TANTIVY TOWERS
A comic opera in 3 Acts; Music: Thomas F. Dunhill; Book & Lyrics: A.P. Herbert;
Lyric Hammersmith, 16th January - Transfered: New Theatre, 6th April 1931 (170 performances)
Story
Chelsea Bohemians Jenny Jay and her friend Hugh Heather are visited by Charles, Viscount Harkaway and his sister Lady Ann Gallop and their parents, the curious Earl and Countess of Tantivy, intrigued at the great differences between their life at Tantivy Towers and this “modern” Chelsea style. Jenny and Hugh are invited for a weekend in the country. She accepts, but he pompously refuses, but, secretly attracted to Lady Ann, he decides to go after all, but disguised as a hired singer. In the country he finds he has a rival in the form of Captain Bareback, the Master of the Hounds, and because of his conscientious objection to joining the next day’s hunt, Bareback seems to have the upper hand. When Hugh commits the faux-pas of shooting the fox to put it out of its misery, and thus depriving the hounds of their kill, he loses all chances with Ann. She will marry Bareback and he will return to Chelsea and join the Savage Club.
Cast:
- Jenny Jay
- Hugh Heather
- Viscount Harkaway
- Lady Ann Gallop),
- Earl of Tantivy
- Countess of Tantivy
- Captain Bareback MPH
- Isobel
- Imogen
- 'Cellist
Musical Numbers include
- Chelsea Home of Culture
- As My Poor Father Used to Say
- All the Valley Sleeping
- Orpheus and Hercules
- There Are Some Things Which Are Not Done
- Scorn Not The Rich Impetuous Boy