For His Curtain Call, Beloved Director Stages Comedic Opera at the Hobby Center

For His Curtain Call, Beloved Director Stages Comedic Opera at the Hobby Center

SUMMER IS A time for lightening up — and the performing-arts community has taken note.


On July 30-31, at Zilkha Hall, Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Houston presents H.M.S. Pinafore, one of W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan’s most enduring and entertaining comic operas. The performances will be the last for the Society’s beloved stage director, featured performer and expert on all things Gilbert and Sullivan, Alistair Donkin.

Donkin — a longtime member of the London-based D’Oyly Carte Opera Company, which was created in 1875 to produce and present Gilbert and Sullivan’s repertoire — was contacted by the Society in 1982 to sing in their 30th-anniversary performance of Trial by Jury. “I was nominated, and I came over, and I’ve been coming back ever since,” says Donkin.

Even if you think you’ve never heard a Gilbert and Sullivan song, you probably have, as the music and lyrics of the Victorian era hold the distinction of being ripe for comedic appropriation. (In a bizarre episode of The Simpsons, Bart tries to delay being killed by the maniacal Sideshow Bob by asking him to sing the entire score to H.M.S. Pinafore.)

Donkin attributes Sullivan’s compositional skill as key to the timeless appeal of the operas. “You come out singing the tunes, not humming the scenery,” says Donkin. “You cannot get these tunes out of your head.”

The duo’s unique combination of humorous lyrics, sung in a rapid-fire style known as “pattering,” and Sullivan’s memorable tunes became a bridge between the European opera tradition and the modern-day American musical. Gilbert and Sullivan operas also address social issues that in many cases are still relevant today. “Gilbert was a satirist,” explains Donkin. “So beneath all the froth and enjoyment and fun, there is a biting social comment.”

Historical references abound in a Gilbert and Sullivan opera, so much so that 45 minutes before each performance of H.M.S. Pinafore, there will be a presentation explaining some of the opera’s more obscure subtexts. The opera’s regal and ridiculous Sir Joseph Porter, for instance, was based on the real life W.H. Smith, a member of the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, and known by the inner circle of the government to be gay. “He surrounded himself with female relatives, which is exactly what Gilbert has done with Sir Joseph Porter with his sisters and cousins and aunts,” says Donkin. “Take any phrase in a Gilbert and Sullivan opera, Google it, and you’ll find a fascinating history about that single phrase.”

The Zilkha Hall performances will be bittersweet for Donkin, and when asked what he’ll miss most about Houston, the response is immediate. “My friends,” says Donkin, who mentions the late bass-baritone Ralph L. Katz, who appeared in several productions by the Society. “Ralph and his wife flew to England when my partner and I had our civil partnership,” says Donkin. “He was a cantor in one of the Houston synagogues, and at the ceremony, he sang a blessing a cappella in Hebrew for us.

“That’s the sort of friend I’m going to miss,” says Donkin. “Thank God for Skype and Zoom, otherwise I would never see them!”

Art + Entertainment
‘Culture of Service and Accountability’ Supports Mission of Orion EMS

Gerard O’Brien, President/CEO & Founder, and Sumi Patel, Vice President

HOW DID YOU get where you are today? The EMS industry, quite literally, never stops. Our staff and units are called to serve our community every hour of every day; there are no weekends, holidays, or “days off.” Obviously, the demands of EMS are not for the faint of heart, and we have established a culture of service and accountability that is different than nearly every other organization. Our leadership team sets this culture by exhibiting their passion for this industry daily. Their tireless dedication makes a better experience for our staff when they come to work and for our patients and clients when they call on us to transport their loved ones.

Keep ReadingShow less

David Adickes and Bun B

SOME OF THE CITY'S most influential VIPs gathered at Steak 48 in River Oaks District for the annual toast to CityBook’s “Leaders & Legends,” a recurring franchise for the publication whose past honorees have including a Tony and Grammy winner, a Nobel laureate, a member of Congress, an Olympic medalist, multiple billionaire business moguls, TV stars, artists and scientists of every sort, and the city’s most glamorous and generous socialites.

Keep ReadingShow less
Parties

Tay Butler’s Lawndale installation, spring 2023

DESPITE ITS PAIN and pitfalls, there’s no denying that the pandemic inspired artists like never before. This season, one of the most ambitious public-art projects to emerge from the Covid years comes to a close.

Keep ReadingShow less
Art + Entertainment