Our next show

Following the success of Iolanthe, we look forward to returning to the Carnegie Hall on 13–15 February 2025 with another sparkling production and hope to see you there. Take a look at the flier at this link … go to this post to find out how to get your tickets.

Our next show is The Jury’s Out, a different take on G&S created by our own Linda D Milne. Linda writes: “I got the idea for The Jury’s Out a few years ago. Gilbert and Sullivan’s short operetta Trial by Jury is about a court case, and I always wondered how did the plaintiff and the defendant get to court? The Jury’s Out tells the story using lyrics and music from several G&S operettas.”

If you too ever wondered how the plaintiff ended up in the Court of the Exchequer, you’ll get an answer from Act 1 of the show that Linda has devised, and will then see how things play out in Act 2, which features most of Trial by Jury, subtly modified. All the music is by Sir Arthur Sullivan, with minor adaptations and an overture freshly-compiled by Willie Campbell; most of the Act 1 words are by W S Gilbert, but in Linda’s different context and adapted by her.

We’re delighted that our Musical Director will once again be Eddie MacLennan. Linda herself is in charge of our production, and we’ve really been enjoying working with them both.

Following auditions, the cast (at this link) has been announced, the chorus has been working with them on both music and moves, and by the start of November we’d blocked the whole of Act 1, which is remarkable progress – the whole team are really looking forward to being G&S characters in this unique show!

Another way in which this year’s production is different is that it features a guest appearance by Frances McCafferty, our Honorary President. Frances always takes a keen interest in our endeavours and contributes an interesting letter to our programmes. She recalled in our 2023 programme that thirty years before she had joined the D’Oyly Carte Opera company, making her debut in The Pirates of Penzance and Orpheus in the Underworld. We’re privileged that she is able to join us on stage for the première run of The Jury’s Out.

The show is an absolute must for G&S aficionados – where did the words, music and characters come from?! Further details will be under wraps until the show, but we can assure you that they’re exciting.