Blue Hill Troupe Presents The Grand Duke, A G&S Rarity

The Blue Hill Troupe (BHT), New York City’s only philanthropic musical theater group, will close its 101st season with a production of The Grand Duke; or, The Statutory Duel—Gilbert & Sullivan’s final collaboration. BHT’s six performances will take place at El Teatro of El Museo del Barrio on New York’s Upper East Side (1230 Fifth Avenue, between 104th and 105th Streets), April 30–May 4, 2025. All net proceeds benefit the award-winning  Young People’s Chorus of New York City (YPC).

The Grand Duke is Gilbert & Sullivan’s topsy-turviest comic opera of all, with a score full of sumptuous melodies and a plot that revolves around a theater troupe attempting to overthrow the government. This production, using the Blue Hill Troupe’s own adaptation from 2005, is directed and choreographed by Gary Slavin, music directed by David Schmidt, and assistant directed/assistant choreographed by Janet Bushor. The principal cast features David Bell, Lesley Berry,* Dena Cubbin, Lauren Cupples,* Deborah Doroshow, Jennifer Dorre, Alex Elkins, Julia Farina, Julie Feltman, Geoff Gaebe, Manya Gaver-Holmes, Ken Harmon,* Amy Hughlett, Alice J. Lambert, Capron Levine, Matt Levine, Michael Macaione,* Richard J. Miller, B. Tyler Parker, Phoebe Rosenblum, David Pasteelnick, Chazmond J. Peacock,* Gregory Peterson, Sarah Rhoads, Francesca Serritella, Suzanne R. Taylor, Paul Mitchell Wilder, and Neal Young.* (*Appearing courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association.)

The Blue Hill Troupe got its start in 1924, when a group of New Yorkers summering in Blue Hill, Maine, mounted a production of H.M.S. Pinafore. The show was such a success that it was followed by The Mikado the following summer. The group moved its base of operations to New York City in 1926, and—except for the noteworthy years of 1929, 2020, and 2021—has performed a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta every year since. In 1984, the group also began producing a Broadway-style musical every year. All BHT shows are professionally directed and performed with a full orchestra of professional musicians.

A key component of the Troupe’s mission is donating the net proceeds from ticket and ad sales to a local charity. Since its inception, BHT has raised over $12 million (adjusted for inflation) for a wide variety of New York City charities, including Children’s Aid Society, Covenant House, Rocking the Boat, and many more.

The Young People’s Chorus of NYC, BHT’s charity partner for the past two seasons, was founded in 1988 by Francisco Núñez, a MacArthur Fellow and Musical America’s 2018 Educator of the Year. A multicultural youth chorus internationally renowned for its virtuosity and showmanship, YPC serves more than 2,000 children throughout New York City in its core after-school performance program, community chorus program, and schools program, which brings YPC’s curriculum to children in 20 schools. In addition, YPC provides critical tools for each child to succeed long after they leave the program, through its College Bound programming, which offers classes ranging from financial literacy to college application coaching and scholarships.

The performance schedule for The Grand Duke is as follows: April 30, May 1, May 2, and May 3 at 7:30 p.m.; May 3 and May 4 at 2:00 p.m. Ticket prices range from $45-110 (with payment in excess of $20 per ticket tax deductible to the extent provided by law). Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. Tickets can be purchased at https://bht.org/events/the-grand-duke-2025/

For more information about the Blue Hill Troupe, please visit www.bht.org, Facebook.com/BHT.org and @BlueHillTroupe.