W.S. GILBERT AND ARTHUR SULLIVAN…THANK YOU!!

It took the combination of a committed little choir from Esk and the brilliance of one of the Victorian era’s greatest theatrical partnerships to realise a Spectacular which had concert goers swept away on a glorious tide of sight, sounds and utter entertainment when they entered the world of comic opera created by Gilbert and Sullivan. 

The curtains parted on the stages of the Somerset Civic Centre on 24^th September and the Gatton Shire Hall on October 1^st for the first wave which rolled off the quarter-deck of H.M.S. Pinafore where a bunch of high-spirited mariners unleashed for the audience their rousing opening number.

There is ‘no business like show business’, and in this instance it was the ‘heartache’ which caused a slight alteration to the programme.  However, Gilbert and Sullivan would surely have approved when the brilliance of Eric von Nida, with precious little notice, fittingly filled the void with Noel Coward’s The Stately Homes of England.

Those mischievous Three Little Maids from School, Susie, Ruth and Kathleen then shuffled into The Town of Titipu in their colourful kimonos with Gilbert and Sullivan’s mordacious mockery of a British Institution, the stage to then be swamped by some swashbuckling Penzanian sounds from The Pirates’ Chorus.  

 Iolanthe is a satirical look at the disruption of a tranquil world of fairies and their equals resulting from male-domination through the discovery of mortal love.  However, there was little to neither disrupt nor distract from the joy of a stage full of Dainty Little Fairies tripping hither and thither and the spirited frolicking of Grace, Joann, Desma and Caitlin as their leaders.

A short interval followed during which the drawing of fabulous raffle prizes made for some very exuberant winners including Gloria Ziebarth from Laidley South who is now the proud owner of the beautifully hand-crafted quilt generously donated by its maker, Christine Garrett who hails from Darwin.

Oh would that a law suit and trial for breach of promise be as entertaining as was the post interval performance of, Trial By Jury!  If there is one thing that has not changed over the years, it is the ability to stir emotions and transport people to another place with great characters and a great story.  Gilbert and Sullivan had the ability to tell theirs by satirizing real life. On this occasion, it was the brilliance of a cast of characters from the Esk Community Choir who commanded the stage in Trial By Jury and who became those great characters connecting a great story with captivated audiences.

Bob Hardy embraced with consummate ease the role of the pickled and unscrupulous Judge…every defendant’s greatest wish; Eric von Nida as the self-confessed ‘ruffian,  bully and snob’ who still managed to win over an audience as the devilishly debonair Edwin, the Defendant;  Carolyn King as the glamorous femme fatale, Angelina, the fortune seeking plaintiff who did strike gold on so many levels; Roger Woodman, brilliant as the Courtroom Usher with the job of a Circus Ringmaster; Lloyd King, outstanding as Counsel for the Prosecution, learned in the law, yet sadly unable to tell a bigamist from a burglar;

Angelina’s three supposedly supportive Bridesmaids, Susie,   Karen and Kathleen aka Delilah, Delightful and Delinquent, by nature as by name and Roland Cox, who slipped rather too comfortably into the role of the philandering Foreman of the Jury.

 There was the gaggle of Jurors, as easily swayed by beauty as by the beauty of a bribe and a gallery where members of ‘the public’ including suffragettes, sisters, saucy seductresses and the few with common sense…or commoners with scents for a titillating trial completed the scene and the telling of Gilbert and Sullivan’s story which has and will again continue to live in hearts for a very long time.

Deserved acknowledgements might normally precede a story but coming at this end by no means diminishes the importance of the vital roles these people played in bringing these two performances to fruition.   

To undertake a task of perfecting 89 pages of accompaniment would be to most a daunting task. To Margaret Philp, alongside Alexis, who complemented the singers with impeccable playing throughout each performance, absolutely honouring the music of Arthur Sullivan and for her calm throughout months of rehearsals, we are eternally grateful.  To Sue Cox who co-ordinated the catering completely satisfying the masses at each venue and in doing so, kept the culinary reputation of this choir in very safe hands, we give our thanks.

We are so fortunate to have Tom Byrne whose inventiveness and accomplished skill with hammer, saw and nails created a Courtroom to rival D’Oyly Carte Opera Company as well as seamlessly managing the stage sets and scenes allowing for the smooth delivery of superlative performances; and Gregg Skippen, our audio ace, who has very quickly mastered the complicated network of chords, mics and speakers allowing audiences quality sound and making us sound so much better than we think we are. Our thanks also to ‘team Costume’ Carolyn and Kerry for their efforts in giving such authenticity and wonderful stage presence to the characters and to the editors of The Somerset Newspaper, Scott and Melissa, whose support of our publicity has gone way above and beyond.  

Lastly, but never least, our gratitude is endless for Alexis, our Angel of Music, whose patience should be bottled, who could make flowers bloom on stage, who brought us to the level of singing that made us feel proud, who inspires us daily and teaches us that hurdles are meant to be jumped.

By: Sue Walker