The Pittsburgh Savoyards conclude their 88th season this spring with Gilbert and Sullivan’s final operetta, The Grand Duke; or, The Statutory Duel. Performances will be held March 20-22 and 27-29, 2026 at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall in Carnegie, PA (directions and parking). Online livestreams will also be available (dates TBA). All performances will feature full supertitles for both lyrics and dialogue.
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Performance dates and times are as follows:
- Friday, March 20 at 7:30 pm
- Saturday, March 21 at 7:30 pm
- Sunday, March 22 at 2:30 pm
- Friday, March 27 at 7:30 pm
- Saturday, March 28 at 7:30 pm
- Sunday, March 29 at 2:30 pm
Join us on opening night (March 20) for a special post-performance reception!
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Set in the tiny Grand Duchy of Pfennig‑Halbpfennig in 1750, Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Grand Duke follows a scrappy theatrical troupe led by theatrical manager Ernest Dummkopf, blundering lead comedian Ludwig, his sweetheart Lisa, and the imperious leading lady Julia Jellicoe, as they conspire to topple the miserly, hypochondriacal Grand Duke Rudolph. On the eve of the company’s latest opening night production, Ludwig is to be married to Lisa, but all the parsons in the town are unavailable because they have been summoned by the Grand Duke. Both the company and the people of the town have grown to hate the Grand Duke, so a scheme is concocted to oust him from power. A fantastical plot then unfolds, involving the company’s secret signal (the eating of a sausage roll); an obscure legal oddity (the “statutory duel” of drawing playing cards, which declares the winner take the place of the loser, and the loser legally dead); a spin of the roulette wheel by an unexpected visitor; and not one, not two, not three, but FOUR prospective brides for the Grand Duke! Hijinks, mistaken identities, and Gilbert’s witty dialogue propel the troupe from rehearsal to courtroom‑style machination, while Sullivan’s jaunty, satirical score punctuates every bit of comic absurdity until at last, in true topsy‑turvy fashion, everything is finally and satisfactorily resolved.
The Grand Duke is Gilbert & Sullivan’s final composition as a duo and originally premiered March 7, 1896. Despite favorable reviews on opening night, the opera was not a success, lasting for only a paltry (by G&S standards) 123 performances. Due to the unsuccessful run (the only G&S show that lost money) and the strained relationship between the pair, they never worked together again. Our version has been substantially trimmed down from the original 1896 running time of 3 hours.
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More Information
Music Director – Guy Russo
Stage Director – Olivia Hartle
Production Manager – Lynette Garlan
Production Stage Manager – Andrea Lisiak
Technical Director – Robert Hockenberry
Lighting Designer – Garth Schafer
Choreography – Krista Kaley Strosnide
| Role | Performer |
|---|---|
| Julia | Alessandra Gabbianelli Katie Manukyan |
| Ernest | Zhen Yu Ding Cecil Treleven |
| Ludwig | Mike Goffus |
| Lisa | Abigail Arhart Err Shirley |
| Baroness | Sally Denmead Jessica McGunigle |
| Rudolph / Grand Duke | Corey Nile Wingard |
| Notary | William Carter Robert Hockenberry |
| Herald | Don Neuhaus |
| Prince | Omar Tolentino Benjamin Zaksek |
| Princess | Leah Grimm Katie Kirby |
| Gretchen | Amanda Leigh Savannah Simeone |
| Olga | Chelsie Clydesdale Deborah Geary |
| Bertha | Hannah Balash Brienne Sharo |
| Elsa | Denise Allen Caitlin Kapoor |
| Ensemble | Casey Arn Christopher Bartko Leslie Clark Alexander Fisher Michele Gray-Schaffer Don Gudenburr Phil Hayes Keri Hoffmann Jules Leddy Kathryn Morosky Katherine Ohliger Sarah Schultz Marichristine Storch Tom Trkula Kira Varela |