Review by Kate Gaul
I have always been curious about the Coily Darts – an amateur company from Loughborough (UK) – who perform for a very short run in Edinburgh every year. So, at 9.45am one morning I attended “Gilbert and Sullivan's Improbable New Musical: ...and Helen”. It’s a terrific idea – telling the largely unknown story of the Helen Lenoir who is behind much of the success of G&S and the Savoy operas.
In an afterlife, Gilbert and Sullivan decide to acknowledge Helen Carte’s contribution to their legacy. They create a new comic operetta based upon her life, though Gilbert insists on adding a few plot twists!
Helen Carte Boulter also known as Helen Lenoir, was a Scottish businesswoman known for her diplomatic skills and grasp of detail. Beginning as his secretary, and later marrying, impresario and hotelier Richard D'Oyly Carte, she is best remembered for her stewardship of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and Savoy Hotel from the end of the 19th century into the early 20th century. She was a visionary who also believed in the power of ensemble and insisted that chorus members have a voice at board level.
She attended the University of London from 1871 to 1874 and pursued brief teaching and acting careers. In 1877 she obtained employment with Richard D'Oyly Carte and became his assistant and, later, business manager. She helped to produce the Gilbert and Sullivan and other Savoy Operas, beginning with “The Sorcerer” in 1877 and helped Carte with all his business interests. One of her principal assignments was to superintend arrangements for American productions and tours of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas.
She married Richard in 1888. During the 1890s, with her husband's health declining, Helen assumed increasing responsibility for the businesses, taking full control upon his death in 1901. Although the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company's operations decreased after Richard's death, Helen staged successful repertory seasons in London from 1906 to 1909, establishing that the Gilbert and Sullivan operas could continue to be revived profitably; the company continued to operate continuously until 1982.
“Gilbert and Sullivan's Improbable New Musical: ...and Helen” highlights Helen’s diplomacy (appeasing their many arguments), her sharp business acumen (ensuring the operettas’ longevity) and her vision in shaping modern theatre. Remarkable achievements for a Victorian woman and much to celebrate.
The Coily Darts are not really writers, and the clunky release of information is an excuse to find appropriate songs from the repertoire to complete the story. A cast of 8 plus MD make for a good enough sound and the ensemble get to show off their energetic choreography even if it leaves many breathless at times. Occasionally the text is muffled, and the company needs reminding that attention to those consonants is essential. Mutton chops abound. Of course, it would be great to see these 4 central characters rendered in a more contemporaneous way but that’s not Coily Dart’s jam either. Being in an audience of G&S natives was a unique experience for this Australian. You can never do better than the G&S plot twists and even in this story the baby swapping incident from “HMS Pinafore” finds its place.
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