Old Sarah

Old Sarah is a one-act comic opera composed by François Cellier with a libretto by Harry Greenbank.

A copy of the vocal score (published in 1898 by J. Williams), but no printed libretto, is found in British Library.

The fashion in the late Victorian era was to present long evenings in the theatre, and so producer Richard D'Oyly Carte preceded his Savoy operas with curtain raisers.

[1] W. J. MacQueen-Pope commented, concerning such curtain raisers: To create Old Sarah, Carte selected two artists who he knew could deliver a good piece.

Because nobody has any money, they all hate Archibald Jones, the income tax collector, except his sweetheart Margery (Simon's daughter).