Emily Kingsley’s Briarcliff Manor basement closets are overflowing with toy daggers and pistols, fairy wings, sailor hats, policeman caps, kimonos, wigs, and more. All this can easily be explained once you understand that Kingsley has hosted the monthly gatherings of the Westchester Gilbert and Sullivan Group for over four decades. It’s her way of keeping alive the spirit of the famous English theatrical duo of William S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan, who collaborated on 14 comic operas between 1871 and 1896.
Kingsley, 85, says ,“One of their operas has been lost forever, so that leaves 13. Of the 13, the last two that they did are not as popular as the earlier ones, so that number goes down to 11. If we perform them once a month, that leaves July open for a potluck picnic where you can sing anything you want.” Over the course of each year, performance highlights include such famous comic operas as The H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, and The Mikado.
Kingsley notes there can be exceptions to the repertoire. “Sometimes the group does one non-Gilbert and Sullivan performance a year. For example, we’ve done South Pacific, The King and I, Bye Bye Birdie, and Guys and Dolls.”
The thing that makes this Gilbert and Sullivan group unique is that anybody who’s interested can join in the club, no matter their talent level. According to Kingsley, “There are no auditions and rehearsals, and performers sing and act with scripts open. You can choose to take a solo role, participate in the chorus, or else just come and listen.” She adds, “The main idea is to just have fun, enjoy the music and dialogue, and the pleasure of performing.” A fee of $12 to attend each month covers the cost of an accomplished local pianist (Briarcliff Manor resident Connie Prener) who provides the musical accompaniment.
Performances are held in Kingsley’s spacious basement, which is covered with all manner of Gilbert and Sullivan posters, illustrations, and memorabilia. The audience varies from month to month, with attendance ranging from 16 to 30 people. All ages are represented, with many parents bringing their children – and over the years, those children have returned to the group as adults. Attendees come from all over Westchester and as far away as New Jersey and Manhattan (two Broadway singers are regulars).
“Some of our singers are really wonderful and some are pretty terrible, but it doesn’t matter as long as you love this stuff,” says Kingsley. “You don’t get turned down from anything here, and it’s so much fun.” She notes, “While the group sticks to the original works in terms of dialog and music, we can be creative in casting. Anyone who wants a role is welcome to do it. For example, I’ve played female parts as well as an old man and a pirate king.”
Kingsley, a native of Forest Hills, Queens, has been in love with Gilbert and Sullivan operas since she was eight years old. That was when her father took her to Manhattan to see a Broadway production of the duo’s opera, Iolanthe, about a fairy who has been banished from fairyland because she married a mortal. Between the lines the opera satirizes many aspects of British government, law and society, a common theme in Gilbert and Sullivan productions.
“My father was such a big fan. Before we went to the performance, he taught the opera to me. He would sing it and play the record. And he explained the jokes and the political references, and all the things that made it so hilarious.” Kingsley has always held Iolanthe in a special place in her heart, saying, “It’s the most lyrical and the funniest. It’s just beautiful.”
Kingsley’s fascination with Gilbert and Sullivan has continued through her entire life. After college, she lived in Manhattan and joined a Gilbert and Sullivan group that she ended up running. She then founded the Westchester Gilbert and Sullivan Group when she moved to the suburbs in the mid 1980s. In addition, as a 13-time Emmy Award-winning writer for Sesame Street from 1970 until her retirement in 2015, Kingsley created puppets named Gilbert and Sullivan that sang songs on such topics as eating healthy and going to the library. “I wrote about six songs that were patterned on Gilbert and Sullivan’s work, but the composer did a musical parody,” she recalls.
Upcoming meetings of the Westchester Gilbert and Sullivan Group take place on Sundays at 2:30 pm. Ruddigore is on April 27, Yeoman of the Guard on May 18, and Gondoliers on June 22.
More information at: 914 329-9003 or epkingsley@gmail.com
