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The darker side of Gilbert and Sullivan: The Yeomen of the Guard at Holland Park

By David Karlin, 07 August 2024

Some good singing performances can't overcome a dated feeling of Gilbert's humour: the evening improves as the storm clouds gather.

**111

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**111

London

07 Aug 2024

The darker side of G&S: Yeomen of the Guard at Holland Park

By David Karlin

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HMS Pinafore at Opera Holland Park: infernal nonsense of the best kind

By Mark Valencia, 09 August 2022

It’s a risky business to describe comic nuance or timing, so please take my word that these qualities were as pitch-perfect as the vocal prowess on display.

****1

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****1

London

09 Aug 2022

HMS Pinafore at OHP: infernal nonsense of the best kind

By Mark Valencia

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Utopia, Limited proves surprisingly timely in rare Scottish Opera revival

By David Smythe, 20 October 2021

A semi-staged concert that boasts strong musical performances and appealing production values makes a spirited case for reappraising Gilbert and Sullivan's penultimate collaboration.

****1

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****1

Glasgow

20 Oct 2021

Scottish Opera revives Gilbert and Sullivan's timely Utopia, Limited

By David Smythe

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Scottish Opera's spectacular Gondoliers bump starts its new season

By David Smythe, 16 October 2021

Stuart Maunder directs a lavishly costumed cast, Derek Clark conducts fine playing and singing and Isabel Baquero’s choreography sparkles.

****1

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****1

Glasgow

16 Oct 2021

Scottish Opera's spectacular Gondoliers bump starts its new season

By David Smythe

A musical joy and a comical hoot: The Pirates of Penzance in Holland Park

By Mark Valencia, 07 August 2021

John Savournin directs Opera Holland Park's end-of-term G&S romp.

*****

*****

London

07 Aug 2021

A musical joy and a comical hoot: The Pirates of Penzance at OHP

By Mark Valencia

Prom 40: Royal assortment from the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

By David Truslove, 16 August 2019

Fine performances of music associated with Queen Victoria, with a royal novelty thrown in to complete a programme marked by commitment and vigour.

****1

****1

London

16 Aug 2019

Prom 40: Royal assortment from the OAE

By David Truslove

Silence in Court! John Wilson and the OAE return a “not guilty” verdict

By Benjamin Poore, 18 April 2019

A classy and charming adventure through Gilbert & Sullivan with the OAE and John Wilson .

***11

***11

London

18 Apr 2019

Wilson and the OAE return a “not guilty” verdict

By Benjamin Poore

A colourful, exuberant riot: Iolanthe at English National Opera

By David Karlin, 13 February 2018

Cal McCrystal goes long on the ham and keeps the gags flowing in a visually stunning production that will delight G&S lovers.

****1

****1

London

13 Feb 2018

A colourful, exuberant riot: ENO's Iolanthe

By David Karlin

Boston

Let the merry cymbals sound! Patience charms at Odyssey Opera

By Kevin Wells, 02 June 2017

Director Frank Kelly channels the inspired lunacy he displayed as a tenor to this production of Patience.

*****

*****

Boston

02 Jun 2017

Let the merry cymbals sound! Patience charms at Odyssey Opera

By Kevin Wells

Cambridge

Fresh, funny, frivolous: Gilbert & Sullivan's Patience from English Touring Opera in Cambridge

By Charlotte Valori, 26 April 2017

A joyous explosion of tuneful Victorian satire provides an unlikely, yet ideal, contrast to English Touring Opera's Tosca as their Patience tours the UK in this finely-cast, period-perfect production.

****1

****1

Cambridge

26 Apr 2017

Fresh, funny, frivolous: Patience in Cambridge

By Charlotte Valori

Birmingham

John Wilson and the CBSO present British classics with a difference

By Hedy Mühleck, 01 March 2017

A pleasant afternoon's entertainment with grand sweeps and some beautiful singing by Roderick Williams.

***11

***11

Birmingham

01 Mar 2017

British Classics with a difference

By Hedy Mühleck

Petticoated pirate romp: The Pirates of Penzance at ENO

By Olivia Bell, 09 February 2017

There’s nothing new or inventive about Leigh’s revived production, which in itself is not a crime, but neither is there an abundance of energy; it's all a bit nice.

