New theater may spark new family traditions in Auburn | Whale’s Tales
Published 11:30 am Friday, April 24, 2026
In 1975, when I was 13 years old, my family began a tradition that lasted until shortly before my mother’s death 31 years later.
That was the Whale clan’s annual gathering for the Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan Society’s summer performances of the duos’ comic operas, for many years staged at the Bagley Wright Theater at Seattle Center.
The first of their comic operas I ever saw was “Yeomen of the Guard,” and I have never forgotten the spell that particular live performance cast on me. My favorite was the duet “The Merry Man and His Maid,” a lyrical piece celebrating love, music, and emotional expression through a playful, repetitive dialogue between a man and a woman. It’s still my favorite. I sing it often when I am at home or in my truck tooling down the road.
Over time, we caught every work in Gilbert and Sullivan’s extensive repertoire, from “The Mikado” and “Ruddigore” to “Iolanthe,” “Utopia Limited” and assorted shorter operas. Even though by the 15th year or so, we knew all the funny bits and key lines, but when they were coming, we still enjoyed them.
Sometimes there were surprises. Like the night the male romantic lead was unaware that his fly was open. Unfortunately for him, my young nephews were in the front row seats. And like typical boys, they were none too shy about pointing out that embarrassing fact, without even trying to stifle their comments or amusement. Eventually, one of the female performers approached the guy and whispered in his ear, whereupon he blushed, turned his back to the audience and zipped up.
I was really surprised the night KIRO news radio personality Dave Ross made his debut as the company’s comic lead. In time, the versatile Ross would portray Nanki-Poo, the Lord High Executioner in “The Mikado” and other comic characters. But what really impressed me was the night he delivered a flawless rendition of the tongue-twisting “Nightmare Song” from “Iolanthe,” known for its rapid-fire lyrics and comic depiction of a restless, dream-filled night, which appropriately ends with these words:
“But the darkness has passed, and it’s daylight at last, and the night has been long – ditto, ditto my song – and thank goodness they’re both of them over!”
The shows were top notch and immensely enjoyable. But the best part of the evenings was always just getting together with my family. Hours before the curtain dropped, the Whales, big and small, would assemble at some local restaurant for dinner. In later years, this “some restaurant” hardened into the Old Spaghetti Factory in downtown Seattle. I remember how — even if I had seen each individual only weeks or days before — the arrival of my brothers and sisters and of course, the presence of our beaming parents, gave me the feeling of a joyous, sun-dappled reunion after years of separation.
Today, mom and dad are gone, and we their children are scattered across the landscape.
In recent weeks, I have been thinking about those now-distant family get-togethers, and how they affected me. The catalyst for my present backward glance here is the approaching launch of construction on the new Auburn Avenue Theater, and the environmental park east of the theater’s rear entrance.
Admittedly, the new theater is unlikely to present much in the way of operas — though it could — but that doesn’t really matter. People will still pour in to enjoy the live shows, even without them. But to my mind the greatest thing will be all the families and friends that assemble for the occasions, perhaps beginning their own traditions that will live with them all their days.
Right here in downtown Auburn. And that’s pretty great.
–
Robert Whale can be reached at robert.whale@soundpublishing.com.
