The Gondoliers

As one of the better known operettas I will not mention the plot but just say that it was the last G & S to achieve wide popularity. It opened at the Savoy Theatre in 1889 and ran for 554 performances. What the sadly small audience saw on the evening I attended was exactly what I would have expected. This was a happy colourful show with everyone looking as though they were having a wonderful time. The 4 piece orchestra played with the right amount of volume to allow the words, which are so important, to be heard clearly. Unfortunately they appeared to be playing too fast, with a number of wrong notes, which made it very difficult for the chorus to sing in time but they certainly made up for it with enthusiasm. I must congratulate the company on the pairings and blending of principal voices. They were excellent and so melodic. The scenery in act one was a little too sparse for my taste bearing in mind that this set is in place for the whole of the act. Some things placed in front of the white cloth would have made a big difference to the feel of the Piazzetta in Venice. Act two was very different. A great set with lots of colour typical of a royal court. The costumes were a joy being totally correct for the era and the props were simple but effective. Stuart Box and Sarah Smith (the Duke and Duchess) were excellent in every respect, Louise Bennett (Casilda) sang with great feeling and Ben Michael (Luiz) gave her great support proving himself a worthy vocalist. Chris Shanks (Don Alhambra), Jonathan Nulty and Richard Cooper (Marco and Giuseppe) sang and performed their parts well. The rest of the principals and the chorus all helped to make this a very watchable performance.

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