An evening with Gilbert & Sullivan

A delightful evening’s entertainment, performed by a good cast, with obvious enjoyment.   That just about sums up the whole evening but, of course, there is more to it than that!

Because Trial By jury is a short piece, it is generally combined with another G & S operetta to make a full evening’s entertainment.  However, IMOG chose to put together a set of songs from a number of G & S shows, tied together by a Minstrel character.  I think this worked well and enable the cast to show off their talents with songs that worked for them.

The first half, Trial By Jury, was well performed by all with a suitable setting.  There had, obviously been a lot of attention paid to the details, with good wigs, lovely costumes and some nice touches to the performances.

The second half, A Minstrels Tale, consisted of a number of solos, duets and company numbers from some favourite Gilbert & Sullivan shows.  I liked the way Librettist Jude Pountney had mixed the songs up, sometimes combining songs from two different shows.  This brought a welcome freshness to the songs.

The company all performed well and there was one young lady, Juliet Ware, from whom I would have liked to have heard more..  She has a lovely, natural, voice which was enchanting to listen to.

As I said at the beginning of this review, a delightful evenings entertainment which was clearly enjoyed by everyone in the audience.  I had endured a stressful week and this show lifted my spirits.

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