For its 50th anniversary, NEGASS (New England Gilbert and Sullivan Society) celebrated during Labor Day weekend with a sing-out of all 13 operettas at The Performing Arts Center at 51 Walden Street, Concord, MA. Joe and I missed the first three on Friday night (Trial by Jury, Ruddigore and The Mikado) but we attended all the Saturday and Sunday events. We even stayed overnight at Concord’s Colonial Inn to avoid having to drive home late Saturday night and back to Concord early Sunday morning. All the operettas were accompanied by piano, except for The Gondoliers, which was on Saturday night and had a full orchestra. In a sing-out, the audience sings the choruses.
I was asked to play flute 1 in The Gondoliers orchestra, which was a lot of work but also a lot of fun, and went well. I’d never before played for a show without any rehearsals.
Highlights:
- Utopia, Limited: call out to Pinafore’s Captain Corcoran (what never?); Fitz (Robert Vann) aria no. 12 ‘a tenor all singers above’
- Iolanthe: fairy wings, Lord Chancellor nightmare song (Ben Morse)
- Pirates: ‘Foeman bares his steel’ is very complex!; Sgt and Pirate King dueling with their own canes
Here’s a picture of everybody who was there Saturday afternoon:
Schedule of Events
Friday, September 4, 2026
7:00 – 10:00 pm
Block 1:
Trial By Jury
Ruddigore
The Mikado (so sorry we missed seeing Jeremy as The Mikado!)
Saturday, September 5, 2026
8:30 am – 12:45 pm
Block 2:
Patience
The Grand Duke
HMS Pinafore
12:45 – 1:45 pm
Box Lunch
1:45 – 6:00 pm
Block 3:
Princess Ida
Yeomen of the Guard
6:00 – 7:30 pm
Dinner (Thai buffet)
7:30 – 10:00pm
Block 4:
The Gondoliers (concert performance with orchestra and dialogue)
Sunday, September 6, 2026
9:00 am – 12:15 pm
Block 5:
Utopia, Limited
Iolanthe
12:15 – 1:15 pm
Box Lunch
1:15 – 4:00 pm
Block 6:
The Sorcerer
The Pirates of Penzance
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