Tour poster designed by Dudley Hardy (1867-1922) advertising a D'Oyly Carte Opera Company tour of The Grand Duke composed by Arthur Sullivan, written by W. S. Gilbert. Colour lithograph by Waterlow & Sons, post-1896.

Poster advertising a D'Oyly Carte Company tour of The Grand Duke composed by Arthur Sullivan, written by W. S. Gilbert. The poster designed by Dudley Hardy (1867-1922) features an illustration of Rudolph, the Grand Duke of Pfennig-Halbpfennig, played in the original production by the baritone Walter Passmore (1867-1946). The poster was designed for the original production at the Savoy Theatre but was reprinted without the words 'Savoy Theatre' for the tour so that theatres where it was mounted could have displayed it with an overposter strip for their theatre.

The Grand Duke was the last comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan. It opened at the Savoy Theatre on 7th March 1896 and had a relatively short run, closing on 11th July. After its London closure Richard D'Oyly Carte toured the production in the UK, and in South Africa. He also mounted the German premiere of the opera in Berlin at the Unter der Linden Theatre on 20th May 1896 as Der Grossherzog.

Associated Production: The Grand Duke. Lyricist: W.S. Gilbert. Composer: Arthur S. Sullivan. The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Performance category: opera. Production type: tour.

London Wall

Poster advertising a touring production of The Grand Duke composed by Arthur Sullivan, written by W. S. Gilbert, performed by D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, unknown venues, 1890s.

S.2784-1995