HISTORIC GILBERT & SULLIVAN SETS RESCUED FROM DEMOLITION

Houston, TX  May 1, 2023

The D’Oyly Carte Foundation rescued from demolition the historic set designs for Gilbert & Sullivan operettas, Princess Ida (or Castle Adamant) and for lolanthe (or the Peer and the Peri). The elaborate sets dating from 1954, were the last sets to be rebuilt in the fashion of the original sets from the 1880’s. Owned by the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Houston, the sets had been slated to be scrapped due to lack of funds and storage space.

The Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Houston reached out to Ian Martin, director of  D’Oyly Carte Opera Company, based in London. Mr. Martin then contacted the Opera Company’s American affiliate, the D’Oyly Carte Foundation, based in New York. Bobby Blumenfeld, Treasurer of the D’Oyly Carte Foundation quickly located a donor, Champlain Cable Corporation, and its Umbillicals International subsidiary, to warehouse the precious sets safely and securely at no cost to the Society, averting the abandonment and destruction of the sets. Champlain Cable Corporation and Umbillicals are part of AIAC, a global acquiror of manufacturing and distribution businesses.

L. M. Levie, Chairman of the D’Oyly Carte Foundation, commented “We are proud to have played a role to preserve, protect and defend these historic sets. Princess Ida and Iolanthe are shining examples of Gilbert & Sullivan’s finest operettas. These beautiful sets may now be used for years to come.”