Anna Bethell (1882 – 2 March 1969) was an English actress, singer and stage director. She is best known for her performances in the Gilbert and Sullivan operas with the

D'Oyly Carte Opera Company The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company is a professional British light opera company that, from the 1870s until 1982, staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere. The ...

. After playing other small mezzo-soprano parts, she played the role of Mrs. Partlett in ''

The Sorcerer ''The Sorcerer'' is a two-act comic opera, with a libretto by W. S. Gilbert and music by Arthur Sullivan. It was the British duo's third operatic collaboration. The plot of ''The Sorcerer'' is based on a Christmas story, ''An Elixir of Lo ...

'' for many years. She also occasionally played some of the larger

contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typica ...

roles. She later became stage director of the company from 1947 to 1949 and also directed the J. C. Williamson Gilbert and Sullivan Company. Bethell was married to fellow D'Oyly Carte member Sydney Granville.

Early years

Born in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

, Bethell was engaged by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in 1909, singing in the chorus and playing the smaller mezzo-soprano roles of Kate in ''

The Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 187 ...

'', Lady Saphir in ''

Patience (or forbearance) is the ability to endure difficult circumstances. Patience may involve perseverance in the face of delay; tolerance of provocation without responding in disrespect/anger; or forbearance when under strain, especially when face ...

'', Leila in '' Iolanthe'' and Chloe in ''

Princess Ida ''Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant'' is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was their eighth operatic collaboration of fourteen. ''Princess Ida'' opened at the Savoy Theatre on 5 January 1884, for a ru ...

''."Bethell, Anna"
''Memories of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company'' website; accessed 8 November 2016 She later took on the role of Vittoria in ''

The Gondoliers ''The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria'' is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances (at that time the ...

''. She left the company in 1912 but returned the next year, touring in the same roles and also as Peep-Bo in ''

The Mikado ''The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen Gilbert and Sullivan, operatic collaborations. It opened on 14 March 1885, in London, whe ...

''. From 1915, Bethell sang in the chorus, again playing Saphir from 1917. In 1918, she began to understudy the principal

roles, then played by Bertha Lewis, and began to play Mrs. Partlett in ''

'' and Inez in ''

''. Between 1918 and 1924, she also toured, from time to time, in two plays by

Stanley Houghton William Stanley Houghton (22 February 1881 – 11 December 1913) was an English playwright. He was a prominent member, together with Allan Monkhouse and Harold Brighouse, of a group known as the Manchester School of dramatists. His best know ...

, '' Hindle Wakes'' (as Fanny Hawthorn) and ''

The Younger Generation ''The Younger Generation'' is a 1929 American part-talkie drama film directed by Frank Capra and starring Ricardo Cortez. It was produced by Jack Cohn for Columbia Pictures. It was Capra's first sound film. While mostly silent, the film has t ...

''. In 1921, she resumed the small part of Chloe, with D'Oyly Carte, and the next year also began again to play Kate. In 1923, she sometimes played the role of Cousin Hebe in ''

H.M.S. Pinafore ''H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, whic ...

'', Melissa in ''

'', Pitti-Sing in ''The Mikado'', and Tessa in ''The Gondoliers''. After this, until 1925, she played the parts of Mrs. Partlett, Chloe and Inez.Stone, David
"Anna Bethall" (sic)
''Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company'', 2 December 2002; accessed 30 November 2009. At the end of 1925, Bethel and her husband, Sydney Granville, and other company members left the D'Oyly Carte to travel to Australia, performing in Gilbert and Sullivan roles with the J. C. Williamson Ltd. company. In 1929, she rejoined D'Oyly Carte as Mrs Partlett, playing the role until 1939. In 1931, she occasionally played Little Buttercup in ''Pinafore'' and Dame Hannah in ''

Ruddigore ''Ruddigore; or, The Witch's Curse'', originally called ''Ruddygore'', is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy Operas and the tenth of fourteen comic operas written tog ...

''. Bethell is heard as Mrs Partlett on the D'Oyly Carte's 1933 recording of excerpts from ''The Sorcerer''.

Stage director

Bethell was engaged by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company as Stage Director from 1947 to 1948. In his 1952 memoir, the former principal comedian of the company,

Martyn Green William Martin Green (22 April 1899 – 8 February 1975), known by his stage name, Martyn Green, was an English actor and singer. He is remembered for his performances and recordings as principal comedian of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, in t ...

, wrote: "During Anna Bethell's regime ... there had been growing signs of discontent and suggestions of favouritism being shown to some of the members of the chorus in respect to passing over existing understudies, selections for small parts, and so on." In 1949, she travelled to Australia to direct J. C. Williamson Ltd. productions of Gilbert and Sullivan. That company then toured these productions throughout Australasia for the next three years.Morrison, Robert.
"Sydney Granville's 1926 Australasian Tour"
''A Gilbert and Sullivan Discography'', ed. Marc Shepherd, 12 November 2001, accessed 30 November 2009 She died in 1969 in Bournemouth.

Notes

References

* American Edition (contains information not found in the British edition). * *Rollins, C. and R. J. Witts, eds. ''The D'Oyly Carte Company in Gilbert and Sullivan Operas'' (1962) *De Loitte, Vinia. ''Gilbert & Sullivan Opera in Australia, 1879-1935'', 13th edition, Sydney, c. 1935 *Murphy, Frank. "Gilbert and Sullivan in Australia", J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd. Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Season Souvenir programme, Melbourne 1949

External links

Photo of Bethell as Mrs. Partlet
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bethell, Anna 1882 births 1969 deaths British theatre directors British women theatre directors 20th-century British women opera singers English contraltos Operatic contraltos English operatic mezzo-sopranos