I’ve written about several St. Mary of the Angels theatrical productions of the 1940s and 1950s. This piece takes you back to an earlier era, 1930. It was the production of what was to be a staple operetta at St. Mary’s, Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers. As you will gather by now, many of the productions were recycled by various St. Mary’s groups over the years. This particular performance was attributed in the press to the St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church Choir and other members of the church, but I do wonder if it was an early show by the recently-founded parish Operatic Society. The performances took place on 21 and 22 April 1930, Easter Monday and Tuesday.
The presentation was declared a pronounced success, with praise being heaped on the artistes, whose acting and singing reflected highly on the tuition of Miss M. L. Scanlon, the choir mistress.
Born on 07 December 1895 and baptised at St. Mary’s later that month, Margaret Lucy – or Lucy as she was known – was the daughter of Thomas and Mary Ann Scanlon (formerly Sanders). After passing her exams at Notre Dame Collegiate School, Leeds, on 25 August 1913 she was appointed as a Student Teacher in the St. Mary’s Mixed Department, going on to teach generations of St. Mary’s pupils. She also played the church organ for many years, a role which was pretty much the domain of the Scanlon family. Her brother, Henry, followed on from her, and perhaps many remember her nephew Peter Scanlon who was another one of her successors. An Associate of the London College of Music (ALCM), she was to be a stalwart of many St. Mary’s theatrical productions. She was the founder of the St. Mary’s Amateur Operatic Society in circa1927/28, and her roles there were as varied as a producer, musical director and wardrobe mistress. Awarded the Bene Merenti Papal award for her her parish work, she never married and died on 08 March 1985.
Right from the opening scenes there was a confidence in this production which plainly told that all, especially the principals, knew their parts well.
In the role of Teresa, Miss M. Mara was a distinct success. She undoubtedly made the most of her part when acting alongside Mr. L. Rotchford (Giuseppe), who saw to it that the show was not lacking in humour. As Marco, Mr. T. Egan gave a much applauded rendering of the popular song “Take a pair of sparkling eyes.” Miss J. Deasy, as Giannetta, completed a fine quartet.
Mr. F. Dillon and Misses M. Deasy and M. Doyle, as the Duke, Duchess and their daughter Casilda, respectively, were equally good.
Special mentions were made of Mr. W. Hannon, who in the minor part of Luiz, the Duke’s Attendant, gave a splendid characterisation. Though a role with only limited opportunities to display his singing and acting abilities, the former was beautifully rendered and his acting was charmingly portrayed.
Mr. T. Durkin undertook the part of Don Alhambra with an aptitude that revealed much talent.
The chorus contributed some fine numbers which did much to give the opera the great success it achieved. Another notable feature of the show was the magnificent dress. In fact, as a result of its popularity, there were plans to repeat the performance.
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