As with its predecessor, The Corporate Mikado, we looked for a modern-day setting for our reworking and hit upon the notion that the game of soccer has become the equivalent of the aesthetic 'new religion' with its mass appeal and the same type of adulation being heaped upon today's stars of 'the beautiful game' as it was for their nineteenth century counterparts.

Not for us however, the heady world of the Premier League. Our story is centered around the ailing North of England football club, Pithead Town - affectionately known as "The Pits"! The rivalry of the original poets Bunthorne and Grosvenor is now between Buntoni (a psuedo-Italian) and Grosvenoir (a boring Belgian ). Other characters include the Duke of Bleakmoor who is the new Chairman of the club, Ron Jenkinson the new Manager and The Major, Pithead's decrepit Trainer. The innocent Patience is a gap-year student working in the souvenir shop and cafe whilst The Ladies are transformed from "Rapturous Maidens" into Northern Lasses, led by the formidable Jane, editor of the club fanzine. The Gentlemen of the Chorus soldier on as the Pithead Players.

Again we were adamant that the score should not be touched. This of course means that those familiar with the original will find no change to the music and the performers will still be able to use the published vocal score and orchestral parts. However, we were aware that the Gentlemen had nothing to do in Act Two other than the Finale, and so we have included an additional number for them, a reworking of the delightful "Christy Minstrel" song from Utopia Limited. We also found it necessary to expand the very slight Act 2 Finale with a repeat of the verse for the Principals.

The major problem with the original book of Patience is that both the situation and the dialogue is severely dated, making it one of the least performed of the Savoy Operas. Our main intention was to give the show a new lease of life and make it more accessible to a modern audience. To this end, we have removed the archaic references and Victorian language whilst still retaining the essence of Gilbert's words and wit, so much of the original dialogue will still be recognisable if not exactly in its original form.