Derby Day (light opera)
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| Derby Day | |
|---|---|
| Light opera by Alfred Reynolds | |
| Librettist | A. P. Herbert |
| Language | English |
| Premiere | |
Derby Day is a 1932 three-act light opera, with music composed by Alfred Reynolds to a libretto by A. P. Herbert. Herbert wrote his text between March and May 1931, whilst on a trip to Australia, during the first run of his successful Tantivy Towers.[1]
One contemporary review described the work as "mainly a Cockney opera", and praised the work as "topical in the best sense" and said of the music:[1]
I do not know if Mr. Reynolds is himself a Cockney, but I do know that his Cockney music, particularly in the coster scenes, is the best that has ever been written.[1]
In particular, the song for the tipster, "'Oo wants a winner for the big race tomorrer?", has been singled out for particular praise as a musical expression of the Cockney.[2]
The first performance took place at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith on 24 February 1932.[3] The director was Nigel Playfair, and the production was designed by George Sheringham.[4] Alfred Reynolds was the conductor.[5] The original cast list was as follows:[4]
- Scott Russell as John Bitter (landlord of the Old Black Horse)
- Tessa Deane as Rose (a barmaid)
- Leslie French as Bert Bones (a tipster)
- Mabel Constanduros as Mrs Bones (his mother)
- Frederic Austin as Sir Horace Waters, J.P. (a race-horse owner) in his last stage appearance
- Mabel Sealby as Lady Waters (his wife)
- Dewey Gibson as Eddy (their son)
- Guelda Waller as a Gypsy Woman
- Dewey Gibson as a Bookmaker
- John Thompson as a Policeman
- Pamela Stanley in a walk-on role, making her stage début.
Synopsis
The story is set in the present day (the early 1930s), and centres on a day at The Derby, the major horse-racing event of the year. In Act III, Mr Bitter proposes to Mrs Bones.