Milborne Port Opera is starting on it's first musical "Follow That Girl". It will make a change from G&S and operetta like Merry Widow and Pink Champagne and those that have been written for us like Lost Continent and Murder at Shakerley House.
The biggest changes will be the biggest challenges. Last year for HMS Pinafore there was just one set and for the Mikado two years ago. Infact I think the most we have done in the 11 years I have been involved is 3 sets for Pink Champagne. Follow that Girl has about 8 scenes (about as I counted 10!), but to perform it on our stage without the ability to fly-in scenery or drop in cloths means we need to get that number down to a manageable amount and do the rest with props.
The scenes are:
The Author's Flat
The Gilcrists' Appartment
Streets of London
The Park,
Albert Bridge,
City Centre
The Aquarium
Outside Tancred's
Inside Tancreds
The Transport Cloth
So many of these can be done as outside in the City, with extra props: Streets of London, City Centre, Outside Tancred's
The interiors will all have the same plain flats with fire places, shop fittings or bowls of fish depending on location. The transport scene will also go infront of this as will the park if we go with current plans and make the basic set green.
Albert bridge is proving to be a tricky one, we are thinking of building it using people as they are easy to move... but with the limited space available we need to get heights and widths right of the thing will look wrong...
Anyway enough for today...