GILBERT AND SULLIVAN.

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 9817, 22 February 1936, Page 19 (Supplement)

GILBERT AND SULLIVAN.

EVELYN GARDINER BACK. Evelyn Gardiner, principal contralto of the Gilbert and Sullivan Opera ompany, now in Auckland, was with the last Gilbert and Sullivan Company, that toured Australia and New Zealand, and she was so anxious to return that when opportunity arose she abandoned a contract to appear at the Princess Theatre, London, stopped work on a “talkie” which she was making with Derek Oldham (himself an old Savoyard). packed her trunk and set out. ■C “After leaving New Zealand two years ago,” said Miss Gardiner, “we played in South Africa, which is delightful. On my return to England I had the opportunity of playing opposite Sir Henry Lytton, most famous of all Savoyards, in “The Mikado" and “The Gondoliers.” Miss Gardiner prefers playing in Gilbert and Sullivan operas to any other form of stage work. Her favourite roles are Katisha in “The Mikado” and Ruth in “The Pirates of Penzance.” She pointed out that the popularity of Gilbert and Sullivan opera in Great Britain shows no sign of waning. “The standard of performance,” she declared, “is becoming higher and the popularity of the operas is greater. The reason is not far to seek. Gilbert and Sullivan operas have become a permanent institution in Great Britain.”