The English National Opera at the Coliseum is no stranger to the UK’s leaders, captains of industry and those at the top of their respective trees. Sometimes they attend to be seen, to network with other bigwigs or even just to enjoy an evening of great music.
The latter was the reason why His Majesty King Charles ventured out below the radar last Tuesday night to see Mike Leigh’s excellent ENO production of The Pirates of Penzance. Security was discreet and his presence was lightly reported after the event.
A second ‘monarch’ arrived on the scene soon after, yet with a much grander entrance: John Savournin’s Pirate King swashbuckled his way on to the stage, no doubt to the delight of the first King, who almost six decades before had played the same role in a school production of the Gilbert and Sullivan classic.
Earlier, a third king of his own domain had entered the Coliseum and headed straight to the American Bar, where he was hosting a pre-show reception for 70 colleagues, friends and business associates who all stayed for the performance. David Buchler is widely seen as the King of Turnaround, the elder statesman in the world of insolvency and restructuring. If rock‘n’roll had been his chosen path, he’d be Elvis – another king, perhaps for another article.
There were many surprises for David on this special night as he entertained his guests. It’s 50 years since the chairman and co-founder of our firm qualified as a Chartered Accountant, a milestone honoured this month by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales with a splendid certificate, beautifully framed, and presented by Managing Director Jo Milner. The occasion was further marked with a huge cake, generously contributed by BP affiliate consultant Robert Fedder and wife Catherine which more than stretched to all the BP crowd in the interval.
Most unexpected, however, was the entrance, stage right (by video screen) of veteran baritone Richard Suart, who would appear on stage as General Stanley not long after. In a wonderful tribute to David, with libretto adapted by our long-time communications adviser Stephen Benzikie, he sang with great panache:
He is the very model of a modern business rescuer.
An expert witness, non-exec, insolvency practitioner.
He’ll try to buy some time for you and seek a moratorium,
He welcomes stricken firms to his restructuring emporium.
His work can be forensical, there’s no chance he’ll be missing much
While all around is crumbling, you’ll be grateful for the Buchler touch.
From Maxwell, Leyland, Lloyds of London, poring over balance sheets
When rising to the challenge David Buchler is a true elite.
The fun continued for all 36 lines, spanning Tottenham Hotspur, Opera Spy and many other facets of David’s illustrious career to date.
Our guests were certainly in the mood by the time they filed in for Act One and, before too long, gentle head-bobbing and foot-tapping led to humming and, in the anonymous cases of one or two of our group, singing along. Cake can do that to you.
A great evening from start to finish. It was a pleasure and a privilege to celebrate David, who will always be King of the Buchler Phillips castle. He remains a legend in the world of turnaround and is as active as ever. We’re so proud of our friend, colleague and chairman and wish him much continued success.
Buchler Phillips is a UK based independent boutique firm with an impeccable Mayfair heritage, specialising in corporate recovery, turnaround, restructuring and insolvency.
Photos by: Martin Levenson Photography