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ORPHEUS
in the Underworld Music by Jacques Offenbach
20th - 23rd September 2000
Once again WLOC presented this rare treat with the same
award winning production team!
Produced by Ian Gledhill, with choreography from Joan Edwards &
Musical direction by Desmond Rose - this was excellent entertainment.
SYNOPSIS * IAN GLEDHILL - PRODUCER
Photos on this page by Andrew Mardell.

** Production photos are available NOW from two galleries: Acts I & II and Act III (act II photos by Andy Stringer). **

Musical Numbers

	Act I The countryside around Thebes"The life a shepherd leads is fine" Chorus "My faithless heart is always dreaming" Eurydice "You treat me thus" Orpheus/Eurydice "Aristeus, my name Pluto "Invocation to death" Eurydice "Free! Oh joy! What happiness in store!" Orpheus & Chorus
Act II Mount Olympus "We sleep, we sleep" Chorus "Arise and take this opportunity" Chorus "When proud Alcmena you were wooing" Gods & Chorus "Here he comes in trepidation" Chorus
	Act III Scene 1: Pluto's Boudoir Scene 2: In Hades "When I was king of the Beotioans" Styx "My shoulder was touched very gently" Eurydice/Jupiter "Your shiny wings" Styx/Pluto "Now here's to wine, and Pluto too" Chorus "To Bacchus let us sing" Eurydice & Gods "Jupiter will show" Chorus "Careful now and don't look behind you" Full Company

SYNOPSIS
Orpheus and his wife Eurydice row over her lover, the shepherd, Aristeus.
Eurydice warns Aristeus about a trap Orpheus has set for him. Aristeus is in
reality Pluto, God of the Underworld, and he lures Eurydice into the trap
instead. She is bitten by a snake and dies, whereupon Pluto carries her off
to Hades. Orpheus's delight at his wife's departure is cut short by Public
Opinion, a formidable Mrs. Grundy-like figure, who insists he goes to
Olympus to demand the return of his wife. On Olympus the gods are rebelling
against Jupiter's tyrannical rule, but they are interrupted by the arrival
of Orpheus with Public Opinion. In a fit of righteous indignation Jupiter
grants the return of Eurydice, and when he announces that he will go to the
Underworld himself to ensure justice is done, the gods all beg to go too.
Jupiter agrees, and the entire company look forward to a holiday in Hades.
Meanwhile in the Underworld Eurydice is bored with being left alone, so when
a diversion arrives, in the shape of Jupiter disguised as a fly, she is at
first eager to run away with him. They plan to escape at a party being held
by Pluto in honour of the visiting gods from Olympus. Eurydice comes
disguised as a bacchante, which brings her to the attention of Bacchus. The
arrival of Orpheus looks like upsetting everyone's plans, but Jupiter
manages to trick him out of Eurydice for good. But who is to have her
instead, Pluto or Jupiter? Eurydice settles it by choosing ...
(now that would be telling) ...

Ian Gledhill - Producer
Ian Gledhill trained and worked as a civil engineer, designing extensions to the London underground, but has worked professionally in the theatre since 1980. He has worked at Glyndebourne, Opera Roundabout, Regency Opera and English Festival Opera. He has directed nearly 50 operas and operettas, and designed the sets for over twenty productions. He also writes opera translations, his work in this field having been performed in the United Kingdom, Ireland, USA, New Zealand and Australia. Future projects include the designs for Verdi's "A Masked Ball" at the Richmond Theatre in February, then a production of "Die Fledermaus" for Belcanto Opera in Crawley next March. In the meantime Ian will be appearing in his first pantomime as the Lord Chamberlain in "Cinderella" with Julian Clary at the Theatre Royal, Brighton, this Christmas. Outside the theatre his main interests include music, architecture and trams.

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