Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Gilbert and Sullivan Set Me Free



Gilbert & Sullivan Set Me Free by Kathleen Karr; narrated by Carmen Viviano-Crafts and the Full Cast Audio Family, c2003, p2004.

Why is Libby Dodge in prison?

She is apparently educated, smart and only 16 years old. What could she have done to land in the Sherborn Women's Prison in Boston. Some of the other women there have committed heinous crimes while others are victims of the brutality and poverty of the early 1900s. With names like Second-Story Sal and Kid Glove Rosie, the women's stories are interwoven in the plot. An older woman, Ma McCreary, is part mother figure and part best friend to Libby.

The conditions in the prison are harsh but the arrival of Mrs. Wilkinson, the new chaplain, transforms their lives. Now a widow. her husband was a member of the D'Oyle Carte Opera Company and she is determined to bring music into the lives of the women of Sherborn. Ma and Libby are the first to join the new choir and the Easter performance of Handel's "Messiah" is so uplifting that the whole prison community is eager to support their next project, Gilbert & Sullivan's “Pirates of Penzance.”

This is Libby's story though and as she confronts her past, she learns to look toward the future and the places her beautiful singing voice might take her. I was pleased with Libby's happy ending.

The whole story has a feel of the fantastic but it is a true story. This NY Times article from 1914 must have been part of Katherine Karr's inspiration for this book.

The Full Cast Audio performance is very well acted and rich with Gilbert and Sullivan's music which made this G&S fan very happy.

6 comments:

tanita✿davis said...

Oh, wow. Oh, wow, oh, wow, oh, WOW. First, can I just say how much I LOVE Full Cast Audio? And second, what a FABULOUS story. I love historical fiction so much more now than I did when I was a kid -- we're not just retelling the same old stories, but really digging and finding COOL stuff no one's ever heard before. The article was amazing. Woot!

I see this is older; I don't know how I missed it before, but HOW COOL. Thanks for the heads-up.

Anonymous said...

I always enjoy those Full Cast Audio productions. Including some of the music would be a nice add-in for teens who might not be too familiar with it. Cool!

Sarah Rettger said...

I picked this one up a few years ago, but I think it's time for a reread. Thanks for the reminder!

Sarah Stevenson said...

Oh, I am so going to have to check this out. I have been a big Gilbert and Sullivan fan since childhood. It's just one of those strange things I can never satisfactorily explain to people--the fact that, at the age of 7 I could sing most of "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General" by heart. :D

Camille said...

My daughter could sing "I am the very Model of a Cartoon Individual" from Animaniacs. There is something about that tune and pace of the song...

Charlotte said...

As another G. and S. fan, this sounds like one I should read! Thanks for the review.