A Buxton Review
Stephen Turnbull, one of the Festival adjudicator, wrote:
5 August: DAY FIVE: Assist me, all of you!
It’s a good job that the church and the stage are closely connected. Among the advantages it brings is the facility to put on operas in church buildings. St. John’s church in Buxton, which hosts many of the Festival’s daytime events – recitals, talks etc. – isn’t the perfect operatic stage, but with its wide crossing area at the head of the nave, it is certainly a serviceable one, and today’s performance by Dunfermline G&SS of their new show The Jury’s Out fitted in quite well.
We often hear bandied about the expression “a game of two halves’, and it rather nicely fits The Jury’s Out, by Linda D Milne. The first act is completely new work in which the backstories of Sally and Richard, plaintiff and defendant, are explored by means of newly written dialogue by Linda, and songs, with words amended as appropriate, repurposed from a raft of G&S operas. The second is an adapted version of Trial by Jury, in which the dilemmas created are resolved by legal means, in a way that differs slightly from the conventional TbJ dénoument (no spoilers!) One particularly felicitous touch is the introduction of a Counsel for the Defendant, his bosom friend in Act I, who takes some of the Defendant’s verses in Act II, singing them in the third person.
The show was successfully premièred last year in Dunfermline’s Carnegie Hall and there have been several subsequent performances. This is Dunfermline G&S Society’s first visit to Buxton and The Jury’s Out thus received its English première. It’s an attractive show, eminently stageworthy, and enough happens in the first act to hold the interest. There’s plenty for the chorus to do, and all the music used is mainstream. There was some good chorus work, and several of the principals were excellent. Movement was somewhat limited by the performance space, but several entrances from the back of the church added a dimension.
I’m sure that the biggest challenge for the cast would have been to unlearn the original words in favour of the new ones. A version of that problem affects members of the Inner Brotherhood. I found it quite difficult, when a number was under way, to divorce it in my mind from its home context. But that, of course, would not be an issue for members of a general audience. Today there was a good house – nave and coffee area practically full – and they received the new work with warmth and enthusiasm.
The honorary President of Dunfermline G&SS is Frances McCafferty, and it was an absolute delight to see her enter regally as Katisha and proceed to electrify the room with those parts of the original Katisha’s role that this new Katisha was required to sing.
More about Buxton
Hopefully you’ll have read our post on The Road to Buxton, but there’s a lot to tell, which we’ve split into a number of separate pages.
The show as presented in a semi-staged version is told (with pictures) at this link.
What a professional reviewer thought of the show is at this link.
We tell the story of a typical Buxton day at this link.
Mostly for those who were there, the long Fringe Festival wait is described at this link.
Because posts are ephemeral, your webmaster has started an Archive page linked to our Previous Shows page. As always this is a work in progress, so please email your webmaster if you have material to share or comments/corrections to make. Particularly useful are corrections or reflections on the captions to the slides!
The Road to Buxton
The February 2025 audiences for The Jury’s Out were pleased – “Your vision certainly came together so well … all gelling to make for brilliant, very clever show … A great evening’s entertainment” – and everyone involved with the production was “on the whole, delighted”, though we suffered withdrawal symptoms!
When, nearly two months later, we met to view the video that Bob Mitchell, Senior, had produced and edited, someone had the idea that we should send a copy to the organisers of the Buxton International G&S Festival, and offer our production as part of the 2026 Festival.
So we sent the video, and waited … and on 1 October 2025 Linda heard from Neil Smith, offering Dunfermline G&S Society to perform The Jury’s Out at St John’s Church, a subsidiary venue, on the afternoon of 5 August. Exciting news, quickly shared with members. Fortunately, Linda, our MD Eddie Maclennan, and enough of the cast were available for us to commit to appear. We then just had to make it happen!
