The Grand Duke

The Final Season of Gilbert and Sullivan in Dunedin

The Really Authentic Gilbert and Sullivan Performance Trust (RAGSPT) has been presenting the entire G&S repertoire in chronological order over the 11-year period 2002-2012. In August 2012 the thirteenth and final opera, The Grand Duke, is scheduled for performance with an exciting cast.

The final G&S opera is a madcap romp set in a fictional German Grand Duchy, in which Gilbert returns to a favourite theme - the taking-up of political power by a troupe of actors. In terms of satire, Gilbert feels emboldened by the foreign setting to launch some particularly pointed barbs at the nobility and to lampoon the frugality and phoniness of the wealthy classes. In the small town of Speisesaal, a conspiracy is afoot among Ernest Dummkopf's acting troupe to overthrow Rudolph, the Grand Duke. Their secret plot is accidentally let out of the bag and a bizarre statutory duel has to be fought. By eventually winning statutory duels against both Ernest and the real Grand Duke, surrogate "Grand Duke" Ludwig, the leading comedian of the theatrical troupe, risks ending up with far more wives and prospective wives than he knows what to do with. Fortunately, it is revealed that Ludwig is an impostor; and, as usual, a lawyer solves every problem so that things can end happily.

Tickets on sale from 2 April 2012.

Reserved seating event.

Front row is A. Prices exclude booking fees and credit card charges.
Adult $52.50
Student with ID $25.00
Child (2 years - school leaver) $25.00
Seniors/group (10+) $47.50

Wheelchair information: This venue cannot accommodate wheelchairs. There is a side door that patrons with limited mobility can use, but they must phone the Mayfair theatre and organise this themselves.

Show running times - TBA