Waiwhare School 1969 Carry On Countess

CARRY ON
COUNTESS

WAIWHARE SCHOOL

Nov 21 & 22 1969

CARRY ON COUNTESS

AN OPERETTA IN THREE ACTS

BY W. R. TAYLOR

CAST

Princess April   Angela Botzen

Ladies in Waiting
Miranda   Paula Tolley
Veronica   Ann Whyte
Sarsaparilla   Kirsty Smith
Vanilla   Jane Redman

Countess Bertha   Robyn Drummond
Lydia (her daughter)   Helen Richards
Footman   Allison McPhail

Their Joint Majesties:-
Alfred von Hamburger   Patrick Ward
& Albert von Hamburger   Russell Tolley

Signor P. Carzo, an artist   Ian Tasker

The Captain of the Royal Yacht:-
Captain Rum Toddy   Donald Whyte

and his crew:-
Bung Eye   Lance Tolley
Smuggler   Stuart Comrie
Pussy Foot   Barbara Ward
Catastrophe   Kay Lawrence

The Ladies of the Peacock Court:-
Opal   Sally Smith
Sapphire   Janice Moult
Emerald   Wendy Kyle

and gentlemen:-
Chamberlain   Richard Hoy
First Gentleman   Grant Tolley
Second Gentleman   Neville Moult
Page   Robyn McDonald
King of the Peacocks   Lynda Comrie

ACT ONE The tower cell of Princess April
ACT TWO The Royal Yacht.
ACT THREE The court of the Peacock King.

SYNOPSIS …

At birth a spell is cast on Princess April which means she is likely to bring destruction to her family unless she is confined to a tower cell. The kingdom of Hamburger is bankrupt and at a last report her family decide to take a risk and set her free in the hope she will marry for money and so save them. She chooses her prospective husband and the plot of the operetta centres around this and the evil designs of the Countess her aunt who attempts to thwart her niece in favour of her own rather plain daughter.

The operetta is freely adapted from a sixteenth century French fable and in the nature of all good fairy tales everyone lives happily ever after.

‘Carry on Countess’ and two other similar adaptations are to be published in the near future by a publisher of children’s books in the United Kingdom.

MUSICAL NUMBERS:

‘When you are happy’ Princess & Ladies.
‘Dame Fortune’ Ensemble.
‘The Hapless Sailors’ Sailors
‘Tell me why?’ Countess & Ensemble.
‘Now’s the time’ Countess & Captain
‘Off with our heads’ Countess, Captain, Kings & Lydia
‘Our pantomime is over’ Ensemble

THIS OPERETTA IS …
the culmination of many weeks of work representing a total involvement of pupils in the senior class of the school. Tonight you see them all on stage. In weeks past they have shown even greater industry as they auditioned for roles, rehearsed lines and songs, designed, constructed and painted scenery, designed and made a number of the costumes; in other words worked exceptionally hard and gaining in the process an intimate knowledge of what is entailed in a full scale stage production

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS …

Mr K.W. Lawrence – Timber for set construction.
Mr A.I. Taylor – Cardboard for scenery
Mrs J. Barnett, Mr & Mrs H. McPhail, Mr & Mrs E. Richards, Mr K.W. Lawrence and the school bus association for providing transport.
Mrs W. Taylor & Miss P. Golden for continued help and encouragement.
All parents who have assisted with costuming; who have supplied hammers, nails, saws, in fact the hundred and one odd requirements needed for a show of this nature.

THANK YOU