Dennis Olsen

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Dennis Olsen (as George Grossmith), dressed as Jack Point, in his one-man Gilbert and Sullivan show "A Song to Sing O", at the Cremorne Theatre at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (advertisement for performances at QPAC)
Dennis Olsen (as George Grossmith), dressed as Jack Point, in his one-man Gilbert and Sullivan show "A Song to Sing O", at the Cremorne Theatre at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (advertisement for performances at QPAC)

Dennis Olsen (born February 28, 1938 in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia), is an accomplished pianist, actor and director. He is Australia's leading exponent of Gilbert and Sullivan operas.

Dennis Olsen originally trained for a professional career as a pianist, but decided to become an actor and attended the prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney, New South Wales. He has appeared with the following theatre companies: Old Tote Company, The State Theatre Company of South Australia, Melbourne Theatre Company and Sydney Theatre Company. Some of the theatre productions, in which Dennis Olsen has appeared, include: "The Importance of Being Earnest", "The Crucible" and "The Venetian Twins".

He was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 1985 to study operetta in Europe, and has directed many stage productions, including Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, the Kalman operetta Countess Maritza, and the Mozart operas The Abduction from the Seraglio and Cosi fan tutte.

In 1987 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia for services to the performing arts.

In 1970/1971 Dennis Olsen spent a year in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in England, understudying John Reed in the comic roles during his tenure with the company, as well as being a member of the chorus. He was touted to become John Reed's successor in the comic roles with D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, but returned to Australia when it became clear that John Reed had no intention of retiring from the company for some time. [1]

Dennis Olsen is a very successful exponent of the comic roles of Gilbert and Sullivan Savoy Operas "The Mikado" (as "The Lord High Executioner"), "Patience" (as "Bunthorne"), "H.M.S. Pinafore (as "Sir Joseph Porter, KCB"), "Iolanthe" (as the "Lord Chancellor"), "Ruddigore" (as "Robin Oakapple"), "Trial by Jury" (as "The Learned Judge"), "The Yeomen of the Guard" (as "Jack Point") and "The Gondoliers" (appearing in one production as "The Duke of Plaza-Toro", and in another production as "Don Alhambra").

Dennis Olsen directed, as well as starred in, a State Opera of South Australia production of "H.M.S. Pinafore" (as "Sir Joseph Porter, K.G.B."). The production also starred Thomas Edmonds (as "Ralph Rackstraw") and Judith Henley (as "Josephine"). Dennis Olsen also sang the role of the "Lord Chancellor" in the production of "Iolanthe" in the opening performance of the Lyric Opera of Queensland, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia in 1984.

Dennis Olsen also appeared as George Grossmith (the original Gilbert and Sullivan comic lead), in a very successful one-man Musical theatre show called A Song to Sing O, in the Cremorne Theatre at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre.

In October, 2000, in Melbourne, Victoria, Dennis Olsen appeared in the Production Company's presentation, in association with Melbourne Festival, of "The Gilbert & Sullivan Show", which represented a family party, with some of the family members gathering in a parlour and singing Gilbert and Sullivan songs to entertain the others family members at the party. Accompanying Dennis Olsen were David Gould, Gary Rowley, Roxanne Hislop and Tiffany Speight.

Dennis Olsen is also an excellent exponent of Noel Coward, and appeared in a one-man combined Noel Coward Gilbert and Sullivan show, as well as a Noel Coward production, "Marvellous Party!" with Amanda Muggleton in the Cremorne Theatre at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre. In July 2006, Dennis Olsen will play the role of Antonio Salieri in the production of Peter Schaffer's "Amadeus" in Perth.

Dennis Olsen recorded "Gilbert and Sullivan Highlights" with Australian tenor Thomas Edmonds, and also recorded "Together with Music" with Australian soprano June Bronhill.

[edit] Reference

  1. ↑ Dennis Olsen and Thomas Edmonds - Gilbert and Sullivan Highlights compact disc information

[edit] External links

  • Dennis Olsen - Who was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
  • Dennis Olsen - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe website
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