Carl Rosa Opera has had a most prestigious and fascinating project of historic production research that has included costumes, props and settings for the Gilbert & Sullivan operas in 1879 to 1885. Carl Rosa Opera is delighted to be associated with the current renaissance of operetta, which is pearheaded by the eagerly awaited new multi-million pound film about the life of Gilbert & Sullivan, Topsy Turvy, by Mike Leigh, the award-winning film director. This includes scenes from several of the operas, including The Mikado.

Carl Rosa Opera’s new production of The Mikado is a historic re-creation of the original authorised Savoy production of 1885. Gilbert’s authenticated prompt book has been the source for the direction, staging, and choreography. This production presents a faithful reproduction of the original stage settings, together with historic costumes designed by Wilhelm as seen in the 1953 film The Gilbert and Sullivan Story. Many drawings, photographs, designs, and research material have been unearthed for this ongoing project that has taken four years to co-ordinate.

The restoration and recreation of sets, costumes and props has been achieved with the help of so many individuals, organisations and private collections from around the world.

Carl Rosa Opera would like to express special thanks to all those who have contributed to this ongoing production project.

The association between Sullivan and Carl Rosa goes back to their student days in Leipzig in the 1860s, when they became good friends. This continued into the 1890s as they both performed in a chamber orchestra that played at musical soirees as a social entertainment. Gilbert was also very well acquainted with Parepa (a well-known opera singer, who later became Mrs Carl Rosa), and wrote two ‘Bab Ballads’ in her honour.

Carl Rosa was also secretly negotiating with Gilbert & Sullivan to form a limited company to produce operetta. However, Mr Richard D’Oyly Carte made a similar offer that gave a higher royalty percentage, and this now world-famous partnership was formed in 1875. When the ‘Rosa’ became ‘The Royal’ Carl Rosa Opera Company and a limited company in 1887, D’Oyly Carte bought 40 shares.

Many artists sang with both companies, including Durward Lely, who sang the first Rosa Don Jose in Carmen, and who created the first Nanki-Poo in The Mikado: and Guila Warwick, who sang in a number of operatic roles for the Rosa, and was the original Constance in The Sorcerer. Ivanhoe, Sullivan’s grand opera, and Cox & Box was also performed by the Company as an operatic curtain raiser. The Carl Rosa Opera Company would without doubt, have performed other operettas that would have included G&S, if the Company had continued beyond the lifting of the copyright of the Savoy operas in the 1960s.

Eric Roberts