***11

***11

London

09 Feb 2017

Petticoated pirate romp at ENO

By Olivia Bell

San Francisco

Perfectly staged, Lamplighters' Patience stills demands patience

By Ilana Walder-Biesanz, 04 February 2017

The Lamplighters stage Gilbert and Sullivan's satirical operetta with their usual high production values and talented cast.

***11

***11

San Francisco

04 Feb 2017

Lamplighters' Patience stills demands patience

By Ilana Walder-Biesanz

San Francisco

Lamplighters' more PC Mikado is no less funny

By Ilana Walder-Biesanz, 19 August 2016

Set in Italy, The Mikado gains humor and escapes controversy. The Lamplighters impress with high production values and a talented cast.

****1

****1

San Francisco

19 Aug 2016

A more PC Mikado is no less funny

By Ilana Walder-Biesanz

Prom 44: Brushing up our Shakespeare on Stage and Screen

By Hedy Mühleck, 18 August 2016

The BBC Concert Orchestra and Keith Lockhart offered a snapshot of the Bard's lasting artistic impact with music for composed for stage and screen, from this side of the Atlantic and beyond the pond.

***11

***11

London

18 Aug 2016

Brushed up our Shakespeare in Prom 44

By Hedy Mühleck

The Yeomen of the Guard strongly sung by the National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company

By Peter Connors, 26 July 2016

This Yeomen of the Guard was one of the best sung G&S performances I have heard. The traditional but inventive production will appeal to novices and enthusiasts alike.

****1

****1

Buxton

26 Jul 2016

The Yeomen of the Guard strongly sung

By Peter Connors

Scottish Opera’s Mikado: A Victorian variety show on Japanese Night

By David Smythe, 07 May 2016

Martin Lloyd Evans returns to Scottish Opera direct a visually rich and lively Mikado. Richard Suart is a veteran Ko-Ko with no-one safe from his Little List as it changes for every performance.

***11

***11

Glasgow

07 May 2016

A Victorian variety show on Japanese Night

By David Smythe

Jonathan Miller’s stylish, spirited Mikado revived once again at ENO

By Mark Pullinger, 21 November 2015

Miller eschews the oriental side of the tale, seeing The Mikado as a play on daft British eccentricity.

***11

***11

London

21 Nov 2015

A spirited Mikado revival at ENO

By Mark Pullinger

Harrogate

A sparkling Patience in Harrogate

By Peter Connors, 14 August 2015

This traditional production of Patience was strongly sung and acted and was a joyful evening.

****1

****1

Harrogate

14 Aug 2015

A sparkling Patience in Harrogate

By Peter Connors

That sinking feeling: ENO’s Pirates of Penzance scuppered at the Coliseum

By Mark Pullinger, 09 May 2015

As director of the film Topsy-Turvy, Mike Leigh seemed like a natural choice to turn his hand to The Pirates of Penzance at English National Opera. Sadly, this proved not to be the case.

**111

**111

London

09 May 2015

That sinking feeling: ENO’s Pirates of Penzance

By Mark Pullinger

Always a bridesmaid: Charles Court Opera's Ruddigore

By Charlotte Valori, 18 February 2015

Ruddigore is a glorious comic romp through a very English country village, full of wonderfully awkward Edwardian love and delicious puns. Whatever your Valentine experience this year, you can't help but be swept up in it.

***11

***11

London

18 Feb 2015

Always a bridesmaid: Charles Court Opera's Ruddigore

By Charlotte Valori

Dublin

Delectable entertainment: The King's Singers charm Dublin

By Andrew Larkin, 05 February 2015

Madrigals and Folksongs: the King's Singers entertain and delight in a progromme spanning 400 years with glorious singing.

****1

****1

Dublin

05 Feb 2015

The King's Singers charm Dublin

By Andrew Larkin

Dublin

Centenary performance of The Mikado in Dublin

By Andrew Larkin, 12 November 2013

Last night’s performance of The Mikado was a historical moment for the Rathmines and Rathgar Musical Society (affectionately known as the “R&R”) as it celebrates its centenary this year. Its very first performance in the Queen’s Theatre, Dublin in 1913 was also Gilbert and Sullivan’s much-loved Mikado, representing a satisfying continuity with last night’s performance.

