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Donald Adams

Birth : 1928-12-20, Bristol, England, UK

Death : 1996-04-08

History

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Charles Donald Adams (20 December 1928 – 8 April 1996) was an English opera singer and actor, best known for his performances in bass-baritone roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and his own company, Gilbert and Sullivan for All. Adams began his career with the BBC Repertory Company in 1944. Among other early performances, he was leading man with Great Yarmouth Repertory Company for two years. In 1951, he joined the D'Oyly Carte organisation and soon began to play roles, becoming the company's principal bass until 1969. With Thomas Round and Norman Meadmore, he formed the touring company, Gilbert and Sullivan for All, in which he continued to sing bass and bass-baritone roles as well as directing. By the early 1980s, Adams was performing in opera and operetta throughout Britain and abroad, continuing nearly until his death. He recorded many of his roles, particularly his Gilbert and Sullivan repertoire. Description above from the Wikipedia article Donald Adams, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Movies

Le Nozze di Figaro

Le Nozze di Figaro

Antonio

Live from Glyndebourne 1994. The first production to be filmed Live in Glyndebourne´s new opera house May 1994. The Marriage of Figaro is a continuation of the plot of The Barber of Seville several years later, and recounts a single “day of madness” in the palace of the Count Almaviva near Seville, Spain. Rosina is now the Countess; Dr. Bartolo is seeking revenge against Figaro for thwarting his plans to marry Rosina himself; and Count Almaviva has degenerated from the romantic youth of Barber into a scheming, bullying, skirt-chasing baritone. This follows the Count trying to obtain favours from Susanna, Figaro’s bride to be, under the nose of the Countess.

Roderick Murgatroyd

The Baronets of Ruddigore have been cursed by a witch. Each Baronet, in his turn, must commit a crime a day - or die in torture. To escape his dreadful fate, the latest Baronet, Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd, disguises himself as Robin Oakapple, a farmer. Only two people know his true identity - his faithful servant, Old Adam Goodheart, and his adopted brother, Richard Dauntless, a seaman. Robin Oakapple is in love with the beautiful Rose Maybud and wants to marry her - but his future plans appear doomed when his true identity is revealed.

Sir Marmaduke Pointdextre

The villagers of Ploverleigh are celebrating the marriage of Alexis, son of Sir Marmaduke Poindextre, to Aline, daughter of Lady Sangazure, who just happens to be Sir Marmaduke's old flame. Alexis is determined that all shall share the purity of his true love. He has arranged for Mr. Wells, "a dealer in magic and spells," to administer his best-selling love potion to everyone in the village, including the vicar Dr. Daly. The result is hilarious confusion.

Colonel Calverley

In a world gone mad with languid ladies and affected gentlemen, the lovesick maidens of Castle Bunthorne forsake their handsome soldier suitors to pursue poet aesthete - and fake - Reginald Bunthorne. But he loves the village milkmaid, Patience, who doesn't like poetry or understand love. When Patience finally learns what love is, it's Reginald's rival she falls for.

Sir Roderic Murgatroyd (voice)

For centuries, the Murgatroyd family, the Baronets of Ruddigore, have been under a witch's curse — commit a crime every day, or die in agony. Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd, the rightful heir, has run away to live as innocent peasant Robin Oakapple in the Cornish village of Rederring, sticking his brother Despard with the curse. But on the very day that "Robin" is to marry sweet, beautiful Rose Maybud, it all falls apart. Can Sir Ruthven outwit a picture gallery full of his ancestors' ghosts to save the day?

The Mikado of Japan

In a mythical Japan, Ko-Ko, a cheap tailor, has been appointed Lord High Executioner and must find someone to execute before the arrival of the ruling Mikado. He lights upon Nanki-Poo, a strolling minstrel who loves the beautiful Yum-Yum. But Yum-Yum is also loved by Ko-Ko, and Nanki-Poo, seeing no hope for his love, considers suicide. Ko-Ko offers to solve both their problems by executing Nanki-Poo, and an agreement is reached whereby Ko-Ko will allow Nanki-Poo to marry Yum-Yum for one month, at the end of which Nanki-Poo will be executed, in time for the arrival of the Mikado. But what Ko-Ko doesn't know is that Nanki-Poo is the son of the Mikado and has run away to avoid a betrothal to an old harridan named Katisha. The arrival of the Mikado brings all the threads of the tale together.