THE New Rosemere Amateur Operatic Society has announced that its production for 2005 is to be Gilbert and Sullivan's Princess Ida.

This follows its success in the recent Bolton Evening News Theatre Awards, where it picked up Best Design and Best Musical for The Mikado,

Princess Ida is the only Savoy opera to have three acts and to be written in blank verse.

Although it still has light songs and genuinely humorous moments, it is much more serious than any of their preceding works.

It was based on an 1847 long poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson entitled The Princess. This had inspired Gilbert's play, also called The Princess, which was performed in 1870.

Gilbert lifted most of the dialogue straight from his play and billed the new opera as "A Respectful Operatic Pre-version of Tennyson's The Princess".

The poem, the play and the opera follow the same story. A prince, betrothed in childhood to Princess Ida finds she has taken up the cause of women's rights, renounced men and founded an all-female university. He tricks his way into the university, there is a battle, much bloodshed, and finally womanly pity prevails and all ends happily.

The theme did not allow Gilbert to indulge in his usual taste for magic potions, mistaken identities, and sharp satire, though he did poke gentle fun at the English movement for women's education and the founding of all women's colleges at Oxford and Cambridge.

Sullivan had previously fallen out with Gilbert over his wish for yet another 'magic potion' idea, and it was perhaps the seriousness of the theme of Princess Ida that attracted him back to the partnership. The resultant score is a delight, with some of the finest music that Sullivan wrote. The Society welcomes back Jim Lancaster whose wonderful voice was heard to good effect "taking a pair of sparkling eyes" in The Gondoliers several years ago. Jim takes the part of Hilarion, and the role of his father King Gama is taken by Derek Jackson who was a very imperious Pooh Bah in The Mikado.

Lisa Murphy, whose recent roles include Yum Yum in The Mikado, takes the part of Princess Ida, while two of the other solo roles are taken by relative new-comers, Jenny Ryan and Clare Dobson.

The show will be staged at the Albert Halls, Bolton, in March 2005.