{{Short description|English singer and actress (1935–2010)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} thumb|right|Sansom as Yum-Yum in ''The Mikado'' '''Mary Sansom''' (26 May 1935 – 13 April 2010) was an English operatic soprano best known for her performances in principal soprano roles with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in the 1950s and 1960s, including as Yum-Yum in ''The Mikado'', Josephine in ''H.M.S. Pinafore'', Phyllis in ''Iolanthe'', the title role in ''Patience'' and Gianetta in ''The Gondoliers''. In later years, she performed with Gilbert and Sullivan for All, directed stage productions and established a costume hire business. She also appeared in supporting roles on British television.
==Early life and career== [[File:Mary Sansom as Phyllis and Philip Potter as Tolloller.jpg|thumb|Sansom as Phyllis in ''Iolanthe'' with Philip Potter as Earl Tolloller]] Sansom was born in Taunton, Somerset, on 26 May 1935. She was educated at Bishop Fox's School, Taunton, and studied in Bristol with the voice teacher Elsie Blakeborough.<ref name=times>"Mary Sanson", ''The Times'', 3 May 2010, p. 52</ref> As a young singer Sansom won awards at the Bristol Eisteddfod and joined the local amateur operatic society, quickly graduating to leading soprano roles.<ref name=times/> She auditioned for Bridget D'Oyly Carte and joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in May 1956.<ref name=times/> She began her career with the company singing in the chorus and the small parts of Celia in ''Iolanthe'', Zorah in ''Ruddigore'' and Fiametta in ''The Gondoliers''.<ref>Rollins and Witts, p. 181</ref> She served as understudy to Jean Hindmarsh for roles including Mabel in ''The Pirates of Penzance'', Josephine in ''H.M.S. Pinafore'', Lady Ella in ''Patience'', Elsie Maynard in ''The Yeomen of the Guard'' and Gianetta in ''The Gondoliers''.<ref name=who>Stone, David. [https://gsarchive.net/whowaswho/S/SansomMary.htm "Mary Sansom"], Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, 14 April 2010, accessed 14 February 2022</ref>
In April 1957 Sansom married Alan Barrett, a baritone who also performed with D'Oyly Carte. They performed together in principal roles on only one occasion, when John Reed was unwell and Barratt played the Learned Judge in ''Trial by Jury'' with Sansom as the Plaintiff.<ref name=times/>
==Principal roles and later years== In August 1959 Sansom was promoted to regular principal soprano in the roles of Yum-Yum in ''The Mikado'', Phyllis in ''Iolanthe'', Rose Maybud in ''Ruddigore'' and Lady Ella in ''Patience''.<ref name=r184>Rollins and Witts, p. 184</ref> From May 1960 she moved up to the title role in ''Patience'', when Hindmarsh left the company.<ref name=r184/> In September 1961 she handed over the role of Yum-Yum to Jennifer Toye and in November of that year took on Lady Psyche in ''Princess Ida'' and Elsie Maynard in ''The Yeomen of the Guard''.<ref name=who/> In 1962–63, Sansom appeared as Phyllis, Psyche and Elsie all season, and played the Plaintiff in ''Trial by Jury'', Edith in ''Pirates'' and Fiametta in ''The Gondoliers'' for the first half of the season and Josephine in ''H.M.S. Pinafore'' and Gianetta in ''The Gondoliers'' starting in January 1963. She gave up Josephine and Elsie during the 1963–64 season,<ref>Rollins and Witts, Supplement 1, pp. 4–5</ref> before leaving D'Oyly Carte in July 1964 to start a family.<ref name=times/> She and Barrett had two children.<ref name=times/>
After leaving D'Oyly Carte, Sansom sang from time to time with Thomas Round and others in the Gilbert and Sullivan for All company.<ref>"Chit Chat", ''The Stage'', 7 October 1965, p. 8; "Gilbert and Sullivan for All", ''Strathearn Herald'', 15 January 1966, p. 2; and "Gilbert and Sullivan for All", ''Birmingham Daily Post – Monday 14 March 1966'', p. 2</ref> She turned to directing and staged her first amateur production, ''Princess Ida'', in 1973.<ref name=times/> Over the next twenty-five years she directed not only Savoy Operas but also grand opera, operetta, musicals and pantomimes. For one of these productions she made head-dresses and medieval banners. This led to the establishment by Sansom and her husband of Barretts of Bath, a firm providing costumes for hire to amateur operatic societies.<ref name=times/> The couple ran the company for 25 years. From time to time Sansom appeared in supporting roles on British television, in series including ''Casualty'', ''The House of Eliott'' and ''The Mayor of Casterbridge''.<ref name=times/> In retirement she devoted herself to voluntary work at Bath Abbey.<ref name=times/>
Sansom died in Bath on 13 April 2010, aged 74 after suffering from Alzheimer's disease.<ref name=times/>
==Recordings== Sansom was praised by ''The Times'' for the purity of her voice, which, together with her "directness of approach" was considered her most distinguishing feature.<ref name=times/> She sang on D'Oyly Carte's 1960 ''Iolanthe'' as Phyllis,<ref>Shepherd, Marc. {{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20120214080913/http://gasdisc.oakapplepress.com/iol1960.htm "The 1960 ''Iolanthe''"]}}, A Gilbert and Sullivan Discography, 2008, accessed 14 February 2022</ref> 1961 ''Gondoliers'' as Gianetta,<ref>Shepherd, Marc. {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090802114022/http://gasdisc.oakapplepress.com/gond1961.htm "The 1961 ''Gondoliers''"]}}, A Gilbert and Sullivan Discography, 2008, accessed 14 February 2022</ref> 1961 ''Patience'' as the title character<ref>Shepherd, Marc. {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090911202445/http://gasdisc.oakapplepress.com/pat1961.htm "The 1961 ''Patience''"]}}, A Gilbert and Sullivan Discography, 2008, accessed 14 February 2022</ref> and 1962 ''Ruddigore'' as Zorah.<ref>Shepherd, Marc. {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090804185453/http://gasdisc.oakapplepress.com/rud1962.htm "The 1962 ''Ruddigore''"]}}, A Gilbert and Sullivan Discography, 2005, accessed 14 February 2022</ref>
==Notes== {{reflist}}
==Sources== * {{cite book|last=Rollins|first=Cyril|year=1962|author2=R. John Witts|title=The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in Gilbert and Sullivan Operas: A Record of Productions, 1875–1961| location=London|publisher=Michael Joseph|oclc=504581419}} With four supplements, privately printed.
==External links== {{Commons}} * [http://pinafore.www3.50megs.com/m-sansom.html Profile in ''Memories of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company''] {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sansom, Mary}} Category:1935 births Category:2010 deaths Category:20th-century English women opera singers Category:20th-century English actresses Category:Actresses from Somerset Category:English operatic sopranos Category:Actors from Taunton