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MERRIE ENGLAND
by
Edward German

Book and Lyrics by Basil Hood

Dates	12th, 14th and 15th April 2000
Producer	Roger Symes
Musical Director	Roger Symes
Venue	The Village Hall, Hambledon

ABOUT MERRIE ENGLAND

In a bit of a departure from Gilbert and Sullivan, we presented Merrie England, by Edward German and Basil Hood in April 2000. This well known comic opera is set in England during the reign of Elizabeth I, and tells the tale of the love affair between the famous courtier, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Bessie Throckmorton, one of the Queen's Ladies in Waiting.

Bessie has lost a love letter sent to her by Sir Walter Raleigh. It has been found by Jill-All-Alone, a homeless girl suspected of being a witch, and handed by her to the Earl of Essex. She does not know that Essex is jealous of the favour which Raleigh enjoys with the Queen. When she receives the letter, the Queen, recognising Raleigh's handwriting, at first supposes that it is intended for her, but when Raleigh confesses that it is her lady-in-waiting whom he loves, she is furious and decides to have Bessie poisoned and Jill burnt as a witch. But she is dissuaded, Jill pardoned, Bessie and Raleigh are openly united, and Essex is at Elizabeth's side as the curtain falls.

About Edward German

Edward German was born Edward German Jones in 1862 in Whitchurch, Shropshire and died in London in 1936. Hen entered the Royal Academy of Music in 1880, and became increasingly drawn to composition. As well as some very successful orchestral music, his early career involved much incidental music for plays, including productions of Richard III, Henry VIII, As You Like It and Much Ado About Nothing as well as several new plays. He displayed a theatrical flair together with an ability to compose in an 'olde English' style.

Merrie England Maypole Dancing

Programme cover design by Paul Stallard

STORY OF THE OPERA

Act I - May Day on the Banks of the River Thames

Act II - Herne's Oak in Windsor Forest

The story of Merrie England revolved around the complicated love affairs of Queen Elizabeth I, the Earl of Essex, Sir Walter Raleigh and Bessie Throckmorton. Sir Walter Raleigh is in love with Bessie Throckmorton, but the Queen loves Raleigh. The Earl of Essex is in love with the Queen but believes Raleigh returns the Queen's affections, and is jealous of Raleigh.

Bessie has received a love letter from Raleigh but has lost it. Jill-all-alone, who is believed to be a witch, finds the letter and passes it to the Queen, who thinks the references to Bessie relate to herself. Jill is saved from prosecution by Long Tom, who falls in love with her. Essex contrives to maximise complications for Raleigh, and when Raleigh declares that his letter was written to Bessie Throckmorton, not Queen Elizabeth, the Queen is enraged. She orders Raleigh be placed under house arrest at his country house, Bessie Throckmorton thrown into prison, and Jill to be burned as a witch.

Jill and Bessie have escaped from prison by means of a secret passage known only to Long Tom and Big Ben, who assure their safety. Unaware of the escape, the Queen declares her plan to poison Bessie, and Raleigh outlines his plan to rescue her, referring to her in song as the English Rose.

The crowd assemble for the crowning of the May Queen, and two professional actors arrive to stage a play - "Robin Hood". Bessie enters singing of the joys of love and Essex brings in Raleigh, whom he has discovered is not his rival, and Essex tries to repair the damage he has done. However, the Queen will hear none of it. Feeling jilted, she is adamant that Jill, Bessie and Raleigh are still subjected to their respective sentences, even though she is fully aware of their innocence.

Essex now plays his ace card, which resolves matters for himself and the others. He arranges for one of the foresters to fake an appearance of the spectre of Herne the Hunter, who only appears when the ruling monarch is about to commit a sin. The assembled company are made aware of this, so that when Herne appears, they pretend not to be able to see anything wrong. The Queen is frightened and relents. She is then united with Essex, Raleigh with Bessie, and Jill with Tom.

PICTURES FROM THE SHOW

Click on a picture to enlarge it

	The townsfolk of Windsor welcome the new May Queen (Tanya Parsons), while Long Tom (Rod Davis) and Big Ben (John Westbrook) try to convince them that there "is a little difference between them." Jill-All-Alone (Sarah Howe) sings to her cat about her lonely life.
	Sir Walter Raleigh (Nigel Watts) stands a round of drinks for everyone. The joy is short-lived when The Earl of Essex (Alan Dilworth) reads out Sir Walter's love letter to Bessie Throckmorton, thinking it was meant for the Queen.
	Fortunately, Queen Elizabeth I (Kathy Routley) sees the funny side, and it all ends happily ever after, with the celebrations for "Robin Hood's Wedding", led by Walter Wilkins (Neil Lander Brinkley) and The May Queen (Tanya Parsons).

G&S CONNECTION

When Sir Arthur Sullivan died in 1900, he was in the process of working on his second libretto by Basil Hood. Only a small part of the score had been completed, but there were detailed sketches for more than half of the numbers, and Edward German was chosen to finish the music. The Emerald Isle opened at the Savoy Theatre in 1901, drawing favourable comments, such as that from the critic of The Sunday Times, "A thousand times over has Edward German justified the choice which selected him to complete Sullivan's score."

WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT IT

"A very apt choice of entertainment for a Spring production. There was good singing (without microphones!) from all the Principals and Chorus - with clear diction from everyone. Only one piano accompanied the Opera, and this accompaniment was of a high standard giving admirable support to the cast. The production was rather static and would have benefited from more pace. The show was well dressed with colourful costumes, and basic scenery for the restricted stage area."

NODA Southern News (September 2000)

Last updated: 18 March 2009 21:37:31