Plan A was to rehearse in St John’s on the previous evening and on the morning of the performance, with rehearsals on selected Wednesdays and Sundays after Strictly Patience. Inevitably some of the première cast were unable to take part, sadly including founder member Robin Ożóg, who had played Sir Marmaduke/Judge. We are most grateful to Ian Lawson from the Edinburgh G&S Society (EDGAS), already going to Buxton as part of their Iolanthe cast, for being such a talented and gracious replacement. With Eric Brown “deftly substituted” for Mike Enright as Dr Daly/Foreman, three members recruited for the chorus, and three volunteers pressed into service as stage crew, all was prepared.
St John’s is larger than Limekilns Parish Church, our normal rehearsal venue, but is equally not a theatre, with no curtains or scope for cloths and scenery. Modifications were devised to make the staging as effective as possible in a church setting, as for our post-pandemic Princess Ida. However, the changes were significant, so Plan B involved running the show twice at Limekilns a fortnight before our Buxton appearance, with a single extended rehearsal in St John’s. So Robin didn’t escape involvement, standing in as Adam/Usher at Limekilns.
The music for the overture had been cleverly compiled by Willie Campbell for orchestra, but at Buxton we would only have a grand piano, so Willie set about creating a reduction for piano, four hands. Two of those would be his, before he joined the assembled villagers on-stage for Act 1. At Limekilns, the second pair of hands, providing accompaniment for the rest of the show, belonged to Carol Madden, our regular rehearsal pianist; at Buxton, her place was taken by James Hendry, taking a break from conducting the Opera House orchestra. No pressure then!
Not everything went smoothly, and we were sad when one of our younger members, Andrew Murray, had to pull out. Andy had been involved in many of the humorous asides as assistant to Adam and trainee Usher. Plan C … who better to play the fool in his stead than the inimitable Jack Archibald?!
“Final rehearsal” – performing at Limekilns
Rehearsals came and went, with variable forces and much need of librettos and scores to refresh the memory traces from sixteen months before. Then two Limekilns shows delighted the audiences and sharpened up our act considerably. Another salient learning point was that rehearsing fully in the performance space isn’t always possible, so you have to be fully alert and flexible, and be prepared for things to be a bit manic in places!
Time to head for Buxton, and it was a very relieved Linda who met cast members bearing props baskets and other stage kit at St John’s on the Sunday afternoon. There was space to enjoy the Festival as audience, except for those three members who had responded to a call from EDGAS for extra chorus members for Iolanthe. Five minutes into their dress rehearsal on the Monday afternoon, disaster struck. Our Treasurer, Anne Dolbear, tripped on stage and broke a hip, and lay in pain for two hours until the ambulance arrived. To coin a phrase, this “rather dislocated the rehearsal”, so all but thirty minutes of the EDGAS show was unrehearsed on stage until the evening performance. But it was still a success, and received an Adjudicator’s Special Award — for delivering a technically perfect show after a curtailed dress rehearsal.
Without Anne, Plan D was needed, and Moira Duncan duly grasped the ostrich feathers for Act 2. Thankfully, Tuesday was without incident: set-up was completed on schedule, and we ran Act 1 before the pre-show talk intervened, with Act 2 afterwards. But there was no early night for the team, as we had been asked to perform at the Club Cabaret in the Pavilion that evening. Few of us had previously been to the Festival, and the warm atmosphere of these post-show gatherings was both unexpected and very much enjoyed. Linda had carefully curated a professional show, starring Frances, Jennifer, Theo, and Kenneth, and making sure that The Jury’s Out received maximum coverage. We were told that our cabaret sold at least thirty extra tickets!
St John’s is a bit like an Edinburgh Fringe venue. You wait outside until the previous event (for us an HMS Pinafore sing-along) finishes (inevitably late!), fight your way in past the outgoing audience, and set up and start the show 15 minutes later. You have to be on your toes, remember where the hazards are, and work out where you can change without being spotted. In the interval, you fight the audience to get to the shared toilets! And, before you know it, the show is over and it’s time for the get out.
