The Zoo and other animals

A performance of “The Zoo” – a short comic opera with a score by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by Bolton Rowe - formed the first part of this concert. This work is less well known and has not been so frequently performed as other works by Sullivan due to the fact that the manuscript went missing for almost 90 years and did not surface again until it turned up at an auction in 1966. None the less this piece has all the hallmarks of Sullivan’s mimicry of ‘grand opera’ style which he did so well and which fans of his music so love. It fits nicely into the definition of being a melodrama in that it is a play with exaggerated characters that is interspersed with songs and music; these were very popular in the Victorian era. All the principals performed their parts with distinction; James Coleman played the part of Aesculapius Carboy, the desperate and devastated young man determined to end his life since he was not allowed to marry Laetitia. Daniella Ord was the distraught Laetitia Grinder forbidden to marry Aesculapius. Adam Bishop played the part of Thomas Brown, a member of the aristocracy with a substantial appetite. Paula Yeomans-Hill played the part of Eliza Smith responsible for ensuring Thomas Brown was replete and John Sheppard was Mr Grinder who eventually relented and allowed his daughter to marry, thereby ensuring a happy ending to the story. From my conversations with members of the audience, it seemed few had been aware of the existence of this work and not many had witnessed a previous production of it. However, this was indeed a most memorable performance.

In the second half of the concert we were treated to a wonderful selection of songs about more animals which were presented in a range of very different styles that gave the singers some splendid opportunities to demonstrate their virtuosity, which they seemed to enjoy and the audience certainly appreciated. The selection included “The Bear Necessities” from The Jungle Book, Rossini’s “Cat Duet” and “The Hippopotamus Song” from Flanders and Swann, to name but a few. The Band, under the skilled direction of Elaine Bishop, who also devised the programme for this concert, provided wonderfully appropriate musical accompaniments in support of the considerable amount of vocal talent that abounds within this group and Tania Lambley provided a narration to the proceedings that was both informative and amusing. Thank you all who were involved for such a scintillating performance.   

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