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... an intriguing
mixture of musical styles, very good arias, lively choruses
and a romantic libretto ...
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'The
Scotsman'
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... Radio 4 described
it as 'a good family show' with well-judged
pacing and social contrasts of the characters ...
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Derby
Evening Telegraph
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Lorna Doone is a full length piece of musical
theatre based on the famous Blackmore novel.
It was premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe,
where it received high critical acclaim, and
has been performed many times since by different
groups and in different forms, depending on
the need of the group concerned. It is designed
so that it can be performed by quite a small
company as several major parts do not overlap.
Rather in the Gilbert & Sullivan genre, it
makes a colourful and entertaining show for
most amateur musical theatre companies to
get their teeth into. Its title should overcome
any reluctance about box office appeal.
 Wild
and windswept Exmoor is home to the infamous
outlaws, the Doones. A young girl, Lorna is
kidnapped and forced to join the group. Young
local farmer John Ridd has been secretly meeting
Lorna Doone, an action that can only bring
trouble to all concerned, as she is being
forced to marry Carver, the leader of the
Doone's.
The Ridd family are preparing for New Year.
Uncle Ben has not arrived for the celebrations
and his granddaughter Ruth is very worried.
John agrees to go and look for him. Ruth is
secretly in love with John and expresses her
unrequited love. Cousin Tom Faggus, a highwayman,
arrives with local farmers and their families
for the New Year celebrations at the Ridd
Farm. John returns, bringing in a very dishevelled
Ben who has been waylaid by the Doones. He
demands that action be taken against these
bandits, but the Doones are much feared by
the local people and no one is willing to
do anything about them.
A few days later a stranger arrives at the
Ridd farm. He is Jeremy Stickles, a messenger
from The Lord Chief Justice in London. Ben
has made an official complaint and John is
required to go to London to testify against
the Doones. John realises that if the King’s
men come to Exmoor to round up the Doones
his beloved Lorna will be at risk. He is desperate
to see her and give her a warning, but has
no chance. He longs to hold her once more
in his arms.
 At
the start of Act Two, John arrives at court
in London and finds himself among a very disreputable
bunch of criminals awaiting trial. He is brought
before the dreaded Judge Jeffreys who soon
sees that John is just a simple honest farmer.
He sends John home with a warning to keep
well clear of the Doones. Back at Doone Valley,
Lorna dreams of the great lover who will come
to save her from her villainous family. John
has sneaked into Doone Valley and warns her
that the King’s men will soon be there. He
tells her of his plan to snatch her away to
safety, and they declare their undying love
for each other.
The Doones are enjoying a feast, but their
revelry is interrupted by the sound of gunfire.
They grab arms and rush off to defend their
valley. John appears, and unseen, carries
Lorna away. Carver Doone returns to find his
“queen” gone. He swears a terrible revenge
on John.
Act Three opens at harvest time on Ridd Farm.
Lorna is now accepted into the family and
joins in the harvest celebrations. Tom has
abandoned his role as a highwayman. He wants
to marry Annie and settle down to an honest
life. John and Lorna are happy together and,
together with Tom and Annie are looking forward
to marriage.
On their wedding day at Oare Parish Church,
Lorna approaches the altar, but Carver appears
and shoots her down and she falls, apparently
dead, at John’s feet. John is shocked and
distraught for a moment, but then chases off
in a great rage after Carver, returning soon
to say that Carver is dead. He is beside himself
with joy when he learns that Lorna is not
seriously hurt. He gently takes her in his
arms as the choir take up the anthem.
Lorna Doone was written in 1982 for the Derby
College's Music Society, a group specialising
mostly in the Gilbert and Sullivan Operas.
For this reason it was written for performance
by a typical G&S group but designed with self-contained
scenes that could be rehearsed in a college
situation where not all performers could be
available at the same time.While originally
intended for a company of around 30 performers,
this design has proved useful as it makes
possible performance by a very small company
with some of the performers taking more that
one part. (For example, Derby Opera Workshop
performed it very well with 14 performers).
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| Principals |
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| Lorna Doone
- a young country woman, unwillingly betrothed
to Carver Doone(Soprano) |
| John Ridd
- a young farmer (Baritone) |
| Betty Muxworthy
- a farm servant (Comic
Mezzo) |
| Sarah Ridd
- John’s mother (Contralto) |
| Annie Ridd
- John’s sister (Soprano)
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| Lizzie Ridd
- John’s sister (Mezzo) |
| Ruth Huckaback
- John’s cousin (Soprano)
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| Tom Faggus
- a highwayman (Tenor) |
| Farmer Snow
(non-singing) |
| Reuben Huckaback
- John’s uncle (Baritone) |
| Jeremy Stickles
- a King’s messenger (Comic
Baritone) |
| Kitch - a
rather shady lawyer (non-singing)
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| Spank - the
Clerk of the Court (non-singing) |
| Judge Jeffries
- an infamous High Court judge (Baritone) |
| Carver Doone
- leader of a band of ne'er-do-well's (Bass) |
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| Chorus of robbers, farm people and court
rabble. (Some small singing and spoken parts
required from chorus members). |
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| Duration |
: 120 mins |
| Acts |
: 3 |
| Characters |
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| Principals |
: 5m, 6f |
| Support |
: 3m (non-sing) |
| Sets |
: 6 |
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| Other Light Opera ... |
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