Sally and Captain Cor meet up after many years apart
Everyone loves a wedding
Frances McCafferty (Katisha) interrupts the proceedings
Ian Lawson tells how he came to be a judge
The lovers are reconciled, to Katisha’s distress
We attracted a pretty full house, including old friends from far and near, and they were very responsive and appreciative, as were our reviewers:
“There was plenty for the busy and enthusiastic chorus … to do, which held the packed audience’s attention as we didn’t know what to expect. They also had to negotiate the different setting in St John’s Church, but everyone looked like they were having fun.
“The icing on the (wedding) cake was an appearance from former member of the new D’Oyly Carte, Frances McCafferty as Katisha. Also the honorary President of DGASS, her rich, full-bodied timbre (“Oh fool, that fleest”) and stage presence, was tail lashing!”
After our own show, we all enjoyed a rather different take on The Mikado in the Opera House, and the following days saw the company gradually disperse as other commitments called. We hadn’t been competing for any of the awards, but the experience of performing in such illustrious company was mind-blowing, and Buxton itself is a great holiday destination. Will we go back if we’re asked? Like a shot!
After the show, Linda is delighted that it all came together
More posts coming shortly on our home and members’ pages. A version of the article above will be coming out soon in the NODA Scotland web magazine.
Rehearsals starting soon!
Rehearsals for The Gondoliers will start on Wednesday 26 August 2026 at Limekilns Parish Church. 7.00pm: social catch-up/meeting new members time; start singing around 7.30pm. Chorus will rehearse at 7.30pm on subsequent weeks. Principals will rehearse 6.30pm–7.30pm too each week as agreed with Linda/Eddie.
Please let anyone you think might like to try us out know about the rehearsal date/time – as always new and returning members will be most welcome. Vocal scores for The Gondoliers will be available to borrow, and we also have rehearsal tracks available for chorus members. Let Ellen know if you would like the appropriate track for your voice emailed to you.
Lyn Bowring
Everyone in the Society was saddened by the news of the death of Lyn Bowring on 14 July. Lyn was a huge part of DGASS over many, many years and supported the Society both on and off the stage.
Lyn’s funeral on 3 August was taken by another DGASS stalwart, Mary Kidd, and her eulogy can be read or downloaded at this link. As many members were in or en route to Buxton on that day, so could not attend Lyn’s funeral, we marked her passing after our performance in St John’s on Wednesday 5 August by singing “Hail Poetry” in her memory.
Our thoughts are with Steve and Alayne Bowring at this sad time.
The Jury’s Out will be on the road …
Both the team and our audience much enjoyed The Jury’s Out and, when we met to view the video, someone had the idea that we should send a copy to the Buxton G&S Festival organisers, and offer our production as part of the 2026 Festival. And then we waited … until last Autumn we got the offer to perform at St John’s Church, Buxton, at 2:30pm on Wednesday 5 August as part of the 32nd International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival!
Despite this being peak holiday period, Linda managed to commit much the same team as for the première to travel to Buxton, and has since been working on Plan A/Plan B/Plan C as other obstacles are gradually overcome. We can’t take the set or the orchestra, but the essentials of the production remain the same, and we’re looking forward to appearing.
Do come and support us if you fancy a holiday in England’s lovely Peak District – you can book at this link – but, if that’s too much of an ask, you can see the team at Limekilns on 17/18 July. Details at this link.
The story so far is told in “The Road to Buxton – Part 1” on pp26–27 of the June issue of the NODA Scotland magazine. We look forward to writing Part 2!
The Jury’s Back!
Well, the good news is that we’re taking the show to Buxton in August and, as part of our preparations, we’re running it next month at Limekilns Parish Church, at 7:30pm on Friday 17 July and 2:30pm on Saturday 18 July. The full show, and the full fun, though with piano accompaniment and staging adapted to the venue.
Tickets are £13 on the door, or tel/text Anne Dolbear on 07703 483083 to make sure of a seat. On the Saturday, finding a parking place might be a tad tricky, so we’d encourage you if you can to come by bus or to share lifts.
Click the image for a full-size flier.
Next appearance
You’ve just missed a chance to see the Society on stage, but we’ll be back at Carnegie on 18–20 February 2027 with a sparkling production of that perennial favourite, The Gondoliers.
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