Jane Annie (2007)
On October 19, 2007, the Rockford Operetta Party gave the
North American premiere of this long-neglected opera.
Written by J.M. Barrie and Conan Doyle and music by Ernest
Ford in 1893, it was an immediate failure and lasted only 50
performances before being sent on tour. Only one revival
was known: a single performance at Poulton in 1984. And no recording of any part of the opera existed.
This production was an immense challenge to mount, but for
the first time in the company's history, everyone who signed up for it stayed in the programme. This contributed greatly to the success of our production. Rehearsals were consistent, the talent was extremely high, the audiences enjoyed the performances and the new standards, and the enthusiasm of the cast was unprecedented. We also received recognition from the arts community of Rockford as we appeared on WTVO's Daybreak, and in the Rockford Register Star and the Belvidere Daily Republican.
We gave two performances at Central Christian Church in
Rockford, IL, on October 19-20 2007. A studio recording
based on that production was completed, but due to
complications, it has not received its final mixing, and thus, is not available for sale. However, some mp3 tracks can be
found on this page.
Cast
The Proctor -- Scott Farrell
Tom -- Brian Tillery
Jack -- Clifton Coles
Caddie -- Michael Neumann
Jane Annie -- Caitlin Podemski
Babs -- Katie Ross
Miss Sims -- Vicki Marcum
Milly -- Sophia Araoz
Rose -- Jessica Brown
Meg -- Bethany Baumann
Piano -- Linda Smith
