Opera Scotland

Merrie England 1951National Light Opera Company

Read more about the opera Merrie England

This professional tour of Merrie England employed the original text by Basil Hood.  A decade later, when Sadler's Wells mounted what is to date its final professional staging in Britain, the libretto was radically modified by the director, Dennis Arundell.  The producer and director this time was Ralph Reader, perhaps remembered in later years as director of the (Boy) Scouts' Gang Show.

Two important Scottish singers can be seen in leading roles in this cast.  The baritone William Dickie was a notable amateur performer before the war, and would soon work at La Scala Milan and the Vienna State Opera, as well as at Covent Garden.

The young tenor Kenneth Macdonald sang leading roles with several of the Scottish amateur groups, and later was based for several years at Covent Garden.

This cast is from a copy of the Edinburgh programme in the OperaScotland collection.  Further performances to be confirmed.