Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
The Secrets of a Savoyard

The Secrets of a Savoyard

A. Lytton, Henry

Paperback

Acting & Auditioning

ISBN10: 9378418244
ISBN13: 9789378418242
Publisher: Alpha Edition
Published: Nov 8 2026
Pages: 136
Weight: 0.42
Height: 0.32 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Behind comic opera's polished timing lies a world of exacting rehearsal, professional uncertainty and relentless travel. Told in the first person by a performer who spent a long career in Gilbert and Sullivan productions, this theatrical memoir opens that world from within, capturing the discipline required to preserve a celebrated stage tradition while meeting the immediate demands of performance. From impoverished beginner and chorus member to principal performer in the D'Oyly Carte company, the narrator examines a working life shaped by persistence rather than effortless success. His career anecdotes move between rehearsals, backstage relationships, audience responses and the practical difficulties of touring, including accidents and professional setbacks. London provides the memoir's theatrical centre, while provincial and overseas circuits broaden its view of stage life. Accounts of particular roles are balanced by observations on acting, revealing how comic performance depends upon precision, control and close attention to established practice. Beyond autobiography, the narrative records the methods and standards behind the operas' enduring appeal. Reflections on Gilbert and Sullivan sit alongside candid recollections of company life, offering a performer's perspective on how Savoy traditions were learned, maintained and carried from one production to another. The voice remains grounded in experience: the pressures of the profession, the craft behind apparent ease, and the resilience demanded by a career lived before changing audiences. This book was out of print for decades and is now republished by Alpha Editions. It has been restored for today's and future generations. This edition is not just a reprint - it's a collector's item and a cultural treasure.

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