Rimsky's wonderful satirical pantomime made perfect pre-Christmas entertainment in Glasgow, and now the riotously colourful designs of Sue Blane and Maria Bjornson joined the spring tour, though only given in Edinburgh and Newcastle.
The new conductor was Bryden Thomson, whose career, at the time, was divided between Scandinavia and Ireland. The only other cast change was the introduction of Gordon Sandison as one of Dodon's idiot twin sons. These performances were also the last in Scotland by the great coloratura soprano Catherine Gayer, who had been an indispensable visitor for the best part of a decade.
This spring tour, astonishing by later standards, was planned to show that the re-opening of the Theatre Royal would in no way dilute the service to other venues. The offering included the cream of the Glasgow winter season - The Golden Cockerel, Don Giovanni, both Otello and Falstaff, plus Ariadne on Naxos and Die Fledermaus. The Rape of Lucretia and A Midsummer Night's Dream received one and two performances, respectively, as preparation for trips abroad.
Cast drawn from a programme in the NLS.
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