Dublin

12 Nov 2013

Centenary performance of The Mikado in Dublin

By Andrew Larkin

Leeds

Eine Nacht in Venedig: A fine start for the Leeds Lieder Festival

By Richard Wilcocks, 11 October 2013

It was hard to choose from the fascinating menu for The Composer’s Echo (the title for this Leeds Lieder Festival), which is described as “a feast of song from the great Western European tradition which fuses poetry and music” by the festival’s director, Jane Anthony.

****1

****1

Leeds

11 Oct 2013

Eine Nacht in Venedig: A fine start for the Leeds Lieder Festival

By Richard Wilcocks

Prom 58: Light organ music with Richard Hills

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 26 August 2013

Prom 58’s afternoon concert of light organ music was created to showcase the Royal Albert Hall’s enormous Henry Willis organ. It was the largest of its kind when it was originally built in 1871 and although now only the second largest in Britain, the instrument still consists of 9,997 pipes and 147 stops.

****1

****1

London

26 Aug 2013

Prom 58: Light organ music with Richard Hills

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Buxton Gilbert and Sullivan Festival's remarkable Princess Ida

By Andrew H. King, 17 August 2013

Princess Ida holds her court amongst the rarer Gilbert and Sullivan operas; their eighth collaboration, it opened at the Savoy Theatre on 5 January 1884, running for 246 performances.

*****

*****

Buxton

17 Aug 2013

Buxton Gilbert and Sullivan Festival's remarkable Princess Ida

By Andrew H. King

Iolanthe at the Buxton Gilbert and Sullivan Festival

By Andrew H. King, 03 August 2013

Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe made history twice over on its opening night of 25 November 1882: in the first instance it was the first G&S production to play at the recently completed Savoy Theatre; and in the second, it was the first to open (almost) simultaneously at the Standard Theatre, New York City, beginning barely an hour after the conclusion of the London performance on the same d

****1

****1

Buxton

03 Aug 2013

Iolanthe at the Buxton Gilbert and Sullivan Festival

By Andrew H. King

The Buxton Gilbert and Sullivan Festival's Pirates of Penzance

By Andrew H. King, 27 July 2013

The Pirates of Penzance is without a doubt one of the most popular and most successful of the G&S canon, containing some of Gilbert’s most amusing lyrics and characterisations, alongside examples of Sullivan’s best music.

****1

****1

Buxton

27 Jul 2013

The Buxton Gilbert and Sullivan Festival's Pirates of Penzance

By Andrew H. King

Liverpool

The best of Gilbert and Sullivan with John Wilson and the RLPO

By Andrew H. King, 06 July 2013

Since the death of conductors like Isidore Godfrey, Malcolm Sargent and Charles Mackerras, all of whom feature heavily in the Gilbert and Sullivan discography with many excellent soloists of the last century, there has been no mainstream conductor that has really given the work of Gilbert and Sullivan its due; countless amateur dramatic societies and a few professional opera houses have done their

****1

****1

Liverpool

06 Jul 2013

The best of Gilbert and Sullivan with John Wilson and the RLPO

By Andrew H. King

Pirates of Penzance set sail from Glasgow

By David Smythe, 18 May 2013

To end the 2012/13 season, Scottish Opera has teamed up with the D’Oyly Carte Company to create a crisp new production of The Pirates of Penzance, which heads off to England and Wales after touring Scotland.

****1

****1

Glasgow

18 May 2013

Pirates of Penzance set sail from Glasgow

By David Smythe

Jonathan Miller's Mikado returns to English National Opera

By Emily Owen, 01 December 2012

Jonathan Miller and ENO’s iconic interpretation of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado has returned to the London Coliseum this Christmas, to the delight of G&S fans across the capital, including myself.

****1

****1

London

01 Dec 2012

Jonathan Miller's Mikado returns to English National Opera

By Emily Owen

Prom 49: Gilbert and Sullivan's The Yeomen of the Guard

By David Karlin, 19 August 2012

When choosing a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta to be performed at the Proms in a year firmly branded as "London 2012", The Yeomen of the Guard had obvious appeal, being set in one of the capital's most famous landmarks, and giving the opportunity, even in semi-staged form, to deck the hall with Beefeater uniforms.

