046
ARTS & CULTURE
KITCHEN OPERA RETURNS WITH Arthur Sullivan’s The Zoo
The Zoo is coming to Sevenoaks, book debut for local author, hospice teams with Tonbridge School, plus gig guide and more
O
n Saturday 25th January Kitchen Opera will
present The Zoo, an intriguing but energetic one-act comic opera by Arthur Sullivan. As one half of
successful duo Gilbert & Sullivan, he is best known for such enduring and popular works as The Mikado and The Pirates of Penzance. He wrote The Zoo with librettist B.C. Stephenson and it was premiered in London in 1875. This is the sixth performance by Kitchen Opera’s band of youngsters who are aged between nine and 18. Sevenoaks-based freelance musician and teacher Deborah Gjeloshaj (pictured) set up the company in 2013 to introduce the joy of singing opera to young people. It has tackled such diverse works as The Mikado, Dido and Aeneas and Hansel and Gretel and last year performed Deborah's own version of Snow White, a unique combination of opera and pantomime.
The Zoo opens at the British
Zoological Gardens and follows two pairs of star-crossed lovers, all of whom are played by girls in this production. Apothecary Aesculapius Carboy (played by 15-year- old Charlotte Overton) loves Laetitia Grinder (played by Katie Stone, 16) but her father thwarts their
affair. Aristocrat-in-disguise Thomas Brown (Bea Piñol, 15) endures heartache in his pursuit of Eliza Smith (Anna Pearson, 16). All the misunderstandings and slapstick comedy moments are accompanied by rousing and toe-tapping musical numbers.
As Deborah meets all the running costs herself with help from performers’ families, she is hoping to attract sponsorship for this and future productions, with donors being credited in the programme. • The Zoo comes to The New Beacon School, Brittains Lane, Sevenoaks TN13 2PB on 25th January with performances at 2.30pm and 7.30pm. Tickets are priced £15 from Sevenoaks Bookshop, 147 High Street, Sevenoaks TN13 1XJ. Visit
deborahgjeloshaj.co.uk for more details.
DEBUT KID’S BOOK FOR
LOCAL AUTHOR Belfast-born David
Thompson, who now lives with his wife, Emily, and their two children near Sevenoaks, is
celebrating the publication of his fi rst book for children, Daddy’s Big Bike Race. After receiving a new racing bike for his birthday, Dad decides to enter The Big Bike Race, but who will win the gold medal? “There was Dad, Wighead, McMoo and Broom, they all lined up and the gun went BOOM!” Follow these delightful characters and their adventures as they race through the book!
While David has always enjoyed writing poetry, it wasn't until he became a dad that he decided to write children’s books.
• Daddy's Big Bike Race by David Thompson is published by Olympia Publishers, £4.99 paperback.
© Roderick Manzie
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92
