The Magic of The Musical: Ghostly and Spooky!
THE MAGIC OF THE MUSICAL — Saturday, October 21st @2pm Pacific/slt. This Month: “Ghostly & Spooky: The Haunting Side of Gilbert & Sullivan”
This episode is now available on Mixcloud — click here to listen
For this month’s episode we return to the Gold Hall at the elegant Angel Manor Estate. Join our live audience in Second Life or on-the-air!
Also on the air today: tune in at 12 noon or 4pm SLT for the latest edition of “Where Have You Been?”. Plus “Engines of Our Ingenuity” from the University of Houston, every four hours from 4am. Featured Music today will, of course, be “On Broadway!”.
TUNE IN at main.vcradio.org, or “Play Virtual Community Radio” on your smart speaker*!
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This Month: Ghostly & Spooky: The Haunting Side of Gilbert & Sullivan — Now available on Mixcloud
The Victorian Era saw a unique, and unexpected cause and effect that was the result of two different movements. On one hand the Industrial Revolution brought science, engineering and technology to the forefront with heretofore unprecedented levels of innovation. At the same time there was a rise of Spiritualism, the popularity of mediums and seances, and a desire to understand or connect with the unseen.
Enter Gilbert and Sullivan, the great satirists of the Victorian era. Today we’ll focus on three of their works which touch on fantasy and the supernatural in different ways. In Iolanthe, The Sorcerer, and Ruddigore Caledonia Skytower and her guest Elrik Merlin will explore how the belief in faeries, magical potions, and ghostly curses were used in these shows. Join them in the Gold Hall at Angel Manor, or live on-the-air and find out!
The Magic of The Musical explores the blending of music and drama — featuring the songs, history, and lore that make up the musical theater canon. Learn more about some of your favorite shows and composers as we cue the orchestra, and the overture begins.
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Enjoy these videos, chosen to support today’s episode:
Clive Revill as John Wellington Wells in “The Sorcerer” (1982)
“Sprites of Earth and Air” with Clive Revill in “The Sorcerer” (1982)
Vincent Price as Sir Despard Murgatroyd in “Ruddigore” (1983)
Learn more about Victorian Spiritualism at victorianweb.org