Wiltshire Times

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1995

An Evening with Gilbert and Sullivan,
Civic Hall, Trowbridge

TROWBRIDGE Amateur Operatic Society performed the second event of their 20th celebration year with a production of Trial by Jury in the first half, followed in the second by excerpts from earlier Gilbert and Sullivan productions of HMS Pinafore, Iolanthe, The Gondoliers, and The Mikado.

It was a scintillating pot-pourri, which left the audience spell-bound at the end of the finale of Act I of The Mikado.

Continuity is always a problem in performances comprising excerpts from various shows, but this was brilliantly overcome by the device of a dialogue between Gilbert and Sullivan, played by Bryan Hussey and Bob Knowles.

The second half opened with stirring highlights from HMS Pinafore, and from then on the audience was treated to a rapid series of quick changes of costume, all unassumingly effected on-stage, as the scene switched from Portsmouth Harbour, to Westminster, to Venice, and finally to Japan.

Congratulations to all concerned for this memorable evening. With such a wealth of talent available, it should not be too long before the society feels able to attempt another full-length Gilbert and Sullivan production.

R.W. Hill