'Patience'

I must confess to having a deprived youth - G&S productions passed me by, until the group I belonged to in London decided to present 'Iolanthe' - and what fun we had doing it - I was a mere fairy and I cried when my 'wings' were packed away!

It was with great anticipation that I was was invited to this production of 'Patience' and I enjoyed every moment. This innovative production, directed with flair and imagination by Anita Adams, was set in the late 1940's, in the form of a film company making a movie called 'Patience'. It was a clever ploy and worked really well. The principals performed excellently, it would be hard for me to pick out any individual for special mention. Each character was drawn with conviction and verve and supported by a well-rehearsed company, never putting a foot wrong. WS Gilbert would have been amused to see his original parody of aestheticism, parodied again - that is what theatre is all about!

Musical direction, in the capable hands of Michael Williamson, brought out every nuance to Sullivan's score and the singing was impeccable, as I knew it would be.

A large part of the success of moving the time-line of a show is the authenticity of the costumes, wigs and make-up - good attention to detail from those departments. The set was imaginatively constructed and props of the period were very authentic - I know how difficult it is to obtain these items!

This was a real team-effort show and something the society should be proud of - from a welcoming front-of-house team to a show that never flagged and kept the audience enthralled - perhaps it's time for me to delve deeper into the interesting and diverse works of Gilbert & Sullivan! 

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