Draft Performing Edition - January 2009

A draft performing edition of Florodora including the new vocal score, libretto and midi files are available. If you didn't recently receive and email with a link to them and would like to take a look, please send me an email and I'll provide a link to the materials.

1952 Florodora Glasgow Connections

I've recently acquired a programme for a professional production of Florodora in Glasgow, Scotland in 1952. Old programs give an idea of how the show changed over time and yield insights into why the vocal score and orchestra parts came to be as they are. In the programme I found two surprises:

• The Music Director and production manager was Cyril Dawson. The orchestra parts in my colection have two numbers where Mr. Dawson credited as doing the orchestrations

• The theater assistant manager was Durward Lely. He was the son of the original D'Oyly Carte tenor Durward Lely Sr. who created the role of Nanki-Poo in The Mikado among many others.

The programme also includes the name of rights holders which also appear in some of the old orchestra parts and, of course, the list of lead actors. The only one I can track down on the intertubes is long-time British actress Hilda Campbell-Russell (right) who played the role of Lady Holyrood on that tour.

There are indications that the parts were used in the early 1950's. While it is tantalizing, one can't know whether they were used for this Florodora tour. Still, finding these connections is so much fun and connects me to the show even more.

Oysters Florodora

OK, so I know that oysters aren't every body's favorite food, but in the Florodora days they were quite a delicacy. As yet another example of how the show wove its way into popular culture, I ran across this recipe for Oysters Florodora:

MELT three tablespoonfuls of butter in a pan;
add four tablespoonfuls of flour and stir till smooth;
then add one-half teaspoonful of dry mustard,
a half teaspoonful of paprika,
a teaspoon of minced parsley,
two table-spoonfuls of lemon-juice,
two of Worcestershire sauce,
salt and one and
one-half cupfuls of strained oyster liquor

When the sauce is hot and bubbling drop in a pint of oysters, that have been carefully looked over, and cook till they are plump. Serve on hot buttered toast with pimolas on the side.

P.S. Pimolas are olives stuffed with pimentos.