Author Name:   Anonymous

Title:    Gilbert & Sullivan's Ruddigore, Starring the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company - Theatre Programme

Fancourt (1886 - 1953), was an English bass-baritone. He was perhaps best-known for performances of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Having studied singing at the Royal Academy of Music with Alberto Randegger and Sir Henry Wood, and later in Germany with Lilli Lehmann, he was gaining notices on the concert stage in London, the British provinces, and the European continent when World War I began.

He sang in a single performance of "Prince Igor" at Covent Garden as Prince Galitsky in 1919. That was to be his only appearance in a grand opera. He joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in 1920 as understudy to Frederick Hobbs filling in for Hobbs on many occasions in many roles, including: the Earl of Mountararat in "Iolanthe" and as the Mikado of Japan (as in this performance) in "The Mikado" (a role he was destined to sing more than 3,000 times), He continued playing for the D'Oyly Carte organisation until his death in 1953, just 33 days after giving his last performance.

PROVENANCE: this item comes from the collection of H. W. Roxburgh of Liverpool, in whose extensive collection of theatrical ephemera this item was contained. It was purchased at Fellows and Sons Auction, Birmingham (UK) in Aug, 2007.

The covers and textblock (which have become detached but are present) are VG except for rusted staple, some splitting at folds and slight foxing.

Martyn Green, Charles Goulding, Sydney Granville, Richard Watson, Darrell Fancourt, Kathleen Frances, Marjories Eyre, Dorothy Gill, Doreen Denny, Elizabeth Nickell-Lean, Sir Henry Lytton, Gilbert & Sullivan, Ruddigore, D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, Theater, Theatre, Theatre Programme, Theater Program, Souvenir Program, Souvenir Programme,

Price = 10.00 GBP