A rare glimpse of Grand Duke

The Grand Duke is very rarely performed and it is believed to be the first time it has been staged in Retford.

It was Gilbert and Sullivan’s fourteenth and final collaboration and premiered at the Savoy Theatre, London in 1896, running for 123 performances.

Set in a German market town a troupe of actors take political power. Ludwig, an actor, replaces the company manager and then the miserly Grand Duke Rudolph of Pfennig Halbpfennig, after ‘killing’ each of them by drawing the ace from a deck of cards in two statutory duels.

By winning the duels, Ludwig assumes all of their rights and obligations. But soon finds himself with more wives and prospective wives than he knows what to do with. But never fear, a learned lawyer solves the problem and all ends happily.

The Grand Duke features some lovely music including Won’t It Be A Pretty Wedding, The Good Grand Duke, and the famous Roulette Song,

Generally G & S are a highly acclaimed group and have twice appeared at the Buxton G & S Festival. They have been invited three times to perform in a Gilbert and Sullivan Extravaganza concert at the Spa Theatre, Scarborough providing chorus-support for the Spa Orchestra and Professional soloists.

Tickets for The Grand Duke are available from the Majestic Theatre box office on 01777 706866 or by visiting www.majesticretford.com.