“Based upon the English comedy Our Wife by John Maddison Morton, this comic operetta in two acts was written in 1882-1884 and was originally produced by the McCaull Opera Comique Co., 1884, and was billed as “America’s First Comic Opera”. Several critics took umbrage to this label, stating that an English story laid in France was not “American”; nevertheless, they kindly received Désirée as one of the pioneers in American operettas. It opened at the National Theatre in Washington on May 1, 1884, and was transferred the following autumn to the Broad Street Theatre in Philadelphia for several weeks, later to be moved to Boston’s Bijou Theatre. Although he was yet to find his own musical voice, John Philip Sousa demonstrated evidence in his Désirée of what was to become the inimitable Sousa Style.”

In the past few years, VLOC has presented other rarely performed works ... Offenbach’s La Vie Parisienne, Romberg’s Desert Song, and Strauss’ The Gypsy Baron, to name a few. We will continue to bring these neglected gems to the attention of our loyal patrons, in addition to our usual fare of G&S operettas, which we take great pride in doing well. We hope you enjoy our presentation of Désirée.
~Joseph Sorge, Artistic Director

As a stage director, I strive to create something onstage that is visually engaging, and compliments the work of the composer and librettist. Being asked to do this for a concert performance posed an interesting challenge: what does one do without a set, costumes, or props? The resulting idea is a conceit created from the existing elements present: an ensemble and principal performers, an orchestra and conductor, a lit stage and you – the spectator. It is therefore my pleasure to welcome you to a very special event: the Revival Cast Recording of Désirée, performed live, before a studio audience.
~Guillaume Tourniaire, Stage Director

Synopsis

The action of “America’s First Comic Opera” takes place in Amiens, France, during the time of Cardinal Richelieu. Musketeers have gathered in Pomaret’s mercer shop, seeking his beautiful daughter, Désirée. Her cousin, Marie, waits on them and is all but ignored. Their delightful recreation is interrupted by a trumpet call, which summons them to their military duties.

The Count de Courville arrives, dismisses Marie, and then asks Désirée for her hand in marriage. The Count’s father, however, disapproves of his son’s marriage to a commoner and threatens by letter to imprison Pomaret if he permits the marriage to take place.

The Count’s superior officer and friend, the heroic Marquis de Lavarre, decides to offer a solution. The Marquis proposes marriage to Désirée on the condition that the wedding takes place within the hour. At the prospect of becoming the father of a Marchioness, Pomaret promptly gives his consent.

Unbeknownst to the Count, however, the Marquis has recently been convicted of killing a rival in a duel and has been sentenced to death. Cardinal Richelieu has condescended to permit the Marquis to die in battle against thirty thousand Spaniards instead of facing ignominious death on the gallows. The Marquis secretly plans that as soon as the wedding vows are completed he will leave for his final battle, making the new Marchioness a widow and freeing her to marry the Count – thus fulfilling his promise to solve his friend’s dilemma.

However, the jealous Count is infuriated upon learning of the marriage plan and challenges the Marquis to a duel. In his outrage, the Count has not allowed the Marquis the chance to tell him of the fateful future. The Marquis has him arrested for his own good.

The Marquis and Désirée are married; but at the wedding reception the Marquis seems disinterested and Désirée, very much slighted, is furious. She sends her father to the Cardinal to request an annulment of her marriage. Meanwhile, the Count escapes and returns to confront the Marquis. The Marquis reveals the full details of his plan to the Count, and to convince him his intentions are honorable, the Marquis sends his Sergeant with an immediate challenge to the Spanish General.

Surprising news arrives from the Cardinal; the rival whom the Marquis had killed was found to be a traitor, and the Marquis is thereupon not only pardoned but a hero. Alas, the Marquis has already obliged himself to conduct a one-man battle against the thirty thousand Spaniards. With only his trusted sword in hand, the honorable Marquis departs, however, not before he declares his love to Désirée.

In true operetta style, the Marquis is not killed in the battle. How his unexpected victory happened is told by a chorus of Musketeers and Drummer-boys in a rousing march – Sousa style.

The victorious Marquis de Lavarre returns and is reunited with Désirée’; but Pomaret arrives with the Cardinal’s approval of Désirée’s request for an annulment. The Count neatly resolves this final glitch by tearing up the annulment paper and announcing that he is marrying Marie – now eligible to be his wife since she is now the cousin of a Marchioness. Even Pomaret gets his match, the matron schoolmistress, Laurie, who it is rumored, has saved ten thousand francs. All of this and Pomaret becoming the father of Marchioness too – who could ask for anything more?

Musical Selections

Act I

The Foeman Awaits (Musketeers & Marie)
‘Twas Always So (Marie)
The Family Tree (Pomaret)
Tell Me (Marie & Count)
We’re Ardent in Geography (Schoolgirls)
Girls Should Have Lovers Plenty (Désirée & Schoolgirls)
The Average Man (Count, Désirée, Schoolgirls)
My Soul is Filled with Love for You (Désirée & Count)
It’s Sad to Love a Man You Cannot Find (Laurie)
Now We Will Hear the Joyful News (Ensemble)
My Son’s Request I’ve Read with Care (Ensemble)
The Bastille!, The Bastille! (Ensemble)
‘Tis Bliss to Him Who Sips (Marquis)
Three Quarters of an Hour, You Say (Désirée, Marie, Marquis, Pomaret)
For All of Which My Son-in-Law Will Pay (Pomaret, Laurie, Chorus)
Finale Act 1 (Company)

Act II

In This Most Stately Sort of Measure (Chorus)
Will I Regret (Désirée, Marie, Laurie, Chorus)
Supper’s Ready (Pomaret, Marie, Laurie, Chorus)
Now, Traitor, Face to Face We Stand (Marquis, Count)
The Sword, the Musket and the Lance (Count)
A Star Shone Softly from the Sky Afar (Marie, Count)
This Is Indeed an Awkward Situation (Marquis, Désirée)
Let Me Not Entreat You Explain (Désirée, Marie, Marquis, Pomaret, Count)
I Wonder (Désirée, Marquis, Count)
I Will, in a Word (Company)
Never Seemed the World More Fair (Marquis)
Now Is My Life No Longer Lonely (Désirée, Marquis)
With Intense Exhilaration (Pomaret)
Love May Wander (Laurie, Pomaret)
The Battle Is Won (Désirée, Marie, Marquis, Count, Chorus)
The Student of Love (Company)