The Boatswain's Mate
T1111883920
Written in 1914 and unseen in London for more than 50 years,
The Boatswain's Mate is Smyth's fourth and most obviously feminist opera. A witty and inventive battle of the sexes, it features a feisty heroine - supposedly based on Emmeline Pankhurst - who outwits her suitors in a series of entertaining and resourceful deceptions. Mrs Waters is a wealthy widow whose first husband has left her with a country pub and a determination never to remarry. When the retired boatswain George Benn devises a scheme to win her hand by 'saving' her from a burglar whom he has in fact paid to break in, he reckons without her bravery and quick-wittedness.
Archive :: production:T1111883920, opera or operetta:S1345666954, venue:V1422226940
Production details
Music: Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Billie Holiday. Live and recorded music. Studio 1. Grimeborn Opera Festival
