A Nice Dilemma & Trial by Jury

Following two performances at St. Swithuns Church in Worcester, Worcester Gilbert & Sullivan Society moved their production to the attractive venue of Colwall Village Hall for a double bill of comic opera favourites; A Nice Dilemma and Trial by Jury. A Nice Dilemma is a witty and inventive curtain-raiser, specially written to introduce a colourful parade of characters from across the works of Gilbert & Sullivan. This had been conceived and especially written by local G&S fan Mary Long-Dhonau.

These familiar faces find themselves facing a most unexpected role—becoming the Jury. They then take their seats in Gilbert & Sullivan’s classic courtroom comedy Trial by Jury, where a breach-of-promise case spirals into chaos, powered by some of Sullivan’s most popular music. Packed with unmistakable G&S charm, this clever pairing offered a celebration of G&S and an entertaining evening for newcomers and devotees alike.

In charge of recruiting the jury is Paul Ellis as the Court Usher. Strong in voice and personality Paul held the double bill together with great expertise. First to arrive are some fairies from Iolanthe, Annie Tawse, Abi Weatherhill and Pauline Peak, Tripping Hither, Tripping Thither, but of course they could not be part of the jury for not being mortal. Neither could Mad Margaret (Rachael Hall) singing Cheerily Carols the Lark (Ruddigore), who had been jilted before and was not of sound mind! On the other hand, Captain Corcoran (Sim Small) who explained she was the Captain of the Pinafore was successfully recruited. So too was Christine Davies who explained I’m called Little Buttercup. Bev Butler was also signed up singing If Somebody There Chanced to Be (Ruddigore) as well as Vicky Blake explaining I am a Pirate King and looked it.

When the ensemble was in full voice it had great impact with Welcome Gentry (Ruddigore) and especially Hail Poetry (The Pirates of Penzance) which I love. The chorus also provided great backing to several numbers, including Zero Butler’s I am the Very Model of a Modern Major General (Pirates of Penzance), Megan Russell’s When our Gallant Norman Foes (Yeomen of the Guard) and Peter Rowe’s When Britain Really Ruled the Waves (Iolanthe).

Also in the mix, were Three Little Maids from School (Mikado), bright and perky, Zanna Tooby, Tina Soley and Charlotte Pingriff followed by Fi Pugh, Samuel Taunton and Mark Tooby who had fun singing I am a Maiden, Cold and Stately from Princess Ida.  What was encouraging was that the opportunity was given to some of the singers who perhaps may not otherwise get a similar chance to sing a solo, but all presented themselves well. Anne Tilsley and Mike Pugh also provided support  throughout.

Now the jury had been completed, and following the interval, we moved to the trial and interestingly the only one act work of Gilbert and Sullivan. The subject was a breach of promise of marriage and the action follows the plaintiff (Bev Butler) who clearly winning over the jury, is suing her ex-finance and defendant (Samuel Taunton) for abandoning her at the altar. Both were strong and sang well. Mark Tooby as the Learned Judge told us how he became a judge (and was fond of the odd tipple) – a master of the patter song. Along the way, Catherine Harvey Counsel for the Plaintiff, Sim Small Foreman of the Jury and Pauline Peak as First Bridesmaid gave great support and the full chorus, singing of a nice dilemma, (a nice link back to part 1) was glorious.

The staging was simple, with a designated area for the jury and a raised platform for the judge and was quite sufficient. The costumes were good and the accomplished singing was led by Musical Director Sue Black with accompaniment from James Jarvis. Congratulations for the overall direction to Zero Butler. Thank you again for the usual warm welcome received.

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