**111

**111

London

19 Aug 2012

Prom 49: Gilbert and Sullivan's The Yeomen of the Guard

By David Karlin

The Grand Duke at the Buxton Gilbert and Sullivan Festival

By Andrew H. King, 18 August 2012

One hundred and sixteen years ago, on 7 March 1896, Gilbert and Sullivan presented before the London public their final Savoy Opera: The Grand Duke.

***11

***11

Buxton

18 Aug 2012

The Grand Duke at the Buxton Gilbert and Sullivan Festival

By Andrew H. King

A British tar is a soaring soul: HMS Pinafore at the Buxton Gilbert and Sullivan Festival

By Andrew H. King, 10 August 2012

Few 19th-century operettas exceed HMS Pinafore in style, wit and musical accomplishment; the principal candidates in English are The Mikado, and The Yeoman of the Guard, plus a few offerings by Lionel Monckton and Sidney Jones. Any foreign contender would surely be one of the champagne-soaked Viennese delicacies by the Strauss family or Carl Zeller.

****1

****1

Buxton

10 Aug 2012

A British tar is a soaring soul: HMS Pinafore at the Buxton Gilbert and Sullivan Festival

By Andrew H. King

Gilbert and Sullivan's Gondoliers in Buxton

By Andrew H. King, 03 August 2012

Among the fourteen Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, it must be acknowledged that there are glimpses of weakness. The Gondoliers maintains one of Gilbert’s typically insane plots, which is best described as ‘topsy-turvy’ until the final scene, when order is restored. Likewise the music is far from Sullivan’s strongest score, but there are moments of inspired vocal writing.

***11

***11

Buxton

03 Aug 2012

Gilbert and Sullivan's Gondoliers in Buxton

By Andrew H. King

Marvellous Mikado at the Buxton Gilbert and Sullivan Festival

By Andrew H. King, 29 July 2012

The Gilbert and Sullivan canon perhaps achieves the pinnacle of its greatness with The Mikado. The ninth of their fourteen collaborations, it was premièred at the Savoy Theatre in 1885 and the gentlemen were rewarded with an extraordinary success.

****1

****1

Buxton

29 Jul 2012

Marvellous Mikado at the Buxton Gilbert and Sullivan Festival

By Andrew H. King

Birmingham Royal Ballet's Autumn Glory: a smorgasbord of ballet delights

By Margaret Willis, 19 October 2011

War on a chess board; simplicity and purity of line; and a rollicking Victorian nonsense musical—all rolled into one evening in London this week. Autumn Glory was a true mixed bag of styles and tempos, and recalled Birmingham Royal Ballet’s heritage that had its beginnings at Sadlers Wells Theatre.

****1

****1

London

19 Oct 2011

Birmingham Royal Ballet's Autumn Glory: a smorgasbord of ballet delights

By Margaret Willis

Leeds

Opera North's revival of Ruddigore is a visual treat

By Laura Kate Wilson, 30 September 2011

Baritone Thomas Hampson recently quipped that he'd try anything other than Gilbert and Sullivan, echoing the sentiments of many opera fans who are inclined to see the operettas penned by the Victorian duo as the preserve of amateur dramatic societies and school drama clubs. With this in mind, it was somewhat surprising to see Opera North create a new production of Ruddigore back in 2010.

Leeds

30 Sep 2011

Opera North's revival of Ruddigore is a visual treat

By Laura Kate Wilson

Glen Ellyn

Hail, Hail, The Gang's All Here!

By Kristina Powers, 27 March 2011

Ahoy there, Mateys – the gang’s all here: Pirates, lovely ladies, bumbling policemen, and a stammering Major General. Yes, my landlubbing and seafaring friends, I am speaking of Gilbert and Sullivan’s eternal classic, “The Pirates of Penzance”, which was given a delightful, fresh, and faithful take by the acclaimed New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players at College of DuPage.

*****

*****

Glen Ellyn

27 Mar 2011

Hail, Hail, The Gang's All Here!

By Kristina Powers