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Anna Bethell (1882 – 2 March 1969) was an English actress, singer and stage director. She is best known for her performances in the Gilbert and Sullivan operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. After playing other small mezzo-soprano parts, she played the role of Mrs. Partlett in ''The Sorcerer'' for many years. She also occasionally played some of the larger contralto roles. She later became stage director of the company from 1947 to 1949 and also directed the J. C. Williamson Gilbert and Sullivan Company. Bethell was married to fellow D'Oyly Carte member Sydney Granville. ==Early years== Bethell was born in Lancashire, England. Bethell was engaged by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in 1909, singing in the chorus and playing the smaller mezzo-soprano roles of Kate in ''The Pirates of Penzance'', Lady Saphir in ''Patience'', Leila in ''Iolanthe'' and Chloe in ''Princess Ida''.〔("Bethell, Anna" ), Artist Index at ''Memories of the D'Oyly Carte'', accessed 30 November 2009〕 She soon also took on the role of Vittoria in ''The Gondoliers''. She left the company in 1912 but returned the next year, touring in the same roles and also as Peep-Bo in ''The Mikado''. From 1915, Bethell sang in the chorus, again playing Saphir from 1917. She began to understudy the principal contralto roles, then played by Bertha Lewis, in 1918. At this time, she began to play Mrs. Partlett in ''The Sorcerer'' and Inez in ''The Gondoliers''. Between 1918 and 1924, she also toured, from time to time, in two plays by Stanley Houghton, ''Hindle Wakes'' (as Fanny Hawthorn) and ''The Younger Generation''.〔''The Manchester Guardian'', 23 October 1918, p. 1; 7 May 1921, p. 1; and 24 July 1924, p. 1〕〔Oldham, Derek. ("Sydney Granville", ) ''Memories of the D'Oyly Carte'', accessed 30 November 2009〕 In 1921, Bethell resumed the small part of Chloe, with D'Oyly Carte, and the next year also began again to play Kate. In 1923, she sometimes played the role of Cousin Hebe in ''H.M.S. Pinafore'', Melissa in ''Princess Ida'', Pitti-Sing in ''The Mikado'', and Tessa in ''The Gondoliers''. After this, until 1925, she played the parts of Mrs. Partlett, Chloe and Inez.〔Stone, David. ("Anna Bethall" (sic) ), ''Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company'', 2 December 2002, accessed 30 November 2009〕 At the end of 1925, Bethel and her husband, Sydney Granville, and other company members left the D'Oyly Carte to travel to Australia, performing in Gilbert and Sullivan roles with the J. C. Williamson Ltd. company. In 1929, she rejoined D'Oyly Carte as Mrs. Partlett, playing the role until 1939.〔 In 1931, she also occasionally played Little Buttercup in ''Pinafore'' and Dame Hannah in ''Ruddigore''.〔 Bethell is heard as Mrs. Partlett on the D'Oyly Carte's 1933 recording of excerpts from ''The Sorcerer''.〔Shepherd, Marc. ("The 1933 HMV Sorcerer (abridged)", ) ''A Gilbert and Sullivan Discography'', 24 August 2008, accessed 30 November 2009〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Anna Bethell」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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