The D’Oyly Carte Opera Unveils its 150th Anniversary Season
For Immediate Release
London, UK – May 6, 2025 – The D’Oyly Carte Opera Company, in partnership with Scottish Opera, proudly announces its 2025 performance season, featuring a dynamic blend of classic operetta and contemporary works. This year’s lineup includes Gilbert & Sullivan’s Trial by Jury, the world premiere of A Matter of Misconduct! by Emma Jenkins and Toby Hession, and a fresh adaptation of Franz Lehár’s The Merry Widow.
Season Highlights:
Trial by Jury: Gilbert & Sullivan’s one-act operetta returns in a vibrant new production, capturing the timeless humor of legal proceedings entangled with matters of the heart.
A Matter of Misconduct!: A newly commissioned one-act comic opera by Emma Jenkins and Toby Hession, offering a 10 Downing Street crisis and an hilarious plot twist.
The Merry Widow: In collaboration with Scottish Opera and Opera Holland Park, DOCF presents Franz Lehár’s opulent operetta, reimagined in a glamorous 1950’s New York setting.
Performance Schedule:
Trial by Jury / A Matter of Misconduct! (Double Bill)
Theatre Royal Glasgow: May 14 & 16, 2025, 7:15 PM
Festival Theatre Edinburgh: May 30 & June 6, 2025, 7:15 PM
Opera Holland Park, London: June 24 & 26, 2025, 7:30 PM
The Merry Widow
Theatre Royal Glasgow: April 30; May 7, 10 & 17, 2025, 7:15 PM; May 4, 2025, 3:00 PM (Matinee)
Eden Court, Inverness: May 22 & 24, 2025, 7:15 PM
Festival Theatre Edinburgh: May 29; June 5 & 7, 2025, 7:15 PM; June 1, 2025, 3:00 PM (Matinee)
His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen: June 12 & 14, 2025, 7:15 PM
Opera Holland Park, London: June 19–28, 2025, 7:30 PM
Trial by Jury and A Matter of Misconduct! have been recorded on video and will be available at no cost for viewers worldwide on OperaVision. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit the D’Oyly Carte Opera Trust website: www.doylycarte.org.uk
Leonard M. Levie, Chairman of the D’Oyly Carte Foundation and Member of the Board of Patrons of the D’Oyly Carte Opera Trust, remarked, “This glorious season of performances, commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company, celebrates the enduring legacy of the creative partnerships forged by Richard D’Oyly Carte with Sir W. S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan. It reflects our commitment to both preserving the rich legacy of operetta and introducing innovative works that resonate with contemporary audiences. We invite everyone to experience these captivating performances, both in person and on-line at OperaVision, as we bring mirth and merriment to millions.”
“In particular, we invite our esteemed friends in the US, Canadian, and UK legal community to join in supporting Trial by Jury, Gilbert and Sullivan’s homage to litigation. Trial by Jury has been cherished for a century and a half by judges, attorneys, paralegals, law school students and professors, plaintiffs and defendants worldwide, and represents the only operetta ever written about litigation. W. S. Gilbert’s wit and varied experience as a trial attorney and Arthur Sullivan’s soaring melodies combine to great effect, and D’Oyly Carte’s 150th anniversary production of Trial by Jury is truly spectacular.”
Stay updated on all D’Oyly Carte news and events by visiting our blog: https://www.doylycartefoundation.org/news
About the D’Oyly Carte Foundation
The D'Oyly Carte Foundation is the American affiliate of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Trust Limited, which supports the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Since 1875, the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company has professionally produced the 14 Savoy operas of Sir W. S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan in the UK, Europe, US, Canada, and Australia, spreading mirth and merriment to millions.
The D’Oyly Carte Foundation’s mission is to support and promote the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company’s UK and international touring, to support regional performance companies, schools, colleges, and universities dedicated to the staging of Gilbert & Sullivan operas, and to generally encourage the popular appreciation of the works of Gilbert & Sullivan.
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About the D’Oyly Carte Opera 2025 Season
In 2025, the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company joins forces with Scottish Opera and Opera Holland Park to mark a momentous milestone in theatre history: the 150th anniversary of Trial by Jury. Originally staged in 1875, Trial by Jury was the first collaboration between dramatist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan, brought together by impresario Richard D’Oyly Carte. The one-act comic opera, a sharp satire on the English legal system, premiered at London’s Royalty Theatre on March 25, 1875, and was an instant success, laying the foundation for one of the most celebrated partnerships in musical theatre history.
To commemorate this historic anniversary, a brand-new production of Trial by Jury will debut in Glasgow in May before traveling to Edinburgh and London. Directed by John Savournin, the production stars Richard Suart, a master of the Gilbert & Sullivan patter roles, as the Learned Judge, alongside a dynamic cast of emerging operatic talent.
Adding to the celebration, Scottish Opera and D’Oyly Carte have commissioned a brand-new satirical opera, A Matter of Misconduct. Written by Emma Jenkins and Toby Hession, this contemporary work is set in the Press Room at No. 9 Downing Street, offering a witty and incisive look at modern political maneuvering and legal loopholes.
Completing this exceptional season is a new production of Franz Lehár’s beloved operetta The Merry Widow, set in Manhattan during the 1950’s and featuring a fresh English translation by John Savournin and David Eaton.
Performance details and ticket information can be found at: Scottish Opera:
https://www.scottishopera.org.uk/shows/trial-by-jury-a-matter-of-misconduct/
Opera Holland Park: https://operahollandpark.com/
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Media Contact:
Isabel Carro-Toro, Vice President
American Industrial Acquisition Corporation
+34 689 295 827 (Spain)
+ 1 787 244 3175 (USA)
icarro-toro@aiac.com